RIP Robert Redford
Robert Redford has died at 89. When I read that number I can hardly believe it – where oh where did that impossibly handsome young man go? But yes, he was 89, with a long life and an enormous number of films behind him.
He was a much-loved film giant and will be sorely missed. There are so many clips of his from which to choose, but I’ll go with this one:
A Good Actor. I will leave it at that
Attended Van Nuys High School with my mom. She told me that he always wore a black leather jacket and did not have great skin as a teen.
He walked past me out of a restaurant in Park City, UT circa 1995. I’m 5′ 10″ and he was shorter than me. And wearing a beret. His dining companion that evening was Dianne Wiest.
Downhill Racer is a really good movie.
I liked Downhill Racer a lot as a kid. I saw Redford from a distance, filming Three Days of The Condor in Central Park NYC. Hundreds of middle aged women looking on and swooning. I was definitely a fan of his acting. Not so much of his production or directing efforts.
A friend and I skied Park City many times, and we went to the Sundance Film Fest. once. The celebs are cloistered off from the masses, but we did see Paris Hilton and her pal Nicole at one point. It was worth doing once, but once was enough.
When Hobbs started depositing balls into the grandstands, I almost expected to see Philadelphia Karen rushing in from the right to scoop them up. ?
“According to Wikipedia, Author Malamud, supposedly not a baseball fan himself, created “the Natural” story and his Roy Hobbs character from the real life of Eddie Waitkus, a major leaguer in 1941 and 1946-55.”
When Hobbs started depositing balls into the grandstands, I almost expected to see Philadelphia Karen rushing in from the right to scoop them up. ?
Redford was a force. His partnerships with Paul Newman in “Butch Cassidy” and “The Sting” alone guarantee him film immortality IMO. Then there is “Three Days of the Condor.”
Let it be said. Robert Redford was a Movie Star and all that used to mean. I’ll pass over his political convictions.
An interesting What-If… Redford was interested in making a film version of “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,” playing the Robert Pirsig narrator. Redford even met with Pirsig to explore the possibility.
Pirsig describes the encounter in his book, “Lila.” He mentions how he “gooned out” upon meeting Redford, the ultra-celebrity, and discussed it briefly with Redford before getting down to business.
I’d like to have seen that film.
Redford was freshman at CU when I was a senior. I probably brushed shoulders with him at some point but didn’t know him.
He made many good films, and a few great ones. My favorite was “A River Runs Through It.” “Jeremiah Johnson” was also a fave.
He was a MOVIE STAR, and all that that implies. RIP
RIP. A fine actor.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and Jeremiah Johnson are my favorites.
He should have been the perfect Gatsby but that brilliant novel just doesn’t translate well to film.
I liked him in many movies
His politics I doubt agreed with anything he ever said.
I saw a few of his movies. Sorry to be a loser on this; he was always Robert Redford. Never the character.
Some of the movies were interesting, but he was Robert Redford, which took out some of the voluntary suspension of disbelief you need for fiction and movies.
Out of Africa.
Spy Games.
@ Richard Aubry > “he was Robert Redford, which took out some of the voluntary suspension of disbelief you need for fiction and movies.”
That’s the curse of all popular actors and actresses once past the “new hire” phase of their careers, where they haven’t yet gotten an established presence in the minds of the viewers.
Of course, some people then come to SEE “Robert Redford” and don’t care if his character fits a now-familiar stereotype, and a lot of times the studios (more common in the past eras, I think) won’t let them take parts against the money-making type they’ve established in their early productions.
Some great actors can get past that limitation
I think theater actors have a better chance of playing more divergent parts.
That said, I think Redford brought a lot of skill to each of his roles, even though the plots and characters had a “family resemblance,” putting across the intent of the script with his acting, as did all the really great popular stars.
AesopFan: “Some great actors can get past that limitation.”
Yes, sometimes we go to see a film because of the actor, or just the “type” role that he/she plays. Bruce Willis and Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman fit that bill for me. Tom Cruise has some appeal but he still always remains Tom as well as Ethan or Reacher or whomever.
I vaguely recall a movie with Samuel Jackson as the detective, who remained convincing in that role despite his fame, while Katherine “somebody” (I don’t recall who right now) could not get into her character enough to provide credibility to her fictional role.
Then again, as audience members, we are also obligated to bring some suspension of belief or of reality, and ignore that we are purposefully being “deceived!” Sometimes the plot line or writing just does not carry that suspension well, either. With CGI, etc., that level of suspension can get pretty exotic, especially for sci fi stories.
Some versions of historical representations or historical personages are also pretty difficult to achieve. The hardness and harshness of real life for those times probably cannot be fully felt or replicated, in any case.
Some movie stars always play their star personalities. It’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne, Paul Newman, Steve McQueen come to mind.
Others are more versatile, such as Dustin Hoffman, Alec Guinness, Laurence Olivier, Michael Caine.
I’m sure both lists can be more extensively filled out. Actresses are a bit trickier for me to sort.
Certainly couldn’t afford to have John Wane play anyone else except John Wayne.
In cases like that, the plot and the other characters have to be particularly engaging.
I can’t find a free version of it but the sports section of the WSJ – yes, they have one, Jason Gay is great – says Robert Redford made a sports movie masterpiece, and it’s not The Natural.
Downhill Racer. Never heard of it. 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, so there’s that.
https://www.wsj.com/sports/robert-redford-downhill-racer-64685d21
And just seeing that TommyJay already mentioned.
The Natural is one of my favorite movies. So many moments and lines. And I think Redford’s performance is really understated. He’s playing a chastened man who has really paid for his youthful indiscretions and naivete. Like he tells Wilford Brimley, “Well, I kinda got sidetracked.” Listen to his voice for that line.
But the best part about it is the producers wisely changed the ending. In the book, Roy takes the bribe and throws the game. I know there was something Malamud was trying to say about America, but in the movies in 1984, nobody wanted to hear it. We still wanted baseball stories that uplifted us, that had heroes, that were, in some sense, pure.
I think we still do want those kinds of movies, but it hasn’t been what we’ve been getting, with few exceptions.
Downhill Racer is a fine film.
Keep an eye out for Gene Hackman as the team coach.