"There are two things I don't like about you - your face. So why don't you shut both of them&qu...
"There are two things I don't like about you - your face. So why don't you shut both of them" Felicia (Priscilla Queen of the Desert)
Member since:13.08.2002
Reviews:207
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I must admit that I am a big fan of romantic films. I love my Drama and my comedy, but once and a while I like to enjoy a good old romantic film that I can enjoy. To me there are very few good romantic films. I don’t mean boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love and live happily ever after. I mean the true side of love. The good parts and the difficult parts. Showing the happiness and the sadness, the laughter and the tears. That’s what a romantic film is. And that’s what The Way We Were is.
The Way We Were is the perfect Saturday afternoon film. It’s raining outside, you have nothing to do, and you just want to snuggle up, well the best thing to do is pop the video (or DVD if you’re modern!) on and sit and enjoy, believe me, there’s nothing better, and without a lot on your mind you’ll appreciate and enjoy it for what it really is.
The Way We Were is set in the mid 20th century. From the late 30’s to the late 40’s, that’s where the romantic tale begins and ends. In college there are two very different students studying there. Even though they are both studying English they couldn’t be more different. Hubbell Gardiner (Robert Redford) is a sports freak. He has the prettiest
girl in school round his arm, and he can have anyone he wants if he doesn’t want her. Then there’s Katie Morosky who’s a tough political Jewish girl. She’s forever campaigning to stop the war, and get rid of Hitler.
There is a chemistry between the two of them. They stare at each other when the other one is looking. They smile at each other from time to time. When they see each other on the street they wind each other up by annoying them – just like a married couple. There’s no kiss. There’s no relationship. There’s no love, really. But there’s fascination between the two. They’re curious about the other. And just before their curiosity can prevail their college life ends, and they drift apart.
Years later, Katie is working in a radio station in New York, when she sees Hubbell at a bar in a restaurant. You can almost see her heart sinking. She walks over to him, and she stares at him, just like those days in College, and he sees her. And she still stares. I must admit, it’s a brilliant moment in movie history! Very touching and romantic!
He goes back to hers that night, as he hasn’t got a hotel room to stay at. She wants him to make love to her, but he’s too drunk and falls asleep. He leaves the next day, and Katie thinks she’s never going to see him again. But she does. He comes back a few months later, and they begin their relationship. Katie believes everything’s all right. Everything’s ok. She couldn’t be more wrong…
Barbara Streisend is known for her fantastic singing and acting, and in this film she manages to combine the both to make a wonderful and poignant mixture of The Way We Were. The song, of the same name, won an Oscar for its brilliance, it’s just a shame that Streisend didn’t either. Her portrayal of stuttering Katie was marvellous, and wonderfully acted out.
Redford was his usual self. I’ve seen him now in three film – this, Up, Close and Personal, and Out Of Africa. In all three, to me, he played the same character with a different name. This isn’t a good thing, obviously, as it makes out that he can’t act more than pone sort of character, but even though he’s his usual self, he still manages to make Hubbell a unique character. It may sound odd the word “unique” seeing I’ve just said he plays the same role over and over, but he still managed to make Hubbell someone you either loved or hated. Understood or didn’t.
That was the thing with the film; you either loved Katie and hated Hubbell or vice-versa. In their completed relationship there was only a chance of being on one side, and not the other. If you liked the two of them they’d you must have misunderstood in some way, because even though they love each other, the rivalry in some way is too big for you to understand the two of them.
Some people say that Katie’s love was greater than Hubbell’s, but I don’t know if that’s true. Even though I preferred Katie over Hubbell, there was still that love her. It seemed everything thing he did was for her. He did love her. In fact he adored her. But he just couldn’t take her for who she was.
Politics is also a main part of the film. With the war taking place, and Katie so obsessed with this or that protest, although different political views wouldn’t be important in any other relationship, it was in theirs. That’s not just because their relationship is like no other, but also because they are chalk and cheese. That’s made clear from the very beginning. Their differences aren’t small differences, but differences that are too hard to hide.
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Production Year: 2003 - Drama - Director: Michael Winterbottom - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Tim Robbins, Samantha Morton, Om Puri, Jeanne Balibar
Production Year: 1991 - Drama - Director: Joel Schumacher - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Julia Roberts, Campbell Scott, Vincent D'Onofrio, David Selby, Colleen Dewhurst
I sometimes prefer movies set in a past era - there is less room for distraction with no high technology and random excuse for pyrotechnics. It allows more concentration on the movie plot not the specal effects. Ste.
stacieish 01.12.2003 17:35
This made me cry, great op! xx
kirstymack80 01.12.2003 11:26
I don't think I've seen this either! You've made it sound really good though, Matt! Thanks. KirstyM
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