Which 1971 western directed by Robert Altman features a soundtrack by Leonard Cohen?

The 1971 Robert Altman western featuring a Leonard Cohen soundtrack is “McCabe & Mrs. Miller.”

The film stars Warren Beatty as John McCabe, a mysterious gambler who arrives in a Washington State boomtown, and Julie Christie as Constance Miller, a British madam who helps him establish a brothel. Altman called the movie an “anti-Western” because it undercuts traditional genre ideas about heroic gunslingers, clear moral victories, and frontier progress.

Cohen’s music became central to the film’s atmosphere. Altman rediscovered Cohen’s debut album, “Songs of Leonard Cohen,” after filming and used the songs as temporary editing music. The finished film includes “The Stranger Song,” “Sisters of Mercy,” and “Winter Lady,” whose melancholy vocals deepen the story’s sense of isolation and impermanence.

“McCabe & Mrs. Miller” was filmed in British Columbia and released by Warner Bros. in June 1971. It later earned major critical recognition, including preservation in the National Film Registry and an Oscar nomination for Christie.