Nos plus belles années

I can remember seeing THE WAY WE WERE when I was in high school and being surprised by how much I had enjoyed it. Romances were never really my thing, but I had always enjoyed the work of Robert Redford, so I decided to give it a try. I was floored by the power and beauty of film! My initial reactions to the film were, once again, how natural and charismatic Redford is as the classic example of the college golden boy, who feels slightly trapped. After the credits began to roll, I knew right then that I had seen something special, something that would pass the test of time. I assume others felt the same way, the film went on to become an international blockbuster and the top grosser of the year.

Years later, I watched THE WAY WE WERE again. Now older, I had a new perspective on the film, and to be completely honest, I enjoyed it even more! While I still think Redford is great in this film, I discovered that it is actually Barbra Streisand who gives the better performance. As the political activist Katie, Streisand has one her best roles since Fanny Brice in the original FUNNY GIRL and she provides a show-stopping performance. She displays both strength and vulnerability, she is at once both scorned and innocent. Her's is one of the best performances of the 70's.

The final verdict: THE WAY WE WERE stands the test of time as one of the best films of it's kind. 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!

There are movies about love being made all of the time. After awhile, they all begin to look the same. However, once in awhile, one is made that truly stands out. THE WAY WE WERE is such a film. 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. She is an political activist, he's bored by politics. She's stern and serious, he's easygoing and laid-back. Although they love each other deeply, their differences begin to tear them apart. As far as romantic tearjerkers go, they don't get much better than this. Both Striesand and Redford are perfectly cast and their characters are ones in which viewers will grow to love and care about. Many viewers will also appreciate the realistic ending. This is a beautiful film.

It's WWII. Katie Morosky (Barbra Streisand) is a Jewish girl working in New York radio pumping out patriotic programming among her many activist jobs. In a nightclub, she runs into former crush and Naval officer Hubbell Gardiner (Robert Redford). In college, she was a communist student leader struggling to rally against Franco with Frankie McVeigh (James Woods). He was the WASP star athlete, the man around campus, and outwardly lived a carefree life. He's taken with her tenacity and she admires his writing. In the post war years, they are married in Hollywood where he writes for the studio and she fights against Mcarthyism.

She has the better part. He's playing the trophy wife. His hemming and hawing with his writing is a bit infuriating. He's too cool for school except for a few emotional outbursts. Those are great for showing some depth in his character although the couple seems to have only two polar opposite gears. As for her, Streisand gives it her all. There is a grating edge to her character which is not that appealing. I do like that these two flawed characters struggle with their undeniable connection until I can't take their unending fight about politics. Another issue is the unchanging Grecian God beauty of Redford's look. This movie takes place over decades. He needs to change. Maybe give him a buzz cut during the war years. There is the famous song which I wouldn't diss or praise. Pollack delivers a solid melodrama although the relationship gets too melodramatic at times.

The theme of a golden boy falling for a girl from "another world", be it social class, the "wrong side of the tracks" or fill in your cliché here, is one that goes back to the silent film era. One of the most famous examples is Sydney Pollack's 1973 film "The Way We Were". 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. Hubble (Redford) is your typical aforementioned golden boy, a "big man on campus" who indulges in sports, debutantes and all-around good times. The two know each other from the diner Katie works at (he being the patron) and at one point before graduation, briefly bond over their shared passion for writing. Cut to a few years in the future and Katie encounters Hubble at a bar. Hubble is in the armed forces and Katie is characteristically working a couple of jobs while volunteering for various social causes. After a night of drunken sex (Hubble being the drunken one) they embark on an unlikely relationship that spans over a decade and includes a move to California (when Hubble becomes a screenwriter in Hollywood) and the conception of one child. They are happy, but realize that regardless of their desire, they can't completely cross social lines and certainly can't change one another, particularly Katie's ever-ferocious dedication to social causes; a fight that becomes exponentially heated during McCarthy's Red Scare. 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 two principal characters are full and complex, regardless of whether we are talking about the socially conscience Katie or the socially acceptable Hubble. I suspect they somewhat were written with the intent of familiarity for the purpose of effectiveness, and if this is true, it worked on me. The era in which these two characters were set was a very interesting time in American history, and the characters' actions during these times created some compelling cinema, particularly when it touched on the Red Scare.

But who am I fooling? 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. There are so many perceptions of Streisand nowadays (some of them correct, to be sure) that it's easy to forget that she really does have some serious acting chops, and she exhibits them to full effect here. I also happened to learn that the soft filtered lens thing with her didn't just start with her later movies, for whatever reason she was filmed with that lens more often than not here, but that didn't do anything more than slightly distract me because I couldn't help but chuckle. Redford gives a typical solid performance as well, though his initial doubts about taking the role turned out to be valid; he is not the dynamic figure in the film. 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. If you can make it past some major melodrama and some plot holes (what was the deal with their child?) watch this film, and just sit back and appreciate it for what it is – a chick flick that guys don't have to feel ashamed watching. 7/10 --Shelly

Had to see this one again after years had elapsed between viewings, and the hair brushed from the face ending still gets to me. Weep weep, boo hoo. Speaking of hair, Babs looks better with her hair curly here, it always seems stiff flattened out. I still can't figure out if Hubbel was challenged by Katie or if he fell for her because he knew she loved him deeply, even if their relationship was based more on her attraction to him than his to hers. I never thought he truly felt comfortable with her. Because she was so "serious" all the time, as he tried to tell her. Romance was bound to fail because he could never think about other people the way she did and she in turn could never relax. The public confrontation during the communist witch hunt is the last straw and eventually leads us to the sidewalks of New York, where Katie's hair is curly again and Hubbel comments that she must have lost her iron. A truly moving romance with some stretches of dullness here and there but never at the expense of character. Both stars look great, with Streisand definitely robbed at Oscar time.