{"id":2651,"date":"2025-12-26T14:55:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-26T13:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/der-bussard.de\/en\/?p=2651"},"modified":"2025-12-26T14:57:48","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T13:57:48","slug":"robert-redford-more-than-a-face-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/der-bussard.de\/en\/2025\/12\/26\/robert-redford-more-than-a-face-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Robert Redford: More Than a Face (2.)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Continued from part one<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After the triumph of Ordinary People<\/em>, Robert Redford seemed untouchable: As an actor and director, he had won Hollywood\u2019s crown jewels, but the price was isolation. \u201cI was always the outsider,\u201d he once said in a later interview. The man from Utah, who turned Sundance into a haven of creativity, longed for stories beyond the mainstream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the early 1980s, Redford deepened his commitment to independent film: His resort in Provo Canyon became the Sundance Institute, a laboratory for independent filmmakers. \u201cThe industry was controlled by the mainstream\u2026 I saw other stories that had no chance,\u201d he explained in 2018. The labs invited talents like Quentin Tarantino and Steven Soderbergh, far from commercial pressures. In 1985, this led to the Sundance Film Festival in Park City\u2014a milestone that revolutionized indie cinema.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Redford decided to return to his roots as an actor after all: In The Natural<\/em> (1984), he portrayed the mythical Roy Hobbs, a film with four Oscar nominations. His true test, however, was waiting in Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c<\/strong>Out of Africa<\/em><\/strong>\u201d \u2013 The Savanna Calls<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In 1985, Sydney Pollack directed Out of Africa<\/em>, the adaptation of Karen Blixen\u2019s<\/a> memoir of the same name from 1937. Redford, a friend of Pollack\u2019s since 1960, took on the role of big-game hunter Denys Finch Hatton\u2014the lover of the Danish Baroness Karen Blixen (Meryl Streep). The film, produced by Universal and Mirage Enterprises, was shot largely in Kenya near the Ngong Hills, outdoors, underscored by John Barry\u2019s unforgettable music and David Watkin\u2019s breathtaking cinematography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did he suspect that this role\u2014far from Westerns\u2014would underscore his legacy as a bridge-builder between old and new?<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The production was an adventure: Logistical challenges ranging from the terrain, monsoons, and the vastness of the savanna shaped the filming. Redford, who had no prior experience with airplanes, learned to fly\u2014essential for Finch Hatton\u2019s flight scenes. \u201cIt was like diving into another world,\u201d he recalled. Pollack, who had previously directed The Way We Were<\/em> (1973) with Redford, insisted on authenticity: Redford shaved off the beard he usually wore and adopted a British accent to match the real Finch Hatton. Streep, as Karen Blixen, managed the farm alone while her husband Bror (Klaus Maria Brandauer) hunted; her encounter with Denys began with a lion rescue and evolved into a passionate yet free love\u2014marked by safaris, compass gifts, and the loss of friends like Berkeley (Michael Kitchen) to malaria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Redford\u2019s portrayal was nuanced: Finch Hatton as a charismatic free spirit who valued freedom over commitment, mirroring Redford\u2019s own personality. \u201cDenys was a man of horizons,\u201d Pollack said about the role. The film received eleven Oscar nominations and won seven: Best Picture, Best Director (Pollack), Best Cinematography, Art Direction, Music, Sound, and Adapted Screenplay (Kurt Luedtke). Streep was nominated for Best Actress, and Redford received a BAFTA nomination. Out of Africa<\/em> grossed over $350 million and solidified Redford\u2019s status as a global star. Did he suspect that this role\u2014far from Westerns\u2014would underscore his legacy as a bridge-builder between old and new?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Redford\u2019s vision created a space for diversity, including indigenous voices.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sundance and the Lonely Summit<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

After Out of Africa<\/em>, Redford shifted his focus to directing: The Milagro Beanfield War<\/em> (1988) addressed environmental protection in New Mexico, A River Runs Through It<\/em> (1992) was about fly-fishing in Montana. Quiz Show<\/em> (1994), which tackled a 1950s TV scandal, earned four Oscar nominations, including for Best Director. As an actor, he remained selective: In Indecent Proposal<\/em> (1993), he shone as a billionaire; in The Horse Whisperer<\/em> (1998), which he also directed, he once again proved his skill in a literary adaptation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Sundance flourished: The festival showcased debuts like Blood Simple<\/em> (1985) by the Coen Brothers and sex, lies, and videotape<\/em> (1989) by Soderbergh. Redford\u2019s vision\u2014\u201cArt and nature improve the world\u201d\u2014created a space for diversity, including indigenous voices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Legacy<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In the 2000s, Redford gradually withdrew from acting and directing: In Spy Game<\/em> (2001), he appeared alongside Brad Pitt; in the US-German production The Clearing<\/em> (2003), he co-starred with Helen Mirren. In All Is Lost<\/em> (2013), he played a sailor on the ocean\u2014a silent masterpiece. Later, he immortalized himself as Alexander Pierce in Captain America: The Winter Soldier<\/em> (2014) and Avengers: Endgame<\/em> (2019) toward the end of his career in the Marvel Universe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2018, he announced his retirement: \u201cI\u2019ve been doing it since I was 21,\u201d he stated. His last film: The Old Man & the Gun<\/em> (2018).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robert Redford died on September 16, 2025, at the age of 89 in his resort in Utah. He left behind two daughters, seven grandchildren, and a legacy that extends beyond films: Sundance changed cinema by giving space to stories that otherwise would never have found resonance. \u201cWhat could be worse than playing a star?\u201d he once asked\u2014but Redford never just played the role he was contractually obligated to. He was the guardian of the wilderness, on screen and in Utah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Simon von Ludwig<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Main sources: Britannica: Out of Africa (2025); Sundance.org<\/a>: Redford Legacy (2025); Biography.com<\/a>: Robert Redford (2025)<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cover picture: Robert Redford 1989 at the White House, \u00a9 George Bush Presidential Library and Museum, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Read more from Der Bussard<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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