Long recognized in Europe as a true auteur, Robert Altman brings an ironic, spare, irreverent gaze to bear on many long-standing American values through his ongoing project of reconsidering film genres. His style—very much part of what one might call "American art cinema"—is full of quirks and surprises, all the more striking in light of his early training in TV and industrials. Altman's apprenticeship began in 1947 in his native Kansas City with the Calvin Company, a leading producer of industrial films....