Other Titles • The Way We Were • Cherie Bitter (1973) • Jene Jahre in Hollywood (1973) • So wie wir waren (1973)
Synopses for The Way We Were (1973)
1.
Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand star as sociopolitical opposites--he's a WASP novelist, she's an activist--who nevertheless strike up a romance in the 1930s, and have a rocky relationship through the next two decades that reflects much of America's history. An essential part of the movie--the Hollywood blacklist and the McCarthy witch- hunt years--comes across as a botch, due to some excessive cutting before the film was released. But except for that hole in the heart of the story, director Sydney Pollack (Out of Africa) has crafted a strong and moving drama about two interesting characters. Redford (always good with Pollack) is at the height of his powers, and Streisand is persuasive. --Tom Keogh
DVD features The Way We Were: A Look Back is a terrific retrospective documentary, running just over an hour. Although Robert Redford's absence (due to scheduling conflicts) is conspicuous, fans of The Way We Were will celebrate the rare appearance of Barbra Streisand in a lengthy interview. The notoriously reticent star appears relaxed, cordial, and eager to share stories about the film she considers "a highlight of my career," and her comments about the film are eloquent, heartfelt, and astute. Most important among her observations is her disappointment in the loss of crucial scenes that would have better explained the final separation of her character and Redford's, not due to infidelity but due to the harsh political climate of the blacklist era in Hollywood that made their relationship so volatile. Director Sydney Pollack explains why the cuts were made after the film was publicly previewed, and both his viewpoint and Streisand's are equally justified. The edited scenes are included here, and the documentary also features wonderful interviews and anecdotes from screenwriter Arthur Laurents, songwriters Alan and Marilyn Bergman, and composer Marvin Hamlisch. --Jeff Shannon
2.
Sydney Pollack directs Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand in this sensitive and moving tale of the romance of two individuals whose political ideologies are exact opposites. Streisand won an Academy Award nomination for her performance as Katie Morosky, a Jewish student radical who falls in love with Hubbell Gardner (Redford), a conservative privileged writer. The two interact from the beginning of their college courtship through the Hollywood-blacklisting era of the 1950s.
3.
Some memories last forever.
Screen legends Barbara Streisand and Robert Redford make movie magic as the captivating star-crossed lovers Katie Morosky and Hubbell Gardiner. Theirs is a classic love story sparked by the attraction of opposites, played out against the backdrop of American life during times of foreign war, domestic prosperity and McCarthy-era paranoia in Hollywood.
This Special Edition has been digitally remastered and includes a "making-of" documentary, with new interviews spotlighting Barbra Streisand, director Sydney Pollack, screenwriter Arthur Laurents, composer Marvin Hamlisch and more. Winner of two 1973 Academy Awards (Best song "The Way We Were" and Best Score). The Way We Were is the timeless romance that cannot be forgotten.
4.
A classic early 1970s weepie, The Way We Were stars Barbra Streisand as a Communist activist in the late 30s and 40s and Robert Redford as the ambitious young writer who marries her, cheats on her and eventually leaves her in the early days of McCarthyism for the sake of his Hollywood screenwriting career. Arthur Laurent's intelligent screenplay, remarkable performances from the two stars and Marvin Hamlisch's Oscar-winning score and theme song combined to produce a film that even as hostile a critic as Pauline Kael had to admit worked.
On the DVD: The DVD re-release includes the usual subtitling facilities, the theatre trailer and a documentary on the film's making, which includes one of the more political scenes deleted for commercial release; it is also possible to watch the film with a detailed commentary from Sydney Pollack about the problems of its making, problems which included writing new scenes so that Redford was not entirely upstaged by Streisand in the audience's sympathies. --Roz Kaveney
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