Robert Redford Double Feature

 Don't know how we ended up watching two Robert Redford movies on two consecutive nights, but it happened. I had brought home a DVD library copy of "The Great Gatsby"(1974), screenplay written by Francis Ford Coppola, which I remember when it was released, but at the time had no interest in it. Something brought it to my attention recently, and I decided maybe I should watch it. As it turned out, the whole family sat and watched. I had never read the book, either, but knew the story vaguely. I think everyone else in the family had at least read the book.

The story is narrated by young and somewhat naive Nick Carraway, cousin to the wealthy and married Daisy Buchanan, who resides in the wealthy enclave at East Egg, NY. Nick has recently moved across the bay to West Egg, and lives next door to the somewhat mysterious and self made millionaire Jay Gatsby, who throws huge parties and never attends them. Nick discovers that Jay has a secret: he was previously acquainted with Daisy, and he wants Nick to help him renew that acquaintance. Events take their course, with Daisy and Jay having an affair. Eventually, Daisy's husband the somewhat overbearing Tom (who all the while is having an affair with local woman Myrtle Wilson) discovers their relationship and sets in motion a chain of events that lead to tragedy, with only Nick knowing the truth of what actually happened. I was mostly very impressed with the movie version. It is a beautifully filmed, opulent and richly detailed film, done with great care and direction. The sets, costumes, automobiles, etc. were appropriate and really conveyed a feel for the 1920's during that era of the Jazz Age, with the charleston, bouncy music, and enormous wealth so prominent. The casualness of the wealthy set, the constant houseparties, the luxuriousness of their lifestyle, all came through on film. It was well-cast: Robert Redford as Gatsby is the true golden boy millionaire; Mia Farrow as the social butterfly and clueless Daisy irritated me; Sam Waterston as Nick was an excellent narrator and gave a much needed outsider's viewpoint; the lovely Lois Chiles was chic and classy; and Karen Black as Myrtle had an excellent chance to show some teeth. It was fun to see Kathryn Leigh Scott (of "Dark Shadows" fame) playing Myrtle's sister. Bruce Dern as the antagonistic Tom Buchanan was well cast, he played his character with some passion, his relationship with Myrtle was especially well played. My only criticism is that perhaps the script could have been tightened up just a little, there were times when not much happened on screen and it was a bit slow and just overlong at 144 minutes. But on the whole, a good classic movie. Just an little side note: Dern and Karen Black would later be reunited for Alfred Hitchcock's "The Family Plot", Lois Chiles and Mia Farrow would act again together later in "Death on the Nile", and this was Redford's and Chiles' second movie together, as they had done "The Way We Were" the previous year.

"The Way We Were" (1973) was the second Redford film we viewed over the weekend, by way of TCM. It is a nice romantic film that has actually held up well over time. I remember seeing it many years ago (probably on a college date) and liking it well enough then. Its story is simple really: loud mouthed social activist Katie (Barbra Streisand) meets golden college boy Hubbell (Robert Redford) on a New York campus in the 1930's and they have a brief relationship and then go their separate ways. During wartime, they run into each other again, and fall into a real affair that eventually leads to marriage. Along the way, he becomes a noted author and scriptwriter ending up in Hollywood and she supports him while trying to work for causes she believes in, and their efforts eventually cause too many problems for them to overcome; they split; when they meet up years later in New York in the 60's, it's a very bittersweet reunion.

It's a nicely filmed movie, with great sets and provides a good impression of the times, with World War II and Hollywood and the whole Joe McCarthy Blacklist era, very well done. Streisand and Redford do quite well in their roles, and they have decent support from Bradford Dillman as his best college friend and fellow in the business, Patrick O'Neal as a Hollywood director, and Lois Chiles as Redford's college girlfriend who marries Dillman and later leaves him. A young Susan Blakely appears in this film, and James Woods has a good role as Katie's co-worker on campus causes. An excellent movie to view with your spouse or date, even though the ending is somewhat bittersweet and sad. It's still an enjoyable and well done picture with a pleasant cast and good story.

Both pictures were good breaks during the weekend of March Madness.