"Nashville" - which was released 30 years ago this month - is also, perhaps most of all, a powerful evocation of the most cynical era in modern American history. In 1975 the nation was still reeling from the Vietnam War, and its faith in institutions had been shattered by Watergate. Watching "Nashville" three decades later, there is an unsettling shock of recognition, because the government's current policies seem to be hurtling us to another time of deep national disillusionment. Nashville's great strength, and its enduring charm, is its ensemble of colorful and compelling characters. Ronee Blakley gives a remarkable performance as Barbara Jean, the reigning country music queen, who is losing grip of her sanity; Karen Black is Connie White, her archrival. Lily Tomlin, in the role of a lifetime, plays Linnea Reese, a mother of two deaf children, who sings in an African-American church choir, and is tempted to cheat on her husband with a visiting rock star. Henry Gibson is Haven Hamilton, the reigning country king, and Keith Carradine is Tom Frank, the rock star-lothario.