robert altman's BREWSTER MCCLOUD (1970)

what a wonderful little movie, unfathomably as yet unavailable on dvd. brewster mccloud (Bud Cort) is a boy who lives in the fallout shelter of the astrodome, stealing to live and spending his spare time building mechanical wings, egged on into the world of flight by his sweetly homicidal guardian angel. the movie would be nearly formless (not to mention themeless...it's almost wholly an exercise in wit and style) were it not for a frame story involing san francisco supercop frank shaft, called in to help the houston police investigate a string of stranglings. added to the mix is the narration of (and occasional cuts to) a scholarly bird expert, who slowly transforms into a bird while providing relevant yet unrelated voiceover. overall the film seems like Altman getting his post-M*A*S*H rocks off on his own variation of a zany comedy (the murder mystery angle also provides ample goofs on cop thriller conventions, including an extended car chase) before he got down to the more serious work of the following years. still, it's exemplary of Altman's emerging style and abiding smartassery. hopefully in the wake of his passing we'll see this one on dvd.