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The Company (2003)  /  A Prairie Home Companion (2006)

The Company (2003)
June 29, 2014 - 7:00 pm

The Company (2003)


“...achieves that poetry of motion and lyrical delight musical films always strive for but rarely capture.” –
Chicago Tribune

Directed by Robert Altman.

An ambitious ballerina (Neve Campbell) goes head-to-head with her dance master (Malcolm McDowell) and boyfriend (James Franco), seeking a balance between love and her career.  The familiar setup forms the heart of this portrait of the insular world of ballet, whose precision and discipline were fortuitously met with director Robert Altman’s improvisation and exploration.  A group portrait as well as a character study, the film evokes that singularity of purpose that fine art demands.

Producer: Neve Campbell. Screenwriter: Barbara Turner. Cinematographer: Andrew Dunn. Editor: Geraldine Peroni. Cast: Neve Campbell, Malcolm McDowell, James Franco.

35mm, color, 112 min.

A Prairie Home Companion (2006)


“It sparkles with a magic all its own as an engagingly performed piece of Midwestern whimsy and stoicism.” –
Andrew Sarris

Directed by Robert Altman.

A popular radio show, “A Prairie Home Companion,” is on the verge of cancellation due to the sale of the theater and radio station that have hosted it. A dark-suited man and a strangely angelic woman appear backstage at the final performance, as if to take part in the coming transition, as performers sing and reminisce. Gentleness and nostalgia rightly suffuse this, director Robert Altman’s final filmic statement.

Producer: Robert Altman. Screenwriter: Garrison Keillor. Cinematographer: Edward Lachman. Editor: Jacob Craycroft. Cast: Garrison Keillor, Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Woody Harrelson, Lindsay Lohan.

35mm, color, 105 min.