Movies are a popular medium, and elitism can only get you so far. Altman does better than most at fusing his own peculiar vision with the dictates of the American marketplace. After all, he was able to snag Richard Gere to play the lead in the upcoming "Dr. T. and the Women," a thought that may make some folks cringe but is certain to make many more laugh. Following up on the success of "Cookie's Fortune," Altman's all but rubbing his hands as he readies for the release date, putting finishing touches on the film. "Richard Gere is just so good in this picture," he said to me recently. "There's not a false move in it. 'Dr. T' is as good as I can do. If someone doesn't like 'Dr. T,' all I can say is that I can't do any better. Everything came together on this picture. It just all worked."

Altman could easily pass for 10 years younger than his 75 years, and he's so sharp mentally he could verbally tear to shreds anyone he so desired torn. Good Lord, the man may have another 20 or so years of films left in him if we're lucky.

His stature is such that at this point, we might as well declare him a national treasure and get it over with. Young filmmakers, notably "Magnolia" and "Boogie Nights" director Paul Thomas Anderson, worship him. And the 25th anniversary of "Nashville" left writers tying themselves into knots, lauding him. Whether or not his next film is a critical or commercial success, the ultimate outsider is at long last the Big Daddy of American cinema. Is there any other active director, since the death of John Huston, who could lay claim to that title? (And please, don't mention Steven Spielberg. I'm not talking about sausage makers.)

Altman himself is modest when asked about the aesthetic level he's achieved compared to, say, his TV days. "I don't think your art changes," he told me. "You get a little more facile. You learn more technically and become a little more efficient. You learn all that stuff. But your art doesn't get any better. You just get a little more clever. A little more commercial, really."

He may be more commercial, in some ways, than in his heyday in the '70s. But I'll be damned if, barring Martin Scorsese or Sidney Lumet, there's another director who even comes close to approximating his artistic output -- flops and all.

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