A Run Through Redford’s Films

Not many people thought the Sundance Kid would be able to jump from the saddle into the director’s chair when “Ordinary People” came out in 1980. But Robert Redford surprised them.

The movie went on to grab a passel of Oscars at Hollywood’s annual rodeo, the Academy Awards. “Ordinary People” even won Best Picture, and Redford picked up the director’s prize.

After such a feat, it was predicted that Redford would soon plunge into another film. But he surprised everybody again, waiting eight years before directing his second major project. “The Milagro Beanfield War,” based on John Nichols’ novel, was the subject.

Then another hiatus, this time for five years (Redford obviously waits for the spirit--or at least the right vehicle--to move him). He finally got around to his film adaptation of Norman Maclean’s memoir, “A River Runs Through It,” which is now, as they say, in theaters everywhere.

“A River Runs Through It” is a typical Redford film--earnest, determinedly crafted, expertly photographed and sometimes exasperatingly languorous, even dull. The tale of the fly-fishing Maclean clan of Montana (especially the sons; one all but perfect, the other a glorious disaster) is lovely to gaze at, but it does meander.

Still, this parable about family, community and the right way of living (where duty, passion and art intersect) has passages that approach the elegiac. A personal favorite is when the firebrand younger brother stands sublimely alone in the Big Blackfoot river, casting above the water, enticing the fish to jump. Some think it’s a pushy metaphor about the artist’s path; I think it’s wordlessly rich.

Family figures largely in “Ordinary People” as well, and the more contemporary Jarrets are similar to the Macleans in the way they prize a stoic veneer that masks confused feelings. The upper-middle-class Jarrets of “Ordinary People” (available on video, as is “The Milagro Beanfield War”) look as if they’re doing fine, but it’s all airbrushing.

Sensitive high-schooler Conrad (Timothy Hutton won an Oscar for his performance) is breaking down after the drowning death of his elder brother. His slippery mental health affects his mother and father in ways that crack their perfect image; Redford accomplishes his intent--to expose the weaknesses of the family dynamic and what it takes to make it whole.

“Ordinary People,” based on Judith Guest’s novel, is a tensely emotional adaptation; it strives for audience connections on the most basic levels. Although the archness of the characters and their problems can be taxing (the Jarrets’ psychological makeup is heavy on stress), Redford does succeed in making us feel the family intimately.

The link is strong because Redford’s direction seems to lack personal ego. There’s almost no cinematic style in what he’s doing; instead, he relies on the actors to create believability and familiarity. “Ordinary People” is one of those “actors’ movies,” and the performances by Hutton, Mary Tyler Moore, Donald Sutherland and Judd Hirsch are adept.

The movie created a commotion, not only because it was Redford’s directorial debut, but also because the timing was right. 1980 was thick with light entertainment (hits included “Airplane!,” “The Empire Strikes Back,” “Friday the 13th” and “Urban Cowboy”), and “Ordinary People,” was thoughtful and committed in comparison.

Redford’s middle film, “The Milagro Beanfield War,” is also about family, but in a more communal sense. When a poor Latino farmer stands up to developers who want his land for a wealthy resort, a revolution is begun, uniting his neighbors against these outsiders. Violence mingles with mysticism in this battle over landscape and cultures.

Directorial traits shown in “Ordinary People” and “A River Runs Through It” emerge in this rambling film. Redford is more interested in characters than plot; but whereas this focus worked in his first movie, which was a study of people, not events, it defuses the drama of Nichols’ story. The passages are connected by lurches, not growing tension.

Redford’s defining of those characters is also deep-dipped in sentimentality; these are simple people portrayed too simply. Redford’s heart is in the right place--”The Milagro Beanfield War” is both a sociological statement and a pro-environmental plea--but he’s too strenuous in his quest for lyricism.

At least that’s an honest mistake, based on Redford’s humanist leanings. As a director, he’s made it clear how optimistic he really is. Redford may not be a great filmmaker, but he is a hopeful one.