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31 out of 39 people found the following review useful: Compelling and much better 23 years later, 13 June 2002 Author: ddrucker-2 from Cambridge, MA
I saw this movie years ago on a date while I was in college was completely baffled by it (although I think I was one of the few people who liked it a bit nevertheless). Now, with it on the Fox Movie channel, I had a chance to see it again. What a difference a couple of decades makes! In 1979 there was no concept of nuclear winter, but now we all too well have visions of the world dying in the grip of ice. (In fact, some have pointed out that the same emissions that are causing global warming may end up creating exactly the opposite effect; the continuous fouling of the atmosphere will eventually shut out the sun and a new, deadly ice age will engulf the earth.) That said, the idea of hoplessness - of people having nothing to look forward to except the thrill of their game, makes the actions of the game players understandable, even if they are not sympathetic. In this sense, the movie is oddly like other apocalyptic movies like 'On the Beach', where survivors indulge in the ultimate decadence - willful ignorance of survival, a warped echo of their humanity. This is a movie about intrigue, very much like the spy movie involving double agents and double-crossing, but this is also a movie (like the more recent 'Sixth Sense' which also has a clear set of symbolic imagery) about a pervasive set of symbols. Everywhere you see the number 5. Everything comes in fives or pentagrams. There is a marvelous shot of a woman's face in a mirror, framed by a pentagram. The church scene where 'Saint Christopher' is speaking of the 5 stages of life is a droll parody of Christian orthodoxy, a sort of post-nuclear take on predestination, our lot in life, and the futitility of our existence, all ornamented with Latin and ritual. Far less subtle scenes like the 'Beneath the Planet of the Apes' scene where they worship an atomic bomb come to mind. The musical score is also constantly using the rhythm of 5. I found the music as well as the sound design (the constant howling of the wind, and groaning of ice) extraordinary. The ending, in which there are 4 orchestral strikes - the fifth is left out (perhaps symbolizing the fact that the story is left hanging) is suitably unsettling. My only criticism is the acting . Nearly all of he actors (except for Paul Newman) are not native English speakers, and their accents make many lines nearly incomprehensible. This is a shame, given that so many nuances of the plot are dependent on a line here or there. I'm not sure this film would be good remade by David Lynch (as one reviewer has suggested), but I now wonder what re-dubbing actors voices might do for it! Also, the entire film is shot with vaseline around the edges of the lens. While this technique may work as a special effect (and a clichéed one at that!) doing it for the entire movie is just distracting. I'll bet that Altman regretted that decision. 'Quintet' does not deserve the scorn that has been laid on it. It is not Altman's worst film; it is not a mistake. It is instead, an essay regarding what it is to be human, and an experiment in cold claustrophobic tone. In some ways, the experiment is a success - I found many of the images, sounds and music and ideas very memorable. In fact, I'll bet that the movie has had more influence on some filmmakers than we may realise. I'll bet Tim Burton, Terry Gilliam and Alex Proyas like this movie. They all have that sensitivity to consistency of tone and vision that this movie has.
25 out of 29 people found the following review useful: A flawed masterpiece, 10 December 2005 Author: raidavies-1 from New Zealand
I am one of those who was haunted by this film on first viewing and watched it for a second time soon afterward and understood - and appreciated - it far more as a result. It's often disingenuous to say that a film which so clearly divided opinion has to have something going for it but, in the case of Quintet, that is pleasingly true. By trawling the other comments about Quintet on the website, you can see that some people have a visceral dislike for the slow pace and unfolding of the film and a discontent with the actions and reactions of characters within it. Others point out that this is precisely the point of the film - it is profoundly nihilistic and demonstrates the breakdown of modern social conventions when a culture is forced to make a dramatic change to itself. Also, Quintet should be taken in the context of Marshall Mcluhan's comment: "the medium is the message". I wish I could claim this next comment as my own, because it's very perceptive, but it came from my then girlfriend: "This must have been what it was like for people in the last ice age, when just surviving was the priority and anything, even killing people, was a welcome break from the tedium". You see, Quintet isn't actually about how a society evolves to meet the challenges of environmental change; it's about how a society devolves to minimise the effect of environmental changes. Having watched this film again just last night, I agree even more with Altman's vision of where the human race is likely to go - I think he is remarkably prescient. Like 'Three Days of the Condor', this is a film that has, with the passing of time, become remarkably relevant to the world in which we live today.
18 out of 23 people found the following review useful: This isn't a film for everyone, 28 September 2005 Author: tsquires-1 from United States
I saw the film in Westwood, and I don't recall having anyone walk out of the theater. The film is decidedly depressing. It was written at a time when a lot of people in the country were very concerned that America and the Soviet Union were heading towards nuclear war. The catch word at that time was "nuclear winter". Scientists in the late 1970's had just announced to the world that a nuclear war was totally unwinnable---because if just 10% of the nuclear weapons on Earth were detonated anywhere on the planet, so much dust and debris would be thrown into the upper atmosphere that the sun's rays would be blocked, causing another ice age. This film is set in such an ice age. The main theme of the movie is that nothing is more important than love and caring about people, and your family, and children. In the film, we see a world where people have stopped loving others, and where the people have adopted a death culture. The film was not very entertaining, but it was a warning of where our culture could be heading if we weren't careful. The movie certainly made me think. It was a turning point in my life, and made me realize I had a duty to care about other people.
21 out of 31 people found the following review useful: The only film that puts the cold war in true perspective., 19 August 2001 Author: Michael Udel from Guangzhou, China
This film seems almost universally despised, but even its harshest critics note how effective Altman was in creating mood. Despite the fact that the mood is terribly gloomy and unappealing to most, it makes perfect sense to me because this movie is about the cold war.Many, many films deal with the cold war, but they jazz it up and accentuate the "glamour" of the spy game and ignore the futility of the paranoia that raged for 50 years (34 when the film was released), and that is still one of the dominant forces in international politics.Some of the best cold war films such as Michael Caine's three roles as Harry Palmer, or Fred Schepisi's "Russia House" bring parts of the cold war home while showing us the ways of international espionage, but what other film besides "Quintet" shows how it affects an average family man, "Little Nikita"? Perhaps some others do, but none provide the gloomy, desperate, futile feel of "Quintet", which I appreciate because for me that's what the cold war is all about.I believe those who see "Quintet" simply as a film about the next ice age and its favorite board game missed the point that Altman made so convincingly, and with such ability that even those who don't care for "Quintet" can't forget it.
11 out of 14 people found the following review useful: Different take on Sci/Fi, 24 September 2005 Author: lisvic from Texas
I saw the film for the first time about a month ago on cable. Always heard about it, but never had a chance to check it out.In sharp contrast with most of the reviews on this page I enjoyed the movie quite a bit. While not a big budget film, production team created an interesting world of constant snow. Altman must also be given credit for successfully creating an atmosphere of constant dread. That combined with a powerful music and loud ambient sound effects, presents a cinematic work with imagery that will haunt you weeks after seeing the film.It's not a perfect film, but what film is? Sure, movie takes it's time....,but so what? Sure not everything is explained, but where does it say that story must be spoon fed to the audience? How about letting me think on my own? Sure, it's a low tech Sci/Fi, but so what? Just because there's no plasma rifles or space battles doesn't mean the film is bad...Altman's film is an unusual take on Science Fiction genre...More of a play than a film...more of an allegory than a linear storytelling...and it's just keeps getting better with repeated viewings. More things noticed that were missed before...A surprisingly rich film. In it's tone, the movie I would compare"Quintet" to would be Tarkovsky's "Solaris".... I loved "Quintet"! Too bad it's not on DVD!
9 out of 11 people found the following review useful: A turn about opinion, 11 November 2005 Author: enkiduu from United States
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
When I first saw Quintet in the Theater I was bored to tears. I couldn't understand why my best friend had dragged me all the way into Berkeley to watch such a slow paced, dull movie. Paul Newman's performance was so dead pan I thought, what is going on with this guy?Well, despite this, something about it must have made an impression though, because a few years later I rented it on tape and gave the movie another try. I was surprised by how different the movie seemed to me. I watched it again a day later and thought, "Wow, this movie has a lot going on." I appreciated the underlying theme that life is more than simply surviving - otherwise it becomes a sort of twisted addiction of playing a game with death. Essex's question , "What do I win?" and it's hollow answer of "The chance to play again" pretty much sums up the generation we find ourselves a part of as well.I know this is a flawed movie, but somehow it has become one of my favorites. I still have it on beta and am hoping it comes out in a restored letterbox version with the frosted window effect I remember from the theater. It is a cold movie and you are expected to watch it from arms length - once you get hat, the movie begins to come into focus.If you hated the move the first time, give it another try.
9 out of 12 people found the following review useful: A hidden gem, 25 December 1999 Author: SammyK from Canada
It's a shame that I'd held off so long before finally watching this film - on TV at midnight, no doubt. Many have criticized and disowned this film, citing it as a low point for Robert Altman and nothing more, but this is an unfair judgement. While it may not deliver to fans of "Nashville" and "M.A.S.H.," "Quintet" is a provocative and eerily unsettling bit of cinematic science fiction. Its depiction of a post-apocalyptic ice age is frighteningly vivid, and its nihilistic theme is perhaps one of the reasons many find it off-putting. However, if you're looking for a diamond in the rough, "Quintet" could quite possibly be the movie you're looking for. Altman may not be in top form here, but he certainly creates a vision worth noticing.* A point of note - "Quintet" was filmed at the old Expo '67 site in Montréal, Québec, adding to the film's vision of decay and abandonment.
21 out of 37 people found the following review useful: Stinks On Ice, 5 March 2002 Author: Mr Blue-4 from Los Angeles, CA
In a up and down career with all sorts of movies, this is Altman's one try at science fiction, and it clearly shows that it's not his forte.The film is practically incomprehensible. It seems a disastrous combination of experimental theater pretentiousness and a major studio trying to jump on the post-Star Wars bandwagon (not that this film is at all modelled after that one, but you can imagine that the studio signed on hoping for a much different Paul Newman sci-fi film). The story is nonexistent, the characters remain strangers to us all the way through.Altman has packs of dogs feeding on dead bodies throughout the movie, obviously straining to make some sort of POINT. But since the movie is so poorly thought out, starting with the lack of plot on up, it really isn't about anything at all.The production designed is confused, the photography is undone by the blurs on the edges, and the score is terrible. However, "Quintet" does have one redeeming feature. Not only is the movie clearly filmed out in the snow and ice, but the interiors are kept cold as well. You see the actors' breath in every scene. You really FEEL the cold.
6 out of 8 people found the following review useful: pretty good, 5 September 2005 Author: KyleFurr1983 from United States
I don't know why i had never heard of this movie before with Paul Newman and directed by Robert Altman. This movie doesn't even seem to have a cult following and this must of been a big flop when it came out to be this unknown. A lot of the other people writing comments on this movie seem to really hate it but i actually liked it. I liked the fact that it didn't give any answers about what happened to the earth or even what year it is. The first hour of the movie is very slowing and you really don't know what's going on. I would like to know what Newman and Altman would have to say about this movie now and i guess i can see why so many people hated it even though i liked it.
10 out of 16 people found the following review useful: Another misunderstood Altman orphan, 20 February 1999 Author: matthew wilder (picqueur@aol.com) from los angeles
QUINTET is generally regarded as the greatest blooper of Altman's career, a pretentious embarrassment attributable to an overconsumption of drugs, power or both. Seeing it again twenty years later, it sparkles as one of Altman's bravest achievements.Set in an apocalyptic snowscape so blasted it makes the Coens' Fargo look homy, it's ostensibly about a loner played by Paul Newman trying to fight his way to shelter or safety, blocked by the survivors' lethal betting game, Quintet. But that just suggests the thinnest layer of skin on this movie, which evokes a collaboration between the Tarkovsky of SOLARIS and STALKER and a crotchety American modernist like Aaron Copland.What astounds in this movie is Altman's ability to use his flexible, improvisatory, colloquial style to create a geography of dreams as palpable and authentic as David Lynch's. (Moments of this movie, with their garish, one-of-a-kind production design, suggest the outre fantasias of the great Spanish B director Jesus Franco.) The cinematographer Jean Boffety softens the corners of the lens to create a snowbound, claustral feeling in every image, and Altman conjures scenes that could only have come from dreams: dogs on a snowy hillock feasting on the flesh of dead men in black, forming a living Motherwell painting; a concrete 411 directory made of painted glass charts, shattered and spinning, that tinkle like wind chimes.The composer Tom Pierson's work--alternately elegiac and horrific--equals the finest, most dissonant scores Jerry Goldsmith wrote for Peckinpah. And the film reminds you that, of all contemporary directors, Altman is the most able to unearth pictures of naked dread from the unconscious--remember the ruby-eyed statue glaring in the dark in A WEDDING, or the rape fantasias glimmering on the swimming-pool bottom at night in THREE WOMEN? We think of Altman as the great democrat of American cinema, the first to tell stories about interwoven communities rather than heroic subjects. And we think of him telling them in his patented offhand, homespun voice. QUINTET is a reminder that Altman is also one of our great lyric poets, a high-flier who like his hero lays it all on every roll of the dice. In QUINTET, Altman throws away all the gifts he'd come to rely on--and time reveals that this daring long shot paid off big.
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