Brewster McCloud

Robert Altman's follow-up to M*A*S*H is a carnivalesque comedy starring Bud Cort as a modern-day Icarus, a young man obsessed with flight who is constructing a set of wings in his secret basement hideaway in the catacombs of the Houston Astrodome. Sally Kellerman costars as Louise, his fallen angel of a mentor who watches over the boyish innocent with fatal ferocity. In fact, anyone who threatens Brewster winds up dead (and covered in bird droppings), which brings in Michael Murphy as Detective Lt. Frank Shaft, a hipster of a San Francisco super-cop investigating the rash of killings. Long on gallows whimsy and cartoonish figures, but short on narrative coherence and character development, Brewster McCloud is not one of Altman's best films, but even minor Altman is filled with delights, from eccentric performances and offbeat details to inventive editing and intercutting. The fine ensemble cast also includes William Windom, Margaret Hamilton (the Wicked Witch from The Wizard of Oz, which Altman references with a pair of ruby slippers), Stacy Keach, and future Altman regulars Rene Auberjonois (who transforms into a bird over the course of the film), John Schuck, and Shelley Duvall. Brewster McCloud debuts on the Warner Archive line of manufactured-on-demand DVD-R releases, mastered from what appears to be an archival print with minor wear. A strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker) [Blu-ray Review—Jan. 1, 2019—Warner, 105 min., R, Blu-ray: $21.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1970’s Brewster McCloud features a fine transfer with DTS-HD 2.0 audio, but no extras. Bottom line: one of Altman’s most offbeat films makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]