"That Cold Day in the Park" Altman's expressionist production that looks into the abyss of humanity.

Confinement psychological thriller

There are countless confinement-themed psychological thrillers in which the victim is confined or restrained, such as " The Collector " (1965), in which an avid butterfly collector imprisons a female college student in his basement; " Misery " (1990), in which a popular novelist is placed under house arrest by his beloved readers; or " Knock " (23), in which a group of four armed men break into a cabin and force a "choice."

And in this film, Frances, who is completely out of control, drives nails into the doors and windows, trapping the young man so that he cannot even take one step outside the house. It is only after three-quarters of the movie's running time that it becomes clear that "That Cold Day in the Park" is a psychological thriller of confinement. Even the famous film critic Roger Ebert commented that "That Cold Day in the Park" was too late in declaring itself a horror film" (*2). Once again, this film is strange.

What's even more annoying about this film is that, while the audience would normally empathize with the person being held captive - the young man - he is also a dangerous character. The fact that he doesn't say a word is simply a kind of sexual habit, and there is a mysterious incestuous atmosphere between him and his overly erotic sister. This film continues to reject all of our empathy.

“That Cold Day in the Park” © MCMLXIX Commonwealth United

Furthermore, the thriller elements of this film have been almost completely eliminated. Hitchcock would have used all his virtuoso techniques to create a suspenseful production of whether or not anyone could escape from this room. He would have depicted a thrilling confrontation between Frances and the young man. However, Altman is not interested in such "overly linear expressions." He steers the film by depicting the inner thoughts of the characters, as if peering into their abyss. It is in Innerspace that the true darkness lies. That is what Altman believes in as "cinema."

Finally, a bit of trivia. Jack Nicholson was also interested in the role of the young man played by Michael Burns, but Robert Altman coldly turned him down, saying, "I think you're too old." If Nicholson had played the role, the innocence of boyhood would have disappeared without a trace. A different kind of crazyness would have been triggered. It was a very wise decision.

(*1) "Robert Altman: My Films, My Life" Kinema Junposha

(*2) https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/that-cold-day-in-the-park-1969

Text: Rui Takeshima

A pop culture writer who wants to be kicked by Hit Girl. Host of the web magazine "POP MASTER".

Reserve "That Cold Day in the Park" now ↓

View work information

"That Cold Day in the Park"

"Robert Altman Masterpiece Selection"

From May 26th (Friday), Kadokawa Cinema Yurakucho and other locations nationwide.

Distribution: Mermaid Film/Kopiapore Film

© MCMLXIX Commonwealth United