Riverman [DVD]

Have to confess I haven't actually unwrapped this DVD since it arrived, bought it to replace the old video recording I have. This film is my all time favourite and have seen it many times. Looking forward to an evening when the kids are asleep, when I'm not too tired to sit down with a glass/bottle of wine, a plate of something fattening and a box of tissues to watch the story of love between two mismatched persons. It could have worked out but didn't and you never quite forget your first love... I'm filling up already

This film, starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford, helped propel Redford to superstardom. While Barbra Streisand was already a superstar, with the release of both The Sting and The Way We Were in 1973, Robert Redford's future in the film industry was assured.

In this film, revolving around the class of 1937, Katie Morosky (Barbra Streisand) is a strident, political activist who is way to the left. Working her way through college, Katie is not the most popular figure on campus, but rather, the butt of jokes, often at her expense. She is a young, working class, Jewish woman with an edge and a bit of a chip on her shoulder. Humorless and dour, with her wild fro of hair, she is an individualist who is dedicated to causes that she feels will make the world a better place. She does not hesitate to speak her mind. This stance often finds her on the outside looking in.

Hubbell Gardner (Robert Redford), on the other hand, is the quintessential Wasp, living the American dream. Blessed with All-American, golden boy good looks, charm, and grace, burnished by privilege, Hubbell is a poster boy for the old guard. He is a living icon for Wasp values. He is more than the sum of his parts, however, as he is also an aspiring writer with a way with words. While Katie, undeniably, has a crush on him, she despises his world. Hubbell, ever the gentleman, sees a spark in Katie that somehow draws him to her. Yet, while in college they are never more than passing acquaintances.

Years later, they meet up again. This time, Katie has since improved her appearance, and Hubbell has written his first book. Katie is still sweet on Hubbell, and her energy, intensity, and zest for life attract him.

This is an entertaining film in which romance and love are played out against a backdrop of historical events. Both Katie and Hubbell are caught in a wave of social issues that sweep both them and the nation and provide the background against which the embers of their love initially flame up only to smother and die a painful death .

Robert Redford is terrific as the golden boy whose dreams were not the dreams of the woman that he married. His is a well-nuanced, sensitive performance. The viewer can certainly see why Katie would fall in love with him. Barbra Streisand, on the other hand, is really just playing the same role that she played in all her early films with an added passion that resonates throughout the film. At times, however, I found her performance grating.

The title song of this film adds to its bittersweet quality and went on to win an Academy Award in 1973 for Best Song. Sung by Ms. Streisand, it became a chart topping hit.

First of all, I would like ask to all reviewers who revealed how the film ends:
Please edit your review and delete the part where you reveal the end. I take that people read film reviews at Amazon for two
main reasons: 1. To get some information about the film. Some information, not how the film ends...
2. To know about the quality of the disc.

"The Way we were" is a very beautiful story of a couple , played by Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford, who are very different
from each other. The story goes for many years and has a political background that shows the civil war in Spain, the 2nd world war,
the McCarthyism and the beginning of Anti Nuclear protests.

I watched this film on tv, many years ago. I had fond memories of it and watched it again, just yesterday, on dvd. I started to cry right in the beginning,
when the main song is first played...

Now, an observation about the dvd. Amazon, as usual, makes a mess with the reviews. I watched the 2000 dvd but there is a new copy from 2010.
Despite of that, all reviews about the 2000 copy are reproduced in the reviews about the 2010 copy and vice versa...

This is relevant for many reasons. One of them, for example, is that the 2000 copy has subtitles in more languages than the 2010 copy.
In any case, it seems that both copies have the one hour documentary about the film. It is a very good documentary where you can see interesting interviews with
Sidney Pollack, Barbra Streisand and the musicians who composed and wrote the lyrics of the main song, "The Way we were". Do watch the documentary. It is worth it and the interviews, done in 1999, actually
let you see the face of the person talking whilst they are talking, making you feel as if the interviewee is actually talking to you.
It is not a show of juggle, like so many of those horrible interviews on BBC 4 now, for example.

You can find in extra features, besides the documentary, a written profile about Sidney Pollack, Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford. I don't know much about Barbra Streisand and it was helpful to
find out, in her profile, that she was ( in 1999, at least ) "the only person ever honoured with Academy Awards, Emmy, Grammys, Golden Globes..." and more.
It was helpful because, considering all her awards, she thinks that the film "The Way We Were" is the highlight of her career, as she says in the documentary.

I normally don't read those written profiles on dvds but this time was really interesting. I realised, after reading the profiles, that some of my favourite films from the 70s were directed by Sidney Pollack and had Robert
Redford as the main actor: "Three days of the Condor", "Jeremiah Johnson" and "The Way we were"...

I will buy the 2010 copy to see if it is better than the 2000 copy because "Sony Pictures DVD center" managed to spoil the very end of the story in the 2000 copy.

The credits in the end last only one minute, the music playing is beautiful and touching. There you are: Really touched, I hope, after watching such a beautiful story.
Then, right after the end of the credits, there is an explosion of loud sounds and geometrical figures: The logo of Sony Pictures DVD Center...It is an imbecility from whoever
had the idea of placing that logo after that film.

You would think that you are "safe" when you watch a dvd, you would think that you won't see the end of the film being cut by idiotic advertisements, as BBC
does so often but noooo, Sony Pictures Center won't let you enjoy the last moments of the film.