The Way We Were

“People are more important than their principles.” - “People ARE their principles...” Emotional fire and pragmatic ice don’t put enough effort into removing the obstacles that, despite their mutual attraction, prevent their coexistence. It would go against the ideals shaped by their turbulent times and, above all, their natures. It’s natural but also sad, because unlike many others, they had a chance to overcome external influences. Even though the extensive script rewrites are noticeable, Pollack’s instinct to shift away from the planned political “trumpeting” towards a love story was correct, and focusing on characters unable to define compromise brought a sense of authenticity. After this, I definitely suspect Brad Pitt of having made a “playbook” of Redford’s expressions, according to which he then tried to act (see, for example, his portrayal in Meet Joe Black with even more extreme passivity). (12/05/2023)

A huge hit at the time of its release and still Columbia Pictures' highest-grossing film. It’s the film that definitively made Robert Redford America's sex symbol. He actually didn't want to do the film, he didn't want to seem like a kind of sidekick to the film's main star Barbra Streisand, so the script had to be rewritten many times before he accepted the role. And he did well. The chemistry between him and Streisand has the power of trinitrotoluene. The dialogues, benefiting from the contrast between an idealistic and slightly neurotic fighter for peace and human rights and a pragmatic successful screenwriter, are a joy to listen to. I had never really liked Streisand, but she won me over with this film. The scene when the emotionally torn woman persuades Hubbell on the phone to come to her is an acting masterpiece, you can feel real emotions there, acting to the very core. The impressive nostalgic ending and the beautiful title tune only complete the absolute cinematic experience. Perfection. (09/03/2009)