I recently read a profile and interview of Robert Redford in Esquire magazine. It covered a lot of ground: childhood, and early career, his 70’s superstardom, the creation of the Sundance film festival and his lifelong friendship with Paul Newman. I have always been a big fan of Redford’s films. Here’s my top five:
Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid – Paul Newman and Redford play the bank-robbing characters in the title of this film. It is probably my favorite movie of all time (along with Almost Famous for a totally different reason). I would estimate I have seen this movie about fifty times (six times in the theatre). Redford was a relative unknown at the time and Newman pushed to get him the role of The Sundance Kid. And the rest is history. The chemistry and repartee of Newman and Redford is so perfect and seamless. Their exchange upon their arrival in Bolivia is one for the ages. Katherine Ross plays the maiden school marm who loves them both.
All The President’s Men – Some of Redford’s best films are when he is paired with another major actor. This time it’s Dustin Hoffman in the movie version of the book about how the Washington Post broke the Watergate story. Redford and Hoffman play the reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. By now Redford is a huge star. The supporting cast is also killer: Jason Robards (Ben Bradlee), Jack Warden (Harry Rosenfeld), Martin Balsom (Howard Simons) and Hal Holbrook (Deep Throat).[1] It’s one of the great movies about life inside a news operation. I watch it about once a year.
Three Days of the Condor – I first saw this movie in high school. We got there really late and wound up sitting in the first row staring up at the screen. It’s a cerebral thriller about a CIA group in Washington whose job is to read books looking for coded messages. Redford’s character, code named Condor, goes out to get lunch one day and comes back to find his co-workers have all been gunned down. From there he’s on the run. He then breaks into a home, kidnaps the owner (Faye Dunaway[2]) and holes up there while he starts sorting out what is going on. Very seventies, cold war paranoia vibe.
The Candidate – A satirical take on a campaign for the US Senate for California. Redford plays Bill McKay a street lawyer who is convinced by the democratic machine to run against an entrenched incumbent. Peter Boyle plays his campaign manager. It is interesting to watch McKay’s transformation as his run proceeds. Late in the movie Redford while riding in the back of a car, the grind of the campaign starting to wear, says to himself “Vote once, vote twice for Bill McKay.”
The Sting – Redford and Newman are back in this tale of con men going for the big score. I don’t watch this one that much but I enjoy it when I do. Great line: Upon first meeting Newman’s character who is sleeping off a bender Redford’s character says, “They told me I could learn something from you. I already know how to drink.”
Bonus Pick: The Electric Horseman – This is my sleeper. This late seventies movie pairs Redford with Jane Fonda. He is a washed up rodeo rider who is now hired out to ride horses at rodeos wearing a suit with lights all over it. He reaches his breaking point while doing his act in Vegas on a champion horse. He steals the horse and rides out into the desert with the goal of setting the horse free. Fonda plays the reporter on his trail to get the story.
Honorable Mention: The Great Gatsby (with a great performance by a very young Sam Waterston as Nick) and The Way We Were (A major league tear jerker co-starring Barbra Streisand ).
ARTS ROUNDUP
Watching – Major League Baseball Playoffs. Well mostly the first half of the games. Lord these games do go on forever. The Yankees couldn’t figure out how to score in Houston. The Dodgers seemed to have cracked the code but they’re still down three games to two going into tonight.
Reading – I just finished “First Degree” the second Andy Carpenter mystery by David Rosenfelt. These breezy capers center on the lawyer Andy Carpenter. He has two loves in his life, his dog Tara and his girlfriend Laurie. The latter has been charged with the killing of a corrupt cop. A set up for sure that Andy must figure out to save Laurie. Twisty and satisfying with an entertaining group of characters in the supporting cast. The locale is northern New Jersey which is also fun for those of us who know the area.
Listening – Pink Floyd, “Animals”. We went with friends recently to see a Pink Floyd tribute band. They played the song “Dogs” from this album. My PF focus has always been mostly “Dark Side of the Moon” and “Wish You Were Here”. I got the album off Spotify and I really like it. The album is a bridge between the melancholy of Wish and full out nihilism of “The Wall”. The album also showcases Roger Waters’ increasing control over the band.
[1] They also get some of the best lines: Hal Holbrook’s character upon finding out that the reporters have overstepped on the story, says about the H.R. Haldeman (Nixon’s Machiavellian chief of staff), “You even having people feeling sorry for him. I didn’t think that was possible.”.
[2] I could write another post about how big a star Faye Dunaway was in the late sixties and seventies. The list of her films is impressive: Bonnie and Clyde, Three Days of the Condor, China Town, Network and The Thomas Crown Affair.