英文美文賞析：納什維爾背後的都市傳說

　　When Robert Altman released Nashville in 1975, the reaction was critical glee followed by a po-faced, stick 'em up backlash. It's not a film anyone can remain neutral about. An outrageously sly musical drama, it's a five-day snapshot of life in Nashville, the Hollywood of country in western music in a run-up to a political rally for the mysterious replacement party. 180 minutes long, the movie unfolds in a free-wheeling way moving through time and narrative with an almost hyper-realistic tone. We are invited to just observe human behaviour as things happen apparently before us. There are so many stories, so many conflicting legends about the making of Nashville. Was the script actually used? Where did Altman hide his cameras and why was everyone talking over one another?

　　"You know, it's interesting and there's a lot of urban legend about how we made the movie. Bob was a, he was a fan of improvisation only in so far as a rehearsal process. He would say things like, 'Listen, look at the script, but don't make any plans for tomorrow, because it won't be that way when you get here.' I might have been the least improvisationally inclined actor on the set. I was never comfortable with that. I always preferred to have something really clearly written."