Listmania!
Robert Redford: Actor, Director, Activist and... oh well...
Out Of Africa [DVD] [1986]Out Of Africa [DVD] [1986]
Buy used from: £4.00
Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen)'s ode to Kenya, one of the profoundest love stories ever written by life itself ... and 100% pure Redfordness (never mind Finch Hatton was really an Oxford-educated Brit).
All The President's Men [DVD] [1976]All The President's Men [DVD] [1976]
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A 3rd-rate burglary attempt that turned into the 20th century's biggest political scandal. Redford co-produced & starred as Woodward, next to Dustin Hoffman (Bernstein). Journalistic dynamite.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid [DVD] [1969]Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid [DVD] [1969]
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Redford & Newman #1; the movie that made him a megastar. 2 of the West's most feared outlaws running from a superposse to Bolivia; turning the Western genre on its head on the way. And those 1-liners!
The Sting [DVD] [1973]The Sting [DVD] [1973]
Buy new: £3.88 / Used from: £2.32
Redford & Newman #2: Johnny Hooker (created specifically with Redford in mind) and Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman) play the Big Con on mob boss Doyle Lonegan (Robert Shaw). And it's a hell of a ride!
A River Runs Through It [DVD] [1993]A River Runs Through It [DVD] [1993]
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Based on Norman Maclean's memoir; a tender, sad story of parental/brotherly love & loss. My favorite movie directed by Redford: cinematic poetry celebrating the beauty of Montana & its rivers & skies.
Three Days of the Condor [DVD] [1975] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]Three Days of the Condor [DVD] [1975] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]
Buy used from: £14.99
Redford as cornered spy "Condor" in the adaptation of James Grady's novel, co-starring Faye Dunaway. His 4th of 7 collaborations with Sydney Pollack & my favorite besides "Out of Africa" (see above).
Great Gatsby, The [DVD] [1974]Great Gatsby, The [DVD] [1974]
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His Refordness in a visually stunning realization of F. Scott Fitzgerald's elegy to a bygone era and faltering dreams; costarring Mia Farrow. Ah, to have loved and lost ... Ah, to know who we are ...
Havana [DVD] [1990]Havana [DVD] [1990]
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Redford & Pollack Take 7. A sumptuous drama set in the twilight days of Batista's Cuban regime; costarring Lena Olin & Raul Julia (uncredited; his own choice). It undeservedly flopped...but I love it!
Brubaker [DVD] [1980] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]Brubaker [DVD] [1980] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]
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Redford going political again; this time in the fact-based story of prison warden Henry Brubaker, whose reform efforts are ground to shreds between political intrigue, conformism and lack of vision.
The Natural [DVD] [1984]The Natural [DVD] [1984]
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"There goes Roy Hobbs, the greatest there ever was" ... and Bernard Malamud's hero is, you guessed it, your very own Mr. Redford, who could draw on his own baseball training for the role.
The Way We Were [DVD] [1973]The Way We Were [DVD] [1973]
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Redford/Pollack No. 3: Keep your hankies out for this one. Bob & Barbra are perfect as WASP novelist Hub & Jewish activist Katie. To think what this could've been w/o politically correct editing ...
The Candidate [DVD] [1972] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]The Candidate [DVD] [1972] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]
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The story of idealistic young politician Bill McKay, whose dreams and goals are slowly watered down by politics as usual. (There was recent talk about a sequel ... wonder what became of that?)
Ordinary People [DVD] [1980]Ordinary People [DVD] [1980]
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Redford as director, Take 1; and an instant Academy Award. Based on Judith Guest's novel; a gritty story of a seemingly happy and normal family's difficult adaptation to tragedy.
Quiz Show [DVD] [1995]Quiz Show [DVD] [1995]
Buy new: £3.88 / Used from: £1.84
More proof of his qualities as a director & America's loss of innocence Part 2 (besides Watergate): The "Twenty-One" quiz show scandal. Brutally realistic but emphatic, too, plus outstanding actors!
The Horse Whisperer [DVD] [1998]The Horse Whisperer [DVD] [1998]
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Redford & Pilgrim the horse... oh yeah, and Ms. Scott Thomas. (I love 'em both individually, but the pairing doesn't quite work for me - or maybe it's the topic?) Still, beautiful horse & nature pics!
A Bridge Too Far (2 Disc Special Edition) [1977] [DVD]A Bridge Too Far (2 Disc Special Edition) [1977] [DVD]
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Redford as just one of many stars in one of the quintessential WWII epics (about "Operation Market Garden," the allied invasion in Holland). Directed by Richard Attenborough; intense & compelling.
This Property Is Condemned [DVD] [1966] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]This Property Is Condemned [DVD] [1966] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]
Buy used from: £10.48
Redford & Pollack Take 1: A Tennessee Williams adaptation costarring Natalie Wood, & the birth of Redford as the mysterious stranger (even if he brings pink slips). Southern drama at its most intense.
Jeremiah Johnson [DVD] [1972]Jeremiah Johnson [DVD] [1972]
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Redford/Pollack #2: The story of "liver eating" Johnson, the loner/mountaineer who took on the Crow nation for murdering his wife. Incredibly gritty & realistic; allegedly Redford's personal favorite.
The Great Waldo Pepper [DVD] [1975] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]The Great Waldo Pepper [DVD] [1975] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]
Buy used from: £100.43
His 3rd cooperation with director George Roy Hill ("The Sting," "Butch & Sundance") alas didn't pay off commercially, but is a moving tale of heroism, missed chances and giving up a dying world.
Milagro Beanfield War [DVD]Milagro Beanfield War [DVD]
Redford's directorial sophomore; a low-key story of corporate greed, community values and the life on the land, based on the novel by John Nichols. Long overdue to be re-released on DVD!
Spy Game [DVD] [2001]Spy Game [DVD] [2001]
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £0.19
Robert Redford & Brad Pitt as master spy and rookie/maverick in a CIA drama flashing back to the cold war. Fast-paced & well-acted; largely routine, but great fun to watch.
Sneakers [DVD] [1992]Sneakers [DVD] [1992]
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(Similarly) higher on entertainment value than on coherent content, but a great thriller dealing with computer espionage and the dangers of unchecked governmental intrusiveness.
Up Close And Personal [DVD] [1996]Up Close And Personal [DVD] [1996]
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The somewhat romanticized screen version of Alanna Nash's bio of TV personality Jessica Savitch, but a great star vehicle for Michelle Pfeiffer and His Redfordness as her mentor.
The Hot Rock [DVD] [1972] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]The Hot Rock [DVD] [1972] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]
Buy used from: £29.99
Don't say he can't do comedy (and forget "Barefoot in the Park"). This adaptation of D.E. Westlake's first Dortmunder novel has great banter, plus stunning NYC vistas & thrills galore.
The Iceman Cometh [DVD] [1960] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]The Iceman Cometh [DVD] [1960] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]
Buy used from: £46.00
Redford's career began on stage: Directed by Sidney Lumet and although primarily Jason Robards's breakthrough piece, this excellent production provides an early (and very uncharacteristic!) glimpse.