Robert Altman's tender tragedy sees Warren Beatty's garrulous gambler bring booze and betting to a greenhorn town. Julie Christie is a little too "gor-blimey-lawks" as the madam he imports and falls for, but the picture oozes piquancy and character - - from Leonard Cohen's doleful soundtrack, to the rough-hewn, sepia-toned sets. It could also be the brownest movie ever made.

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""I don't really care much about the story in a film, I think of it as a painting"," says Altman on the commentary he shares with producer David Foster. Irritatingly, their recollections were recorded separately and cut together, making for a sometimes stilted listen, but the director is amusing and insightful nonetheless. Praising Beatty, despite the duo's strained relationship, Altman says he went to bed while the perfectionist star insisted on repeated takes. Altman also reveals that he deliberately chose a clichéd story so he didn't have to ""waste any time with it"". Other career insights include always trying to get an `R' rating (to keep out yappy teen viewers), as well as making dialogue tracks deliberately muffled to warn his audience: ""If you're not gonna pay attention, you're not gonna get it.""