That Cold Day in the Park is a must-see forgotten gem from American master Robert Altman

By Peter Fuller
( What's on TV )
published

That Cold Day in the Park (1969)

Before he hit the big time with M*A*S*H, Robert Altman crafted the unsettling 1969 psychological thriller, That Cold Day in the Park.

That Cold Day in the Park (1969)

Before he hit the big time with M*A*S*H, Robert Altman crafted the unsettling 1969 psychological thriller, That Cold Day in the Park, which is now getting a UK Blu-ray/DVD release from Eureka Entertainment.

That Cold Day in the Park (1969)

Wealthy thirtysomething spinster Frances (Sandy Dennis) lives in a stiflingly bourgeois world of elderly suitors and domestic routine. But when she invites a seemingly mute and homeless hippy (Michael Burns) into her Vancouver city, the stage is set for her act of charity to develop into a horrifying neurotic delusion…

Sandy Dennis’ coolly measured performance drives this haunting tale that anticipates the female psychological breakdown themes of Altman's Images and 3 Women; echoes frightful women flicks like Roman Polanski’s Repulsion; and also puts a counter-culture spin on the Gothic melodrama of Tennessee Williams.

László Kovács’ dark, but luminous photography and Atlman’s experimental visual touches featuring voyeuristic long lenses and drifting zooms serve to enhance the morbid mood that grows ever so wilder until the final harrowing reel.

That Cold Day in the Park (1969)

Part of the Masters of Cinema Series, this dual-format edition from Eureka! Entertainment includes a new high-definition transfer and an enlightening interview with Altman on Altman author David Thompson.

https://youtu.be/xo0T85Gp5Z8

Peter Fuller