Robert Altman interview: âIf I made a film that everybody liked it would be pretty terribleâ Robert Altman was interviewed by Geoff Andrew at the National Film Theatre on 24 January 2001 as the highlight of a two-month tribute to the director. 17 May 2017 Robert Altman filming MASH (1970) Of the major American directors who first found an audience in the 60s and early 70s, Robert Altman is undeniably one of the most idiosyncratic, influential and stubbornly independent. Aged 75 he shows no sign of selling out, let alone giving up making films: his work remains almost defiantly youthful. He was a late starter, but once he got going he certainly made up for lost time. The real breakthrough was 1970âs MASH. Then followed a remarkable string of films which typified American cinema at its best. Altmanâs abiding preoccupation lies in analysing the murky social, economic, political and ethical realities barely concealed by the mythic American Dream, which he explores with great wit and intuition.