I didn't know this, but Robert Redford had died only a few days ago, on September 16. He was 89. My first clue that he had died was when I opened Apple TV and saw a bunch of Redford movies trending high in the Top 100. That only happens when a major star dies.
Redford was one of the last of the old-school leading men, not to mention one of the more old-school liberals (not lefties). Redford supported "environmentalism, Native American rights, LGBT rights, and the arts" according to Wikipedia, but he also supported the campaigns of several Republican candidates for whatever that's worth. I never saw Redford as a towering or loud political presence; to me, he seemed to prefer operating in the background.
What he was, though, was a fairly quiet, understated actor who accumulated a long list of famous, now-classic roles. Strangely, one of my favorite Redford roles is for a movie I've never reviewed here: "Sneakers" (I mention it here and elsewhere), a film that was prescient in many ways, and that also featured very likable performances from the versatile David Strathairn and the inimitable Sydney Poitier. In fact, I'll think I'll go track that movie down now and give it a rewatch. It stars a coolly menacing Ben Kingsley as the villain. Meanwhile, I've reviewed a couple of Redford films here: "The Old Man & the Gun," "A Walk in the Woods," and "All is Lost." RIP, Mr. Redford.
I was surprised not to see a "ululate" for him, as you're usually fairly on top of these things. It caught me by surprise, too, though--he was one of those people that I somehow just expected to be there.
ReplyDeleteSome friends and I were talking about him the other day. Everyone was naming their favorite Redford film, which is not an easy task. I eventually settled on "The Sting." Among his later works, I really liked "All is Lost." (I do remember your review of that and our brief exchange afterward.) But I'm still trying to figure out how to watch "The Sting" again in his memory.