The Player opening scene

Many of you may have already seen the wide repertoire of Robert Altman. His films are considered classics of American cinema and include such cinematic greats such as The Player, Vincent and Theo, Shortcuts, and Nashville to name a few. Oh did I forget, he also created and directed the television series M.A.S.H. . Not bad really! But what you might not know is that Robert Altman was also a proponent of the benefits of puffing the herb. When questioned about his marijuana smoking habits he replied

“”I was a heavy drinker, but the alcohol affected my heart rather than my liver. So I stopped. I smoke grass now. I say that to everybody, because marijuana should be legalized. It’s ridiculous that it isn’t. If at the end of the day I feel like smoking a joint I do it. It changes the perception of what I’ve been through all day.””

So much for the stereotype of the lazy stoner sitting on the couch. In the above scene we see the opening scene of his cinematic masterpiece “The Player”. The opening shot is over 8 minutes long and is considered to be one of the best shots (meaning no editing) ever made in cinematic history.