A Wedding ****½ (1978, Carol Burnett, Desi Arnaz Jr, Paul Dooley, Vittorio Gassman, Lillian Gish, Paul Dooley, Mia Farrow, Geraldine Chaplin, Howard Duff) – Classic Movie Review 5,389

Robert Altman’s exhilarating American 1978 panoramic satirical ensemble comedy-drama film A Wedding is one of his best movies, a dark comedy masterpiece with multiple plots, overlapping dialogue and a huge cast. 

Co-writer/ director Robert Altman’s exhilarating American 1978 panoramic satirical ensemble comedy-drama film A Wedding is one of his best movies, a worthy successor to his 1975 Nashville, another dark comedy masterpiece with multiple plots, overlapping dialogue and a huge cast.

The story by Altman and John Considine unfolds in a single day at a lavish nouveau riche American East Coast society wedding, where the groom’s wealthy Corelli family Italian connection is suspected of having ties to organised crime. It focuses on an astonishing 24 major characters and a total of 48 featured characters, almost all of them horrible, racist and greedy.

Exceptions are Dino Corelli (Desi Arnaz Jr) and Muffin Brenner (Amy Stryker) as the nice young couple getting married. Muffin is the daughter of a Louisville truck driver millionaire, and Dino is the son of a wealthy Chicago family.

The Brenners are a nouveau riche family from Louisville, Kentucky, where Muffin’s father Snooks Brenner (Paul Dooley) made millions in the trucking industry. The Corellis are an old money family from North Shore Chicago. Because of rumours that Luigi Corelli (Vittorio Gassman) has mob connections, virtually every invitee (other than family members) has sent regrets that they cannot attend.

Desi Arnaz Jr and Amy Stryker are very pleasant company as the young couple, but it is Carol Burnett as the bride’s mother Tulip Brenner, Vittorio Gassman as the groom’s father Luigi Corelli, and Paul Dooley as Muffin’s father who have the movie’s best time.

Mia Farrow as Snooks’s nearly mute daughter Buffy Brenner, who is the maid of honour, and Geraldine Chaplin as the wedding planner Rita Billingsley, also stand out. The show also finds room for Lillian Gish in her 100th film as Nettie Sloan, the 90-year-old film director John Cromwell in his final film appearance as Bishop Martin, and Cromwell’s wife of 33 years Ruth Nelson as Aunt Beatrice Sloan Cory, along with the film’s co-screen-writer John Considine as the wedding’s head of security Jeff Kuykendall.

Also in the cast are Peggy Ann Garner, Nina Van Pallandt, Howard Duff, Dina Merril, Lauren Hutton, Viveca Lindfors, Dennis Christopher, Ann Ryerson, Pat McCormick, Jeffrey Jones, Allan Nicholls, Dennis Franz, Pam Dawber and Gavan O’Herlihy.

Many a true word is spoken in jest. The film is a comedy, after all, and it started as a joke. Altman was asked what his next movie would be while he was doing publicity for his 1977 serious-minded film 3 Women and jokingly replied that he was going to shoot a wedding next. Altman and his production assistant later decided to follow up the idea and began planning the film.

Gish said to Charles Rosher, the cinematographer trying to shoot her from below: ‘Get up from there. If God had wanted you to shoot me from that angle, he would have given you a camera in your belly button.’

Patricia Resnick and Allan F Nicholls are also credited for the screenplay.

The film was shot over eight weeks at the Lester Armor House in Lake Bluff, Illinois.

Actors appearing as extras include John Malkovich, Gary Sinise, Laurie Metcalf, Dennis Franz, Alan Wilder, and George Wendt.

John Cromwell died on September 26, 1979, aged 91.

The cast are Carol Burnett as Tulip Brenner, Paul Dooley as Snooks Brenner, Amy Stryker as Muffin Brenner, Mia Farrow as Buffy Brenner, Dennis Christopher as Hughie Brenner, Gerald Busby as the Rev David Ruteledge, Peggy Ann Garner as Candice Ruteledge, Mark Deming as Matthew Ruteledge, Lesley Rogers as Rosie Bean, Tim Thomerson as Russell Bean, Marta Heflin as Shelby Munker, Mary Seibel as Aunt Marge Spar, Margaret Ladd as Ruby Spar, Lillian Gish as Nettie Sloan, Nina Van Pallandt as Regina Sloan Corelli, Vittorio Gassman as Luigi Corelli, Desi Arnaz Jr as Dino Sloan Corelli, Belita Moreno as Daphne Corelli, Luigi Proietti as Dino Corelli I, Virginia Vestoff as Clarice Sloan, Dina Merrill as Toni Sloan Goddard, Pat McCormick as Mack Goddard, Ruth Nelson as Aunt Beatrice Sloan Cory, Ann Ryerson as Victoria Cory, Cedric Scott as Randolph, Craig Richard Nelson as Capt. Reedley Roots, Jeff Perry as Bunky LeMay, Howard Duff as Dr. Jules Meecham, Beverly Ross as Nurse Janet Schulman, Geraldine Chaplin as Rita Billingsley, Viveca Lindfors as Ingrid Hellstrom, John Cromwell as Bishop Martin, Lauren Hutton as Florence Farmer, Allan F. Nicholls as Jake Jacobs, John Considine as Jeff Kuykendall, Dennis Franz as Koons, Pam Dawber as Tracy Farrell, Gavan O’Herlihy as Wilson Briggs, Robert Fortier as Jim Habor, and Bert Remsen as William Williamson.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5,389

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