The Way We Were

Plot synopsis:
Told partly in flashback, it is the story of Katie Morosky (Barbra Streisand) and Hubbell Gardiner (Robert Redford). Their differences are immense: she is a stridently vocal Marxist Jew with strong anti-war opinions, and he is a carefree WASP with no particular political bent. While attending the same college, she is drawn to him because of his boyish good looks and his natural writing skill, which she finds captivating, although he doesn't work very hard at it. He is intrigued by her conviction and her determination to persuade others to take up social causes. Their attraction is evident, but neither of them acts upon it, and they lose touch after graduation.
The two meet again towards the end of World War II while Katie is working at a radio station, and Hubbell, having served as a naval officer in the South Pacific, is trying to return to civilian life. They fall in love despite the differences in their background and temperament. Soon, however, Katie is incensed by the cynical jokes Hubbell's friends make at the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and is unable to understand his indifference towards their insensitivity and shallow dismissal of political engagement. At the same time, his serenity is disturbed by her lack of social graces and her polarizing postures. Hubbell breaks it off with Katie, but soon agrees to work things out, at least for a time.
When Hubbell seeks a job as a Hollywood screenwriter, Katie believes he's wasting his talent and encourages him to pursue writing as a serious challenge instead. Despite her growing frustration, they move to California, where, without much effort, he becomes a successful screenwriter, and the couple enjoy an affluent lifestyle. As the Hollywood blacklist grows and McCarthyism begins to encroach on their lives, Katie's political activism resurfaces, jeopardizing Hubbell's position and reputation.
Alienated by Katie's persistent abrasiveness, Hubbell has a liaison with Carol Ann, his college girlfriend and the departing ex-wife of his best friend J.J., even though Katie is pregnant. After the birth, however, Katie and Hubbell decide to part when she finally understands he is not the man she idealized when she fell in love with him and will always choose the easiest way out, whether it is cheating in his marriage or writing predictable stories for sitcoms. Hubbell, on the other hand, is exhausted, unable to live on the pedestal Katie erected for him and face her disappointment in his decision to compromise his potential.
Katie and Hubbell meet by chance some years after their divorce, in front of the Plaza Hotel in New York City. Hubbell, who is with a stylish beauty and apparently content, is now writing for a popular sitcom as one of a group of nameless writers. Katie, now remarried, invites Hubbell to come for a drink with his lady friend, but he confesses he can't. He does inquire how their daughter Rachel is doing, just to ascertain that Katie's new husband is a good father, but shows no intention to meet her.
Katie has remained faithful to who she is: flyers in hand, she is agitating for the newest political causes. Their past is behind them and all the two share now (besides their daughter, Rachel) is a missing sensation and the memory of the way they were.

Tags: melodrama, romantic, humor, flashback

Review:
Barbra is deep and intellectual, at least she wants to be, but ends up being the ultimate drama queen, "I'm not pretty enough for you, am I?" and "Nobody will ever love you like I do."  Redford is aloof and chilly and beautiful and as shallow as a mud puddle.BUT, if you can watch that last scene, "I can't Katie."  "I know." and not open up the waterworks then pack up your DVD player and give it to the Goodwill, because movies are not for you.
None of today's celebrities have the kind of chemistry Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford bring to the screen, and Streisand in particular is so deeply into this character that the herky-jerky editing and breathless writing don't harm her or get in the way (the faults can easily be overlooked).
Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford look wonderful in this great story of doomed love.
Character development (or arc) is supposed to be one of the basic elements of a good screenplay; but the whole point of Sydney Pollack's 1973 movie is that neither Katie Moroski nor Hubbell Gardner changes.
Fascinated with each other precisely because they are such opposites, they have an affair, marry and have a baby; but their inability to compromise - or in his case to stop compromising - leads to break-up.The main action spans the eventful decade from the Spanish Civil War and New Deal, through WWII, to the McCarthy era, by which time Katie and Hubbell have moved from New York to Hollywood, where he is a screenwriter.
Set from the 1930's through the 1950's, Barbra Streisand plays Katie, an outspoken member of the Communist party and campus activist who does not have anything handed to her; she works two and sometimes three jobs in order to pay for her living and college tuition.
The two have to decide whether they can sustain enough raw emotion for one another to persevere over everything else that is stacked up against them.There are several things about "The Way We Were" that require suspension of disbelief (the fact that despite never having had much contact with one another that after one night of drunken lust and an awkward "morning after" being enough to kick start a relationship the magnitude of theirs is the first thing that comes to mind) but the bottom line is that it really is a well-written, well-directed and well-acted film.
The main reason people watch this movie, whether for the first time or for the fiftieth is for the doomed romance, and Streisand and Redford deliver in spades.
"The Way We Were" was written for Streisand, (something that cause Redford to turn down the part at first, because he knew the film was going to be hers) and her portrayal of Katie is excellent.
However, his character is a strong one and Redford does a good job.I don't know if Pollack knew he was creating a screen classic when he directed "The Way We Were" but he did make a very good film.
While I still think Redford is great in this film, I discovered that it is actually Barbra Streisand who gives the better performance.
Watch this film for the most moving finale in film history, for the knock out performance from Streisand, for the long-lasting chemistry between Redford and Streisand, and for one of the most famous and touching love stories of this century.Out of 10, I'd rate THE WAY WE WERE a solid 10!.
This film, mixing love and politics, finds two individuals (Barbra  Streisand and Robert Redford) who meet in college, but years pass  before a romance blooms.
Robert Redford, who had actually turned down the role twice before director and friend Sydney Pollack talked him into taking the part, displays some of the best reflective acting ever seen on the big screen and effectively brings forth the dark side of being stereotyped as the All-American golden boy (although Redford did not receive an Oscar nod for playing Hubbell in this film, he was nominated for Best Actor that same year for his light comedic performance in THE STING).THE WAY WE WERE is different from most romances in that it is not death, feuding families, or any other societal phenomena that directly tear the couple apart.
Terrible and talky schmaltz that ladles on the syrupy score at regular intervals, and the Oscar winning title song is probably the most notable thing about this Barbra Streisand vehicle in which no one else has a chance to register and the supporting roles feel more like cameos, and her hair, which is commented on throughout the film by various characters, deserves star billing.
As Katie, a woman more or less equally in love with Robert Redford and her own social consciousness, Streisand looks good and is sometimes affecting, but neither she nor Redford are convincingly collegiate in their early scenes, and in the latter scenes that awkwardly and simplistically deal with the McCarthy era, both characters and their arguments become wearying.
In the end though I got the sense that director Pollack was more interested in the love story angle than the political angle (perhaps with an eye on the box-office) and this throws the film off-kilter.Streisand gets the showiest part (and, interestingly, her name in front of Redford's over the titles) and is mostly good.
I'm also bound to state that I never got the impression that either lead was ageing down the years.As for the music score, while Marvin Hamlisch's title song is pretty and has obviously become a standard, I felt its strains were just too intrusive throughout and felt it should have been left a titles-only piece.A film then, at once ambitious and conservative, political and soporific, lush but talky - in the end I found it didn't enmesh these contradictions sufficiently well and missed its marks accordingly..
They meet in college, circa 1937 -- Katie (Streisand) is a wallflower political activist, Hubble (Redford) is the Golden Boy track star.
The turbulent 1950's hit, Redford is a writer in "Red Scare" Hollywood who takes the easy way out; Streisand believes people should always stand up for their principles, no matter the cost.
That's a piece of wisdom that Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford should have remembered for their characters in The Way We Were.Meet Hubbell Gardiner and Katie Marofsky from the Thirties at Columbia University.
Politics seem to take a back seat to romance and Streisand lives out a real life fairy tale as a Brooklyn Jewish Cinderella.Their love gets really tested in the post World War II period during the Red Scare.
Maybe that's what he wanted, to have them appear as plastic as Streisand's Katie Marofsky thinks they are.The Way We Were contains the title song written by Marvin Hamlisch and Alan and Marilyn Bregman which became one of Streisand's best loved ballads.
Few movies capture this side of life, which is why The Way We Were will be around for many years as a great love story..
She is drawn to the strikingly handsome, athletic and intelligent Hubbell Gardner (Redford), whose glibness and All American good looks anger and attract Katie, while also masking his apparently fine writing talents.
If her attraction is simply to his Hellenic beauty, this seriously undercuts the great romance the filmmakers have attempted to construct.The story is an insightful examination of the conflicting political ideas of its two leads, matching Katie the red against Hubbell the conventionalist, their exchanges explode with tension.
Robert Redford makes a handsome if bland leading man, and Barbra Streisand transforms from a frizzy-haired Jewish girl to a ravishing adult (and straight-haired) woman who loves him.
Redford has some chemistry with Lois Chiles though, who of course appeared later in the 007 film Moonraker.But Babs' role - Barbara is cast GREAT   she plays a left-wing liberal extremist communist!
Actually, the only time I remotely felt anything for the two leads is at the end, when they have gone on to separate lives and Babs happens to spot Redford in NYC (it's so easy you know) and they share a last hug, that wasn't bad, but it was mostly because Redford actually showed some acting talent in the film and had a few convincing looks on his face.
Gardiner is more a part of the elite than Morosky and is not politically active at all...he's more hedonistic, hence their being a potential odd couple.For this early part of the movie, you have to suspend disbelief over how much older Streisand and Redford seem in relation to the characters they play.
But I would say that it suits all ages in the history cos it's so real (or should I say that there's nth new in life), very close to people's true lives, excellent, well taken, and I think I have fallen in love with Robert Redford only I might have been borne 30 years too late!.
In my personal opinion, the combination of Streisand and the over-rated Robert Redford is already a mistake, let alone the mediocre script, the way the actors are directed, and a ridiculous plot!If Robert Redfod was any good at acting at all to begin with, he was better with Paul Newman (and thats a big IF).
A low key and slow paced account of the ups and downs in the romantic relationship between Hubbell Gardner (Robert Redford), a naval officer and aspiring author, and Katie Morosky (Barbra Streisand), a Communist with a definite chip on her shoulder.Set largely during the period of the Roosevelt administration and the later beginnings of the "Red Scare," this movie is the classic example of opposites attracting.
Streisand got all the attention at the time mostly due to her extreme beauty and sparkling screen presence, yet Redford is remarkably subdued in this film and to great effect.
The confluence of great direction (Sydney Pollack), a great script (Arthur Laurents), great acting, and great music (score and song) must necessarily result in a singular film, and "The Way We Were" is not just one of the best romances of all time.
It is one of the best films of all time.Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford play two people from different worlds, different strata of society, different classes.
Barbra Streisand's second Oscar nomination for lead actress came for "The Way We Were." As far as I'm concerned, the race that year came down to Streisand and Joanne Woodward for "Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams." How Glenda Jackson won for "A Touch of Class" was a big surprise to myself and others as well.Streisand is perfect as the Jewish girl who finds love with a handsome gentile guy well played by Robert Redford.
I was in my early teens then and i remember almost all the girls in my HS had photos of Redford from this movie.The guy became THE sex symbol of that time from this movie.There's the scene where Streisand sees Redford sitting at a barstool at ElMorocco,with his eyes closed and from the way of her expression the audience understands she is just knocked out by his looks.Which is really what this movie is all about.The audience sees Redford(its his face that is important not the character) through the eyes of Katie-Streisand and millions of girls and mature women identified with her and a new male sexsymbol was born.This type of blond boyish hero was not really anything Hollywood had before.The archtypical leading man had been Clark Gable,a dark masculine and dynamic man,while this Redford doll-type person was a new kind of feminine fantasy.On the other hand,Streisand-Katie was the dynamic,energetic and forceful woman,a kind of pre-feminist who wanted that blond boyish guy the way men like blond starlets.This movie created a stereotype for her too.So here the roles are really reversed,and this goes on in the entire movie,where Redfords character is really the more passive one and Streisands is the more forceful one.Its the reason Redford hated this character and didn't want to play it in the first place.But ironically,his image as a matinée idol was created mostly from this movie.So folks,this was it.Most people my age who had seen this movie when it came out don't even remember the story.They remember Redford and Streisand,and -OH-and THE SONG..
If Robert Redford does a good job here, Barbra Streisand steals the show all the way and in a story which most of the romantic couples face sometimes (works good at first, then all break loose and finally the love is gone, but not the respect for each other).
Robert Redford...And for Barbra, at least a good movie before other things coming (and being director later...), and of course, what she does best: singing....
From the understated hopelessly in love James Woods to the captivating chemistry between Streisand and Redford; there is no shortage of on-screen talent in any scene in this film.
I found the whole thing to be extremely well-written and balanced, with Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford's characters each making valid points about devotion to causes, perception vs reality, and relationships.
Streisand is the left-wing political activist, Redford the apolitical athlete, and they become lovers, but get forced apart by the red-baiters.Apparently, when this came out, director Sydney Pollack wanted people to interpret it mostly as a love story, but also to pay attention to the politics.
I mean, watching the film without them made things a little confusing but still had a bittersweet romantic effect that still gave a somewhat touching climax due to the talents of Pollack, Streisand, Hamlisch, and especially leading man Robert Redford.
As an unlikely casting choice at the time, Robert Redford plays her love interest in the film, however his character is somewhat weak minded.
They love each other but her political commitment bothers him--can their relationship survive?On one hand I love this movie--the title song is wonderful (of course); Streisand and Redford do have chemistry between them; the script is sharp and intelligent; the film looks absolutely beautiful with particular care and attention given to the clothes and settings; it doesn't downplay the politics; the romance never becomes too mushy--but this movie left me kind of cold.I never really believed Redford and Streisand were lovers--they DO have chemistry and she gives out a great performance--but Redford is so stone-faced I didn't know how to take him.
So Redford's non-acting and the plot loopholes seriously damage the film.Still it's worth seeing for all the other actors--all of whom are excellent (especially a very young James Woods and Lois Chiles) and some truly romantic love scenes.
Back to the moment they meet for the first time after school things slowly start to happen between the two and they get involved,even though she believes she is lucky to have someone like him and he looks up to her for the way she understands everything better than he does, but with their different prospectives on everything they start to drift apart.Robert Redford plays Hubbell and we all get to see a side of Redford as the charismatic, charming, gorgeous man that he is whereas Barbara Streisand comes in as Katie, the strong minded young woman, who wants to have the whole world her way.
The Way We Were, a romance starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford, is a moving character study.
I thought Barbra Streisand was marvelous as the political firebrand Katie - Robert Redford's character, I think, forced his acting to be more reserved, but on the whole it was splendidly done.
Contains Spoiler I read some of the comments registered here on The Way We Were and felt I needed to add my comments.First of all, I think a lot of people are viewing this movie through politically correct, 21st century eyes.Comments have been made about Redford's character "abandoning" his kid after he splits with Streisand's character at the end of the movie.
I, like many others, thought it was great, and loved Streisand and Redford and the theme song.
For those of us who have tried but failed in love, it is those moments that with luck will prevent the bitterness from taking over and if the two people are mature enough to be in the same room years later without regret, they may even be able to smile at each other and thank them for the memories.The theme song from this romantic drama says it all as political activist Barbra Streisand falls head over heals with the perfect smiling toothy Robert Redford.
Taking place in the period 1936 to 1947 (with a conclusion around the year 1960) "The Way We Were" is a fine ironic love story of two people (Hubble - Robert Redford - and Katie - Barbara Streisand) who meet at college and then meet accidentally during World War II in New York City, and gradually find that while they do love each other certain personality and background differences make the relationship too intense for one of them to pursue successfully.
However, by now it's getting into a politically volatile era where people are being blacklisted as Communist sympathizers, and their ideological differences cause problems...This movie is for me, memorable mainly for the amazing on screen chemistry between its two very adept stars, Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford (perfect in their roles here), the immortal tearjerker ending, and the song The Way We Were.Reading the commentary, I somewhat agree with other reviewers that, even though Katie has remarried, the idea of Hubbell abandoning his daughter, of having no contact with her whatsoever, is not very endearing.
this is supposedly a "great love story", and several times it is pointed out how Katie "never gives up":Hubbell: "You never give up, do you?"
The Way We Were is a romantic film about a handsome young man and a radical and ordinary looking Jewish girl that features Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford.The screenplay by Arthur Laurents.It was based on his college days at Cornell University and his experiences with the House Un-American Activities Committee.
At the dawn of the campus years, Hubbell Gardiner (Robert Redford) celebrates the first publication of one of his short stories; and Katie Morosky (Barbra Streisand) raises a toast "to his first novel".