I'm not gonna lie -- I've never been the world's biggest Redford fan. Note that he doesn't have a tag here on the site (even though he's come up plenty of times given his well-earned prominence in Hollywood history) -- it would probably be fair of me to go back and re-watch the movies of his I saw decades ago wherein I decided he didn't do much for me. Especially All the President's Men, which I have a feeling might resonate with me more today than it did when I was like 18 in the 90s. I did recently see Three Days of the Condor for the first time and... yeah. I still didn't get much from Redford. And let's state the obvious -- in movies like The Sting and Butch & Sundance I was just staring at Paul Newman. And I do want you to know I'm not talking specifically about attractiveness here -- I'm speaking more generally. As a performer he usually left me cold. I realize this is a shitty eulogy for the man, so I admit I nevertheless couldn't understate his importance to the film industry. I am not an idiot! Sundance and what it stood for, how it reshaped the entire industry, is a legacy above and beyond any quibbles I might have with what I personally was getting from him on-screen. He was a titan and more than earned his status. Also -- Quiz Show and Ordinary People are pretty much perfect films. No quibbling on that front. But please, to those of you who felt the Redford love, express it to me in the comments. I want to understand. What performances of his moved you? I'm not being incredulous or antagonistic here in the slightest -- I really do want to hear about it so when I re-watch some of this stuff I can try to find my way to a better appreaciation.
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Robert Redford played Wade Lewis in Inside Daisy Clover, a bisexual movie star, which was shocking at the time. I caught the film as a kid on PBS I think. To a gay kid that was a milestone for me, I sought out the film and watched it whenever I could. He was insanely handsome, in that blonde Cali way. While I too was more into Paul Newman, Redford was just a charismatic. Tomato, tomahto.
He was always pretty to look at and a fine actor in the movies I saw, but it was his role as the angel of death in an episode of The Twilight Zone (B&W) that is my favorite. Your description of how you felt about him makes me think of my feelings of Troy Donahue. Cold oatmeal.
I just love his chemistry with Streisand on "The Way We Were" and how he balances her charisma and energy on screen.
Watch LITTLE FAUSS AND BIG HALSY (1970) for Redford at his sexiest, trashiest and least serious. Underappreciated. Directed by Sidney J. Furie (THE IPCRESS FILE, LADY SINGS THE BLUES, A COOL SOUND FROM HELL, THE LEATHER BOYS, SUPERMAN IV [ouch]...)
Even though I’m aware that he was eighty-nine and has been less active in the last couple of years this one still hit me hard.
No matter than he’s been in films lately, though fewer once his focus turned to directing, when I think of him the image that always comes to mind is the sun kissed casual blonde beauty of his major star period. I suppose part of what plays into my connection with him is the fact that his rise to major prominence coincided with my becoming an active moviegoer. I wasn’t even ten when he really became a recognizable figure with Barefoot in the Park and so he’s always been one of MY movie stars just like Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, Jane Fonda or Barbra Streisand. I grew up with them so to see one of them go it hits differently than when say Paul Newman or even Elizabeth Taylor passed. I was huge fans of them as well but like Kate Hepburn, Bette Davis or Jimmy Stewart they seemed part of another film era. There’s also the fact that he was obviously a genuinely good person who cared about others, the world we live in and promoting independent filmmakers. Something that seems to be in distressingly short supply nowadays making his loss even greater.
As an actor he was on the quiet side, rarely if ever dabbling in the big theatrics of a De Niro or Hoffman. I don’t know if I ever saw any performance that I would call legendary, but he was always reliably solid and often more than that. He knew how to serve the story and what worked for him. While he didn’t always seem completely comfortable with his extremely good looks, he didn’t feel the need to bury them under tons of makeup (I loathe when beautiful people bemoan their awful fate of being beautiful! It’s a gift (that doesn’t last) enjoy it for Christ’s sake just don’t let it define you!). The camera loved him, and he was a Movie Star and used that to his advantage. Still, he sought out interesting characters and I think enacted them well. I definitely think you’ll get more out of a rewatch of All the President’s Men, a great, great film.
As a director he was a bit more haphazard but Ordinary People and A River Runs Through It are great films. Quiz Show is good but not quite in the same league.
My top ten of his films:
1. All the President’s Men
2. The Way We Were-My favorite of his performances. In many ways Hubbell is a selfish weakling who isn’t deserving of Katie’s love and devotion but yields to her resolve and determination to make their relationship work because he recognizes her worth and loves her even though they are terribly mismatched. That’s tough to convey, especially against the force of Barbra giving the best performance of her career, but he does it well.
3.Three Days of the Condor
4. Barefoot in the Park-He and Jane Fonda are adorable in it. And Mildred Natwick rules!!
5.The Sting-He and Paul Newman really were perfect screen partners.
6. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
7. The Old Man and the Gun
8. Sneakers
9. Brubaker
10. The Hot Rock
It’s not completely successful but I also found “Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here” an interesting film.
He wasn't the most chamelion of actors but had movie star wattage that some have,like a Cruise but less inclined to waste time on action fare,I would also say has great chemistry with his female co stars not called Debra Winger,I think he is perfect in Buch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid better than or just as good as Newman and only he would be believable in Indecent Proposal,Three Days of the Condor and All the President's men are is a great 70's thrillers and he deserved his Best Director Oscar.
I don't feel any particular way about him but 'All is Lost' was such a good flick, I always recommend it to people.
As a closeted teenager in the 1970s, the sight of his furry blond chest in bed with Barbra Streisand gave me, um, a tingle. joel6953's comment above hits the nail on the head about his performance in that film. His "entrance" in Inside Daisy Clover, sprawled across Natalie Wood's plush white bed, casually wearing an unbuttoned tux with champagne glass in hand, was pretty breathtaking.
You should ABSOLUTELY rewatch All The President’s Men. Not only is it unfortunately eternally topical but it’s a top ten of all time for me. Just impeccably written, performed, and shot. Never gets old. Thrilling with zero gimmicks. “The truth is these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.”
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