Favorite Robert Redford Performances

[Det Jim McLeod]

He was Summer Under The Stars subject yesterday, here are my choices, I came up with just 5 that I really like a lot, in chronological order. What are yours? You can list as many as you want.

1. Barefoot In The Park (1967) He is the strait laced lawyer just married to extrovert Jane Fonda. He is very funny tossing off Neil Simon jokes and plays off well against Fonda as well as Mildred Natwick and Charles Boyer.

2, Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969) This is the one that made him a star. A great role as the charming rogue Sundance. It shows he can handle comedy, drama and action scenes.

3. The Candidate (1972) One of the best political films ever. He is great as the as candidate for senator with no experience, he soon becomes disillusioned with the process.

4, The Sting (1973) A terrific character for him, a small time con man looks to get in the big leagues with veteran Paul Newman. This has his only Oscar nomination (to date) for acting.

5. Legal Eagles (1986) An underrated rom-com that rarely gets mentioned. One of Redford's loosest, funniest performances in years, I liked the chemistry with Debra Winger.

[Roy Cronin]

I was just thinking about this yesterday and Barefoot and Legal Eagles topped my list!

Legal Eagles is such an underrated, forgotten fun little film.  (And part of it was filmed outside of my apartment building.  Woke me up at 3 am!)

[Det Jim McLeod]

6 minutes ago, Roy Cronin said:

Legal Eagles is such an underrated fun little film.  (And part of it was filmed outside of my apartment building.  Woke me up at 3 am!)

I'm glad someone else has seen this. I saw it when first released and it was so different from the many heavy dramas  Redford had appeared in the last decade, a really breath of fresh air.

[Bethluvsfilms]

Not the biggest Robert Redford fan, but I did like him in BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID and THE STING.

He and Paul Newman did have some great chemistry going there in both films.

[Tikisoo]

58 minutes ago, Det Jim McLeod said:

1. Barefoot In The Park (1967) He is the strait laced lawyer just married to extrovert Jane Fonda. He is very funny tossing off Neil Simon jokes and plays off well against Fonda as well as Mildred Natwick and Charles Boyer,

3. The Candidate (1972) One of the best political films ever. He is great as the as candidate for senator with no experience, he soon becomes disillusioned with the process.

 

I like both of those and your reasons too!

I'd add THE HORSE WHISPERER '98 a "horse" film I love which is unusual. Redford is the perfect older sexy guy who trains horses. He knows how to play the "quiet" charactor so we understand the story with the fewest of words. Very believable.

A good friend loves THE MILAGRO BEANFIELD WAR '88 and I've been trying to see it for decades. Nowhere to be found: library, DVD or TCM. 

Both these movies he directed & starred in!  ORDINARY PEOPLE '80 and A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT '92 are two fantastic movies he directed but did not appear on screen.

[37kitties]

I've always liked Redford a lot. I remember the first movie I saw him in was Situation Hopeless But Not Serious in which he co-starred with Alec Guiness - and I knew immediately that he had something special. The next I saw was This Property Is Condemned and then Barefoot in the Park (his first big hit movie). I'd go on to see all of his work in the 1960's - everything that he was in (except War Hunt which I didn't see until TCM ran it). He just seemed to get better and better with each movie and that continued flawlessly into and throughout the 1970's.

But strangely, with all his excellent work in top-notch films, my favorite role is one of his least admired movies - the role of Halsy Knox in Little Fauss and Big Halsy. He plays a  conniving, narcissistic cad - a role so unlike anything else in his portfolio. Still think it's fabulous - recently added the DVD to my collection. He'd never look better than in that one - a model of almost perfect male beauty.

Another notable role that I especially like from him was as Jeremiah Johnson - also different from  all of his other work.

Really, one of my favorite actors ever.

[chaya bat woof woof]

I just re-watched Sneakers.  Always enjoyable.  Redford reteamed with Fonda in The Electric Horseman.  He also did so much with the Sundance Film Festival.

[LuckyDan]

He's always pretty much just Robert Redford. Looking and sounding and acting like Robert Redford. 

The Sting would be my favorite. It is the source of my user name in fact. 

Then I'd like to see This Property is Condemned again soon. It's been a while. 

His Twilight Zone episode as the angel of death was pretty good too

 

[lavenderblue19]

The Sting is my favorite Redford film. Love that film. whole cast was great.

 

[filmnoirguy]

My top favorites are Jeremiah Johnson, Three Days of the Condor and All the President's Men.  I know his reviews weren't the best for Out of Africa (critics couldn't accept him as an Englishman), but for my money I thought his performance was very good.   I don't know how many movies he has directed, but I did enjoy Ordinary People,  A River Runs Through It and Quiz Show.

[filmnoirguy]

3 hours ago, Det Jim McLeod said:

He was Summer Under The Stars subject yesterday, here are my choices, I came up with just 5 that I really like a lot, in chronological order. What are yours? You can list as many as you want.

1. Barefoot In The Park (1967) He is the strait laced lawyer just married to extrovert Jane Fonda. He is very funny tossing off Neil Simon jokes and plays off well against Fonda as well as Mildred Natwick and Charles Boyer.

2, Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969) This is the one that made him a star. A great role as the charming rogue Sundance. It shows he can handle comedy, drama and action scenes.

3. The Candidate (1972) One of the best political films ever. He is great as the as candidate for senator with no experience, he soon becomes disillusioned with the process.

4, The Sting (1973) A terrific character for him, a small time con man looks to get in the big leagues with veteran Paul Newman. This has his only Oscar nomination (to date) for acting.

5. Legal Eagles (1986) An underrated rom-com that rarely gets mentioned. One of Redford's loosest, funniest performances in years, I liked the chemistry with Debra Winger.

Redford and Natwick recreated their terrific Broadway performances in Barefoot in the Park and this was Gene Saks directing debut.

[Sepiatone]

I like all the Redford performances mentioned so far, but favorites out of them are.....

THE CANDIDATE

JEREMIAH JOHNSON

BAREFOOT IN THE PARK

and the unmentioned

THE NATURAL     and 

LITTLE FAUST AND BIG HALSEY

Sepiatone

 

[JamesJazGuitar]

My top 5 favorite Redford films are:

Barefoot in the Park

Butch Cassidy

The Sting

Three Days of the Condor  

Legal Eagles

 

 

[Det Jim McLeod]

3 hours ago, 37kitties said:

But strangely, with all his excellent work in top-notch films, my favorite role is one of his least admired movies - the role of Halsy Knox in Little Fauss and Big Halsy.

I would like to see this one. I recall seeing the beginning of it once on late night TV but did not finish it. I liked the Johnny Cash sung title song and the odd couple pairing of Redford with Michael J Pollard.

[DougieB]

3 hours ago, filmnoirguy said:

My top favorites are Jeremiah Johnson, Three Days of the Condor and All the President's Men.  I know his reviews weren't the best for Out of Africa (critics couldn't accept him as an Englishman), but for my money I thought his performance was very good.   I don't know how many movies he has directed, but I did enjoy Ordinary People,  A River Runs Through It and Quiz Show.

Three Days of the Condor and All the President's Men are my top favorites too. I'm fond of Inside Daisy Clover, though it has to be acknowledged as a somewhat nutty movie.  But props to him for playing a gay actor that early in his movie career. (And I like the short tribute to Natalie Wood he recorded for TCM, based on a friendship they developed during that movie.) I think he went on playing the golden boy a little too long, as in The Way We Were maybe, but at any age he was generally compelling on the screen. He and Jane Fonda were amazing when they reteamed for the HBO movie Our Souls at Night (2018); he's still got it, and so does she.

[King Rat]

I first saw Robert Redford in an episode of TV's Bus Stop where he and Barbara Baxley played a couple who kidnaps the baby of a man who just won the Irish Sweepstakes. That show made me a fan of both actors, and I was happy to see Redford's career advance.

[JamesJazGuitar]

17 minutes ago, King Rat said:

I first saw Robert Redford in an episode of TV's Bus Stop where he and Barbara Baxley played a couple who kidnaps the baby of a man who just won the Irish Sweepstakes. That show made me a fan of both actors, and I was happy to see Redford's career advance.

I had to google Baxley to remind myself of who she was;  looking at the photos,  I'm thinking of posting Baxley and June Lockhart under the Lookalike thread.   (but Barbara does have larger\rounder eyes).

[King Rat]

30 minutes ago, jamesjazzguitar said:

I had to google Baxley to remind myself of who she was;  looking at the photos,  I'm thinking of posting Baxley and June Lockhart under the Lookalike thread.   (but Barbara does have larger\rounder eyes).

It's Barbara Baxley's low-pitched voice that is so memorable. She did a ton of commercials over the years. Come to think of it, June Lockhart also has a very attractive voice. Baxley did more work on stage, though she picked up Warren Beatty (or vice versa) in All Fall Down and has a small part in Nashville.

[sewhite2000]

I'm sorta embarrassed to bring up a Marvel movie, but as far as recent Redford goes, his surprise turn in Captain America: the Winter Soldier was highly entertaining.

[EricJ]

6 hours ago, Sepiatone said:

and the unmentioned

THE NATURAL 

Only Redford could give the character and story the godlike tone it needed. 😇⚾

18 minutes ago, sewhite2000 said:

I'm sorta embarrassed to bring up a Marvel movie, but as far as recent Redford goes, his surprise turn in Captain America: the Winter Soldier was highly entertaining.

An indulgence for Redford's aging-60's leftwing-activist paranoia, as were the not-too-bad Sneakers and Three Days of the Condor.

[Arsan404]

I've always liked Robert Redford. He is very good at reacting in a scene, and he always bring his star power to any movie he makes.

I  think he gave his best performance in All is Lost. Alone for most of the movie, and with very few lines, he is excellent with his body language and facial expressions in this story about loneliness and survival.

1. All is Lost.

2. All the President's Men.

3. The Candidate.

4. Downhill Racer.

5. The Sting.

6. Out of Africa.

 

 

[speedracer5]

I'm a big fan of Robert Redford's.  I've been trying to see more of his work.

I love:

The Candidate (1972).  I think this film is fantastic and very prescient today.  I love Redford's character, a young idealistic man who initially agrees to run for senator based on the idea that he doesn't have a chance in winning, so he can use the exposure he'll get to promote his ideas for change.  Then, when it becomes clear that he's got to actually run a real campaign as to not be publicly embarrassed when he loses, he starts to become disillusioned with the whole campaign process when he realizes that his managers want him to portray the image that they think the public wants to see and not Redford's actual ideas for policy reform.

All the President's Men (1976) I love journalism movies and this one is one of the best.  Redford and Dustin Hoffman are fantastic as the Washington Post reporters investigating the Watergate scandal.

Downhill Racer (1969) Redford plays a young cocky, arrogant downhill skier who earns a spot on the US Men's Ski Team and has a chance to qualify to compete in the upcoming Olympics.  Coached by Gene Hackman, Redford has to learn how to compete as part of a team and also keep his ego in check.  He also meets and falls for a gorgeous European woman whom we're not really sure if she's actually into Redford, or is just using him to get him to promote her employer's brand of skis. This film was filmed on location in the Alps in France, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.  It features some gorgeous scenery and interesting cinematography.  I'm especially fascinated by the cinematography and sound mixing.  During the downhill skiing scenes, I actually feel like I'm skiing along with Redford.

Inside Daisy Clover (1963) Not the greatest film in his filmography; but I find it interesting as he plays a character who is obviously gay, but has to repress it. It's not a type of character that I would usually associate with Redford.

The Way We Were (1973) While I wouldn't say this was my favorite Redford film by any means and I don't think it's a film that I'd need to watch again and again, I found it interesting.  Redford co-stars with Barbra Streisand as two mismatched lovers whose personalities really do not mesh at all.   They are complete polar opposites in every way possible both on the inside and outside. Despite their differences however, they try to make it as lovers and later as a married couple.  I thought Redford was excellent as Hubbell (weird name), a man who basically has every opportunity fall into his lap without much effort and whose easy life is much to Streisand's chagrin.   

--

Redford seems to bring forth a persona of self-assurance, some arrogance, but remains likeable and sympathetic.  He also conveys intelligence and a sense of humor.  Plus, he's one of the few blonde men that I find attractive.

I've been wanting to see more of his work, on my list are:

-Barefoot in the Park

-Three Days of the Condor

-The Electric Horseman

-Jeremiah Johnson

 

[Moe Howard]

7 minutes ago, speedracer5 said:

-Three Days of the Condor

Try and find Spy Game for that double feature, but start with Three Days.

[speedracer5]

9 minutes ago, Moe Howard said:

Try and find Spy Game for that double feature, but start with Three Days.

Thanks! I was looking at Spy Game (I think I remember when it came out) because it pairs Redford with Brad Pitt.  If Redford ever makes another film, he should make one playing Brad Pitt's father.

[speedracer5]

Redford didn't appear in these films, but directed them.  I want to see Ordinary People (with one of my faves, Mary Tyler Moore) and The Quiz Show.