The long and wonderful life of American actor and director Robert Redford has come to an end. In cinematic terms, the movie of his fate has found its final cut. A legend of world cinema, he received all kinds of honors and recognition during his lifetime, and one of his equals can be called Clint Eastwood or Jack Nicholson. And now, from the captivity of the otherworld, Robert has finally moved into the off-screen eternity, where time no longer has power over him. Many of the characters he plays will bring the joy of meeting them to new generations of viewers, as it was with millions of movie fans in previous decades. Redford not only acted, but also made films himself, and for his debut film Ordinary People (1980) he won the Academy Award for Best Director. But we will recall his acting works, just ten of the eighty roles he played.
The Chase (1966)
This Arthur Penn neo-western features a stellar ensemble cast, including Marlon Brando, Jane Fonda, Robert Duvall, and James Fox. Redford, in this film adaptation of the play by the famous Liliana Hellman, got the role of Bubber Reeves, an outlaw who escaped from prison, a prisoner who is brought to his native place by a chain of misadventures and puts in the position of a “victim” who is being hunted. The film was also a success at the Soviet box office in the early seventies, most likely interpreted as a denunciation of the “rotten West.”
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
This film is one of the ten greatest westerns in the history of world cinema (according to the American Film Institute). But the film directed by George Roy Hill can also be classified as a buddy movie, where the friendship and adventures of the two characters are at the center of the plot. Here their names are even included in the title of the film. These are two famous bank and train robbers at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, whose screen avatars were Robert Redford and his partner, the great Paul Newman. The screenwriter of the story of their screen life was a magnificent master of his craft, William Goldman, who deservedly received an Oscar for his work in this film. And on one of the most reputable movie sites, Rotten Tomatoes, summing up the audience’s rating of 8.3 points, summarizes the undiminished appeal of this outstanding film in this way::
“Thanks to the iconic duo of Paul Newman and Robert Redford, the witty script and music by Burt Bacharach, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid became one of the defining moments in American cinema in the late 60s.”
Little Fauss and Big Halsy (1970)
This film about a pair of motorcyclists, with comedic and dramatic situations, was shot by Canadian Sidney Furie, known by that time for his film “The Ipcress File”, which began an alternative bondiana about Agent Palmer. Here, Redford played the eldest character of rival friends, Big Halsy. The film is not very well-known and low-rated, but worthy of the attention of fans of the road movie genre. By the way, the title song for the film (“The Ballad of Little Fauss and Big Halsy”) was written by Johnny Cash himself.
Johnny Cash – Ballad of Little Fauss and Big Halsy:
Jeremiah Johnson (1972)
This Sidney Pollack film, which claimed the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, takes viewers back to the middle of the 19th century. The main character (after whom the film is named) prefers urban life in the bosom of nature. The character played by Redford, having participated in the First Mexican War, in which vast territories of Texas became the trophy, is burdened by violence and strives to live in harmony with nature. But, by the will of circumstances, Jeremiah Johnson is once again forced to embark on the warpath …
The Sting (1973)
George Roy Hill, who directed this crime dramedy, brought two friends back together on the screen – Robert Redford and Paul Newman. Now they have made up a pair of clever scammers who, in Chicago in the mid-thirties of the last century, must take revenge on the local mafia boss, played by the wonderful British actor and writer Robert Shaw. The film was nominated for an Oscar in ten categories at once, in seven of which (including for “best film” and “best director”) it won.
Three Days of the Condor (1975)
This political thriller, which was released exactly half a century ago, at the end of September 1975, was successfully shown in Soviet cinemas in the early eighties, and a little later, a political detective story was released at the Molodaya Gvardiya publishing house, which became the basis of the screenplay. Joe Turner, an employee of one of the small companies serving the interests of the CIA, miraculously remains alive when the secret service cleans up unnecessary witnesses. A hunt has been announced for Condor (the main character worked under this code name), and he himself is trying to identify a secret organization within American intelligence that develops and implements military coups in the “third world” countries.
All The President’s Men (1976)
Alan Pakula’s film tells the story of the famous Watergate scandal, which led to the resignation of US President Nixon. The plot focuses on the investigation of two still-living journalists, Bob Woodworth (played by Redford) and Carl Bernstein (portrayed by the incomparable Dustin Hoffman). By the way, the screenwriter of the film was William Goldman again, and this time he was awarded an Oscar for his work.
Brubaker (1980)
The director of this dramatic film, Stuart Rosenberg, became famous back in 1967 for his “Cold-blooded Luke” on the same topic – prison life. In that film, Paul Newman played the main role, and in this one, his friend Robert Redford. And again, the name becomes the name, or rather the surname, of the hero. Under the guise of a prisoner, he learns the inside of life in this penitentiary institution, which is not very concerned with the correction of prisoners. Is it possible to reform the prison community, and who is Brubaker? You can find out this by watching the film, in which Morgan Freeman also played a notable role.
Out of Africa (1985)
Another wonderful Sidney Pollack film, this time an adaptation of the autobiographical book by Danish writer Karen Blixen, which was presented on the screen by Meryl Streep, and her lover, the fearless hunter Dennis Hutton, by Robert Redford. The story of the relationship between these two people from Europe, trying to fit into the African world, is the essence of the screen story. As the film critic Galina Companichenko writes:
“Fascinated by the black continent, Dennis discovers the real Africa for Karen – hot, dazzling and mysterious, subjugating like a drug and at the same time sobering, making it clear how small a person is and how much wisdom and humility are needed to find their place not to get lost in the infinity of the surrounding world.”
The film received seven Oscar statuettes at once, including in the main nominations (“best film”, “best director”, “best screenplay”, “best cinematography”, “best music”).
Spy Games (2001)
In this Tony Scott political thriller, Robert Redford plays a high-ranking CIA officer, Nathan Muir, who, on his last day before retirement, is “lucky” to learn that his agent (played by Brad Pitt) has been arrested in China, which could disrupt an important meeting of the leaders of the countries at the highest level. But Redford’s character decides to take a chance and rescue his agent, without relying on diplomatic channels.
As a postscript, it should be remembered that one of the main tasks of the life of the great master of American cinema was the creation of the world’s most significant independent film festival, named after the screen character played by Robert Redford back in the late 1960s. Here’s how the popular publication Variety notes Redford’s achievements in its obituary: “he became the godfather of independent cinema, founding the Sundance Film Institute…”, “in his prime, few people could compare with him as a movie star” and “at the age of 70, Redford was one of the brightest movie stars.” Let’s add on our own: the light of this star will warm the hearts of the audience for a long time.
