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California Split
UNITED STATES · 1974

California Split

Robert Altman
gambling addiction male friendship hedonism risk-taking pursuit of wealth
Stream on Criterion → ▶ Trailer

Synopsis

Carefree single guy Charlie Waters rooms with two lovely prostitutes, Barbara Miller and Susan Peters, and lives to gamble. Along with his glum betting buddy, Bill Denny, Charlie sets out on a gambling streak in search of the ever-elusive big payday. While Charlie and Bill have some lucky moments, they also have to contend with serious setbacks that threaten to derail their hedonistic betting bing

Cinema Atlas Connection
Altman often cited Jean Renoir’s The Rules of the Game (1939) as a major early influence on his desire to create a realistic, spontaneous conversational feel in his films, a technique that is central to California Split.
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