Buffalo Bill, continued from page 15

Buffalo Bill, continued from page 15

way to John Ford's and even, in another form, up to urban westerns like Dirty Harry. And certainly the shock (maybe even the controversy) of Buffalo Bill will be that it forces people to take a realistic, uncompromised look at the lies of American show business.

It's an extravagantly funny movie (as all Altman's are), but there's grimness behind every joke that we can't miss, and this is what makes the film such a unique experience. Viewers won't be able to look at Paul Newman (of all people) playing a racist Buffalo Bill and be comfortable. They're going to be forced to admit the deceptive forms racism takes-forced to see that it's hidden in the "glory" and "nobility" of American legend. When Newman's blue eyes fill the screen in a cheerful grin after having defeated Sitting Bull in a staged fight, whatever romantic attachment his eyes had before vanishes. They become soulless and empty which, Altman proposes, is the effect living a history of media-perpetrated lies has had on Americans.

Altman's great artistry shows not just in technical innovations but in his feeling for people. He's able to give an accurate picture of fraudulence and racism  without condoning it, and he doesn't let us feel superior to the people on screen. His point is that we're all part of the lie-or at least very susceptible to it.

After the disappointing box office business of Nashville one no longer expects an Altman movie to be very popular or to make much money. And this film-in spite of its great humor, brilliant cast, and the best performance of Paul Newman's career-demands sophistication and understanding that the public at large might not be up to providing. It's not an easy movie to take-which is not to say it isn't enjoyable. Its subject and technique simply are not at the reassuring junior high school level, like the resoundingly popular Cuckoo's Nest. Altman trusts the audience to use its minds to the fullest, and he in turn gives us a fuller, richer understanding of the country, history, and predicament we live in.

This challenging film may not make money, but it will certainly, for the people who see it, make a difference.

-Armond White