The Way We Were [HD]

"Katie, it was never uncomplicated"
As stated many times before, THE WAY WE WERE is one of only a handful of romantic blockbusters to actually feature an intelligent script and complex characters. Writer Arthur Luarents' based his screenplay (and subsequent novel) on girl he knew in college, who fought for liberal (and sometimes communist) causes. Three decades after it's release, THE WAY WE WERE remains one of the few cinematic depictions of the Red Scare that swept America in the forties and fifties; the backdrop of which lends the surrounding love story greater potency and depth. The film was a surprise box office smash when originally released, and became the fifth-highest grossing film of 1973 and was instantly embraced as a classic.

Katie Morosky is a character that Barbra Streisand born play, and she delivers on all accounts. Fierce and determined, yet vulnerable and self-conscious, Katie is a tricky character and Streisand inhabits her so deeply that she seems nothing less than completely...

"See ya, Katie"
I want to strangle Hubbell when he says this final line at the end! But my rage is just an indication of how much I adore this movie!

I think people who giving a low rating to the film because of the incorrect portrayal of the communist movement, and whatever, are missing the mark of this movie entirely. The Way We Were is a love story, first and foremost. Communism is just a circumstance that complicates the love story. It is NOT in my opinion, the central theme of the movie.

That being said, TWWW is a classic story of "love isn't enough." I think Katie and Hubbell love each other deeply, but they are such different people. She wants him to be everything that she believes he is. (Whether he is or isn't those things is debatable.) But he is content living a safe, yuppy life. He needs a girl who can just roll with that lifestyle, hence, he ends up with the nameless girl at the end of the film. She represents the safe type of girl that is pretty enough...

A 4.9 DVD on a scale of 1 to 5-Still Makes Me Cry
The Way We Were still makes me cry nearly 30 years after seeing it for the first time. The movie basically explores the cliche "opposites attract" as Golden Boy Hubble (Redford) and Communist Sympathizer Katie (Streisand) fall deeply in love and marry. But can their passion survive their differences? Ah, that's the story... The movie takes place in the 40's and 50's with beautiful sets and wonderful costumes.
If you have never seen The Way We Were and you enjoy romance, melodrama, and/or historical drama, then you should buy or rent it. (The weepiness may make this a tough sell for some men and women who dislike this genre.) If you have seen The Way We Were, then you should still rent or buy the DVD. The extra features are outstanding. Sydney Pollack's (the director) commentary is insightful and informative. He talks about everything from camera angles to Redford's hesitance about doing the part. The documentary is also beautiful and a "must see" for The Way...

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