Creativity and Compromise: California Split's Original Soundtrack

Between 1968 and 1974, Robert Altman directed nine major films. In the first week of August 1974, Columbia Pictures released California Split to wide acclaim and strong box office support, in part due to high profile promotional appearances by the film’s leads, Elliott Gould and George Segal. This chapter seeks to recover the lost soundtrack of California Split through original archival research as well as close, comparative viewing of and listening to its original theatrical version and subsequent DVD release. It focuses on the film’s vital, original and sophisticated soundtrack. The chapter positions California Split as a major Altman film while allowing a clearer picture of the director’s work at a pivotal moment in his career and in relation to his later music-based films. One of the most characteristic and often-cited features of Altman’s films involves his innovative use of music.