The death of Robert Redford has brought forth a tidal wave of praise beyond even the usual gushing torrents that attend the deaths of celebrities. Because of the extraordinary longevity of his stardom over many decades and the multifaceted nature of his pursuits, there’s a different Robert Redford for everyone.
You can consider his vast contribution to independent film with the Sundance Film Festival he founded, as well as his commitment to developing upcoming cinematic talent with the Sundance Institute. You can appreciate his wide-ranging filmography. He was a thoughtful producer, and as an accomplished director, he started with Ordinary People (1980), which won the Academy Award for Best Picture and got him a Best Director Oscar as well, right out of the gate.
You can pick a favorite phase from his storied acting career. Young and irresistible (The Chase, Barefoot in the Park, The Hot Rock, The Sting)? Political thriller (Three Days of the Condor, All the President’s Men)? Romance (The Way We Were, Out of Africa, Up Close and Personal)? Neo-Western (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Jeremiah Johnson, Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here, The Electric Horseman, The Horse Whisperer)? Sports drama (Downhill Racer, The Natural)? Mature but still sexy, stealing focus from younger male stars (Indecent Proposal, Spy Game)? Venerable sage of filmdom (A Walk in the Woods, The Old Man and the Gun)?
You can get a look at the very youthful Redford in his early 1960s acting career on television too. And if you want to appreciate his warm all-American voice, he narrated a ton of films as well, mostly environmental documentaries.
Politically he covered the waterfront. Leftists can love him for his serious, long-term commitments to the environment and Native American rights and his savvy political films of the late 1960s and ’70s. Centrist liberals can love him for his long-standing commitments to the Democratic Party and working through the existing…
Auteur: Eileen Jones
