Maybe there's a chance to get back to grown-up films. Anything that uses humor and dramatic values to deal with human emotions and gets down to what people are to people.

Robert Altman’s quote, "Maybe there's a chance to get back to grown-up films. Anything that uses humor and dramatic values to deal with human emotions and gets down to what people are to people," reflects his desire to return to more mature and emotionally complex filmmaking. Altman emphasizes the importance of blending humor and drama to explore the depth of human emotions and relationships. His use of the term "grown-up films" suggests that he values films that tackle real, often complicated aspects of human interaction, rather than superficial or purely entertaining content.

The origin of this quote comes from Altman’s perspective as a filmmaker, known for creating movies that often addressed complex characters and situations, like MASH* and Nashville. Altman was a director who believed that films should engage with the nuances of human behavior, and he felt that humor and drama could be used effectively to explore those themes. His statement reflects a broader critique of Hollywood cinema at the time, which he believed was increasingly dominated by flashy, superficial entertainment rather than films that spoke to the human experience.

Altman’s focus on human emotions and relationships in his quote underscores his commitment to creating films that were deeply rooted in real-life experiences. He believed that great cinema should be a mirror of the complexities of life, not just an escape. The combination of humor and dramatic values in his work allowed him to examine the contradictions and intricacies of human nature in a way that was both entertaining and thought-provoking.

In essence, Altman’s quote emphasizes his belief in the power of film to explore the most essential aspects of human existence—our emotions, relationships, and how we navigate the world together. By blending humor with drama, Altman sought to create films that were not only mature in their approach but also deeply relatable, offering audiences an honest portrayal of what it means to be human.