Tuesday
Aug132013
Curio: All Things Redford
Tuesday, August 13, 2013 at 12:00PM Alexa here. Robert Redford turns 77 this week. Although he's aged (somewhat) naturally, I still can't believe he is older than my father-in-law. The news of him joining the cast of Captain America: The Winter Soldier seemed weird at first until I realized he's already played a superhero of sorts; give that Roy Hobbs a cape and he might as well be Superman. Here are some curios that celebrate the indie godfather/mainstream icon.
The Candidate original Spanish poster, available here.
The Natural and more after the jump
Roy Hobbs rookie card (complete with stats), on ebay.
Roy Hobbs tee, available here.
Poster by Adam Juresko.
Yes, another one of these creepy ones: a Redford life mask made in the 70s, on ebay.
tagged Curio, Robert Redford, The Candidate, The Natural
Curio, Robert Redford, The Candidate, The Natural
Reader Comments (9)
I am not a huge Redford fan ( although he has done some fine films... I loved him in The Candidate and ,of course, Sundance .... In the Candidate, his good friend, Natalie Wood did a cameo .. she actually jump-started his movie career by insistine he be in Inside DAisy Clover and This Property is Condemned... He was best man in her second marriage and remained friends until her death..
The Candidate is still worth-watching.
top 10 redford:
all the president's men
butch cassidy & sundance kid
jeremiah johnson
three days of the condor
the candidate
the sting
the way we were
the natural
out of africa
and...
all is lost (sight unseen)
I don't think he's a great actor, but I've loved quite a few of the films he has directed. I'm one of those who thinks "Ordinary People" was a deserving winner over "Raging Bull," and I would have preferred "Quiz Show" over "Forrest Gump" and "Pulp Fiction." "A River Runs Through It" is another major favorite of mine. He's not a distinctive filmmaker, but he tells some beautiful stories.
Totally agree with you, Raul. His recent films as a director have been a tad preachy, but his first five movies (Ordinary People, Milegro Beanfield War, A River Runs Through It, Quiz Show, The Horse Whisperer) are damn fine. Ordinary People could have been a soppy tearjerker but is a thoughtful character study and Quiz Show remains one of my favourite movies of the nineties.
And I do feel he is a distinctive filmmaker, in a way that old masters like John Ford or Michael Curtiz were: focussing on story and character first and foremost. Also, thematically you'll find most of his movies focus on a small family unit that has to cope with an external force that iis beyond control of the family members (whether it be suicidal tendencies, a rigged tv show or a horse riding accident).
I find Redford as an actor reliable but not revelatory although much more interesting than his directing. Cannot wait for All is Lost.
Top Redford:
All the President's Men
Downhill Racer
Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid
The Candidate
The Way We Were
The Candidate
The Sting
The Chase (Underrated Arthur Penn movie with a RIDICULOUS cast)
Also in one of the best episodes of The Twilight Zone ever. He was an angel for a dying, isolated old lady. Such a sweet episode.
I still smile when I think of his Best Actor nod for The Sting. It was so blatantly undeserved and given out of pure movie-star love. A case of Oscar sweetness I can more than live with.
Ugh! How could I forget Three Days of the Condor?!?!? I loved Dunaway's performance. It was even explicitly referenced in my favorite Soderbergh movie for crissakes!!!
I love ORDINARY PEOPLE...well, I don't think it's better than RAGING BULL (after all KRAMER VS. KRAMER wasn't better than APOCALYPSE NOW the year before) and Timothy Hutton is as supporting as Meryl Streep in AUGUST (joking...I haven't seen AUGUST yet) but still love it!!!