The Directors - Sydney Pollack
This incisive documentary traces the long, varied career of Sydney  Pollack, whose movies have been nominated for 46 Academy Awards. Extensive interviews with Pollack get inside the mind of a hard-working man dedicated to his craft. "I've never been completely content with my career," Pollack declares, a surprising admission for a man who's enjoyed such remarkable success. On a personal note, Pollack confesses to having had a crush on Natalie Wood, star ofThis Property Is Condemned. He addresses the technical problems of his first critical success,They Shoot Horses Don't They?, starring Jane Fonda. (How do you shoot a film in which "people do the same thing over and over for two hours in the same place?") We get the kick of feeling like a Hollywood insider when Pollack divulges his prolonged campaign to convince Robert Redford to star inThe Way We Were. Interviews with actors who have worked with Pollack--Sidney Poitier, Paul Newman, Harrison Ford--paint a vivid picture of the man. One revealing anecdote comes fromOut of Africastar Meryl Streep, who tells of filming a scene with a tethered lioness. To heighten the drama--and without telling Streep--Pollack set the lioness free. Clips ofThree Days of the Condor,Absence of Malice,Tootsie, and many other Pollack films provide a comprehensive showcase for the work of a masterful American director.--Laura Mirsky