The enduring actor Robert Redford died Tuesday at 89, forsaking an arsenal of nice roles that he owned, whether or not he was taking part in a quiet CIA agent, a con man, a baseball participant, a grizzled mariner, an bold journalist, or a captivating WASP in love. You would make a feast out of his Sydney Pollack collaborations alone, staring with “Jeremiah Johnson” (streaming on Tubi ). And Bay Space followers will keep in mind the 1992 hacker film “Sneakers” (out there on a number of streaming websites). His final position got here this yr, a cameo in “Dark Winds,” the AMC present about Navajo cops he produced.
It is a record of a few of Redford’s most memorable performances, however don’t overlook in regards to the movies he directed, too: amongst them are the all-timers “Ordinary People” ( streaming on MGM+ ), which received him the very best director Oscar, and “Quiz Show” (hire on Apple TV+ ), which bought him one other nod.
“Barefoot in the Park” (1967): Redford and Jane Fonda play a passionate however mismatched newlywed couple whose relationship is examined by their walk-up New York house on this Neil Simon comedy. Reprising the position he’d performed on Broadway, Redford is the uptight, conservative foil to her extra free-spirited character and so they’re each stunningly lovely and enjoyable to observe. Fonda advised The Guardian in 2015 that she was “always in love with Robert Redford.” He later responded that he wasn’t conscious. The 2 additionally appeared collectively in “The Chase” (1966), “The Electric Horseman” (1979) and “Our Souls at Night” (2017). The place to observe: Stream on Kanopy; hire on a number of providers, together with Prime Video
“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969): Redford met Paul Newman on “Butch Cassidy,” George Roy Hill and William Goldman’s Western buddy movie about outlaws on the run. It was the beginning of a lifelong friendship, nevertheless it virtually didn’t occur, for the reason that studio wished a star like Steve McQueen or Marlon Brando as a substitute of Redford. “I was not a name equal to Paul’s. I was just sort of moving up at that time,” he advised the AP in 2015. “There was a big argument that went on for months and months. They said it had to be a star. (Newman) said, ‘Well, I want to work with an actor,’ because Paul respected acting. Had it not been for Paul, I would not have gotten that break.” The place to observe: Hire on a number of providers, together with Prime Video.
“Downhill Racer” (1969): A movie that’s as trendy as it’s compelling, Redford performs an bold and smug downhill skier out for Olympic gold on this Michael Ritchie movie. Roger Ebert, in his evaluation, wrote that it’s “a portrait of a man that is so complete, and so tragic, that ‘Downhill Racer’ becomes the best movie ever made about sports — without really being about sports at all.” This was one among Redford’s ardour initiatives, his first unbiased function that taught him some arduous classes about Hollywood. “That was when I learned about how the film industry really works,” Redford advised the Harvard Enterprise Evaluate in 2002. “The studio simply tossed ‘Downhill Racer’ away without a second thought. I broke my heart trying to get that film promoted and distributed.” The place to observe: Stream on Kanopy or FuboTV; hire on Prime Video.
“The Sting” (1973): After the success of “Butch Cassidy,” “The Sting,” one other Hill movie, fell into place extra simply. Redford and Newman play grifters in 1936 Chicago who fleece Robert Shaw’s wealthy mobster on this memorable caper that went on to win finest image. “What was interesting was the switcheroo,” Redford advised the AP. “Paul had played these iconic, quiet, still characters in the past, and that’s not what Paul is. He was a chatty, nervous guy who was always biting his fingernails. … He loved to have fun and play games.” The place to observe: Stream on Spectrum; hire on a number of providers, together with Apple TV+.
“The Way We Were” (1973): Ah Hubbell, that stunning, carefree WASP who falls in love with Barbra Streisand’s fiercely opinionated Katie. The making of the Pollack movie, from a script standpoint, was fraught and the unique author Arthur Laurents was by no means fairly pleased with the way it turned out. However this romantic drama with that memorable tune has endured over the generations (it was even a reference in a pivotal “Sex and the City” episode). The place to observe: Hire on numerous providers together with Fandango.
“Three Days of the Condor” (1975): Redford teamed with Pollack once more for this paranoid thriller a few quiet CIA codebreaker who returns from lunch solely to find his co-workers have all been murdered. The movie sends him on the run from the bosses concerned on this huge conspiracy, and successful man performed by Max von Sydow. The place to observe: Stream on MGM+.
“All the President’s Men” (1976): To Redford, the historical past of this movie was extra fascinating than the undertaking itself. He began obsessing over the Watergate saga throughout a whistle-stop tour for “The Candidate,” additionally an ideal and prophetic Redford movie, when he overheard some journalists gossiping in regards to the break-in on the Democratic Nationwide Committee headquarters and have become fascinated by the journalists overlaying the story, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. “I wanted to know who these guys were, who created all this disturbance,” Redford advised the AP. “I thought, ‘Wow, one guy was a Jew, one guy was a WASP. One guy was a Republican, the other guy was a liberal. One guy was a good writer, the other wasn’t very good. They didn’t like each other, but they had to work together. Now that’s an interesting dynamic I’d love to know about.’” The place to observe: Hire on a number of providers, together with Prime Video.
“The Natural” (1984): That is a type of movies that may not be many critics’ favourite, however its cultural affect virtually negates that. Redford performed baseball participant Roy Hobbs in Barry Levinson’s adaptation of Bernard Malamud’s novel about an up-and-coming expertise whose profession is derailed after getting shot, however who will get one other probability at greatness 16 years later. Purists be aware that the movie primarily reverses the novel’s authentic ending. The place to observe: Hire on a number of providers, together with Prime Video.
“All Is Lost” (2013): J.C. Chandor directed Redford on this harrowing survival story, during which a veteran sailor on a solo voyage within the Indian Ocean tries to outlive after his yacht is caught by a floating cargo container. Made for less than $9 million, it’s stripped-down and thrilling. The place to observe: Stream on Tubi, The Roku Channel, Kanopy.
