Many film viewers consider Robert Altman as a director that allows his actors to improvise and then shoot around the loose ends and in most cases they would probably be right but this film is easily his most disciplined effort and the actors accomplished their job by sticking to the complex script. Story is about a woman named Cathryn (Susannah York) who is having a difficult time establishing what is reality and what isn't. Her husband Hugh (Rene Auberjonois) takes her to their home in the countryside of Ireland but she keeps encountering her former boyfriend Rene (Marcel Bozzuffi) who died three years ago and at times Hugh catches her speaking to herself.

*****SPOILER ALERT*****

One day Hugh brings home their close friend Marcel (Hugh Millais) and his daughter Susannah (Cathryn Harrison) and Cathryn starts to fantasize and/or hallucinate about the sexual triangle between her and the three males in her psyche. Finally Cathryn decides to rid herself of these images by killing them but she isn't sure which of these people are real or not.

Altman fans frequently point to this film as his most polished piece of work and they may be right as not only is this technically superior but the actors are restricted to a very challenging script. This is a film that still has many unanswered questions when it ends and there are so many pieces of the puzzle left unexplained. Several clues are scattered throughout the film such as the jigsaw puzzle, the chimes, the dog, both homes, the camera, the mirrors, and probably many more. The cinematography is by the great Vilmos Zsigmond and he does two things splendidly and the first is capturing the beautiful and open countryside of Ireland. Secondly, he also shows that even in the vast landscape Cathryn feels claustrophobic and it's expertly shot with perfect composition. Susannah York gives arguably her finest performance and I've always been one of her biggest fans and I urge everyone to view her in "The Shout". While some compare this to Catherine Deneuve's performance in "Repulsion" I think it's very different and one cannot notice how energetic and aware York is in this film while Deneuve wandered around looking totally confused and even dreamlike. You can see York battling to win her senses back but it seems to be a lost cause and when the film ends it appears that she may have made a fatal mistake. Altman has also changed everyone's name around from actor to character and when you look at the credits notice how everyone's first name is flip-flopped. I wonder if this is a clue to the story or is it just Altman's wicked sense of humor? I definitely think that the young girl Susannah is a piece of the puzzle and it can't be just a coincidence that she looks exactly like Cathryn. Also, the story that Cathryn narrates during certain parts of the film is a real children's story that was written by York herself. Some viewers may find this to be totally baffling but for others that can enjoy an intelligent and challenging film they should definitely check out this well made psychological mystery.

The 1970's had some great movies on the human psyche that were entertaining as well as enlightening. Unfortunately, a good majority of them had direction that was far too serious, far too complicated and far too depressing. Films about mental issues are a mixed bag because while they seek to educate the public on the importance of mental health, all they do is make the viewer depressed and question their own mental state for sitting through something so dark and filled with hopelessness. Susannah York gives a truly sensational performance as an author of children's books and housewife dealing with her own schizophrenia, and while she's mesmerizing, her journey is difficult to watch.

This is a rare leading role for her co-star René Auberjonois play her husband who is surprised by shocking changes in her personality and unable to deal with her when she begins to have these breakdowns. This is another film for him as directed by Robert Altman, having appeared in the movie version of "Mash" several years before. Their relationship is tempestuous to say the least, and he gets mixed signals from her, yet at times he is rather vile. It's a difficult film to really sympathize with any of the characters because you really don't get a chance to know them before all these problems erupt.

I find the film to be rather pretentious and uppity in its extremely ponderous way to make regular audiences feel stupid because this distorted views of the heroine never really make sense, although that is probably the point. I blame the script more than the direction and the over intellectual way the narrative is presented as if its audiences are expected to know everything there is about schizophrenia. It's an art-house film that really isnt welcoming to its audience, making it primarily accessible to film students and psychology majors. Others just looking for a direct linear story will have a hard time really staying focused and watching this.

Susanna York plays a woman who you realize very early on is a schizophrenic. What is surprising is that although she's completely out of her mind and actively hallucinates, her dopey husband (Rene Auberjonois) seems VERY slow to realize and accept this. But, as you see and hear the world through her perspective, it's obvious she's lost much of her contact with the real world. Her life is full of paranoia, delusions and hallucinations.

There is a very small group of people who would enjoy this film or Roman Polanski's "Repulsion" (which is also about a woman undergoing a psychotic break). The two films are very similar but have almost no commercial appeal at all and are the sorts of film intellectual and film snobs would adore--but most folks would find terribly tedious. Even with my mental health background (having been a therapist and having taught psychology),I found the film dull and soon lost interest. I can respect what these folks did but that doesn't mean I have to like it or recommend it.