Robert Altman's latest film, set in an archetypal southern US town, is a blend of social drama, high farce, moral passion play - even mystery and suspense - as it unravels the fortunes of Jewel May "Cookie" Orcutt (Patricia Neal) and those who surround her.

"They didn't get paid very much, so I guess they really wanted to do it," says Altman of his star-studded cast, including Glenn Close, Julianne Moore and Liv Tyler, all of whom turn in exemplary performances. "There has always got to be chemistry in these things for them to work."

He continues: "With a story like Cookie's Fortune I have to see what the actors are going to do. It's like painting a big mural, but the pigment has movement. I paint a horse, but then it starts running free, so I paint a fence to keep it in." Christopher Pickard