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The classic opposites-attract love story has never been embodied with two more charismatic extremes than Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford. Their classic pairing in The Way We Were may play at times like a would-be history lesson, but its romantic pull is every bit as sweeping as its ambitious story arc. Streisand's aggressively idealistic liberal finds love with a Redford's pragmatic would-be writer against a backdrop of events spanning from the turbulent 1930s to the 1950s. While Redford's shimmering passiveness and Streisand's strident crusading make their characters seem an improbable couple, the chemistry here carries the story through to a wistful climax. Director Sydney Pollack packages this glossy star vehicle beautifully and intelligently, treating the melodrama with sincerity and affection. And in the grand tradition of Hollywood's best "women's pictures," Streisand models a variety of stylish period looks and sings the dewy, much-loved Marvin Hamlisch-penned title theme. The high-water mark among modern tear-jerkers, this bittersweet tale makes a fine romantic litmus test -- and, what's more, the DVD transfer is among the best we've ever seen. Amy Robinson

All Movie Guide

"Gorgeous goyish guy" meets Jewish radical girl in Sydney Pollack's glossy romance. In 1937, frizzy-haired Red co-ed Katie Morosky (Barbra Streisand) briefly captures the attention of preppy jock Hubbell Gardiner (Robert Redford) with her passionate pacifism, while the writing talent beneath his privileged exterior entrances her. Almost eight years later, the two are reunited in New York, when well-coiffed leftist radio worker Katie spies military officer Hubbell snoozing in a nightclub. Through her force of will, and in spite of his smug rich friends, the two opposites fall in love, sparring over Katie's activist zeal and Hubbell's writerly ambivalence after a failed first novel. They head to Hollywood so that Hubbell can write a screenplay for his buddy-turned-producer J.J. (Bradford Dillman). But the House Committee on Un-American Activities' Communist witch hunt in 1947 tears the pair apart, as a pregnant Katie refuses to keep silent about the jailing of the Hollywood Ten, while a faithless Hubbell decides to save his career. When the two meet again at the dawn of the '60s, TV hack Hubbell and A-bomb protestor Katie feel the old pull, but they have to decide if it's worth the grief. Although blacklisted writers had returned to Hollywood -- and won Oscars -- by the early 1970s, the HUAC sections of Arthur Laurents's screenplay were still considered dicey, resulting in substantial cuts; Laurents reportedly blamed star Redford for not fighting them hard enough. Regardless of the edits, and critics' complaints about the film's schlockiness, 1973 audiences went for the well-executed and still politically tinged weepie, turning The Way We Were into one of the most popular films of 1973 and Redford into a major heartthrob. Streisand won an Oscar nomination for Best Actress and the Streisand-sung title tune won for Best Song. Despite the eviscerated politics, The Way We Were poignantly captures the insoluble dilemma of reconciling private desires with public awareness. Lucia Bozzola

Product Details

• UPC: 043396028500
• Source: SONY PICTURES
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Cinemascope (2.35:1)
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Español, Portugais, Korean, Thai
• Time: 1:58:00
• Sales Rank: 1,592

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Barbra Streisand Box Set
• Barbra Streisand

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