The employment of Deep, Ted Wilson felt, cast the mold for all future activism. "He basically said, "From now on I"ll fight the battles by proxy. I"ll support the key congressional movers, I"ll debate in the op-eds, but I"ll do it at one point remove. Stop thinking of me as an elective candidate. I"m a moviemaker."" Redford was supporting NRDC"s campaign to block Congress from exempting nuclear reactors from the provisions of the Clean Air Act, activism that brought him close to Julie Mack, another new a.s.signee. Mack was the prime organizer of the Utah Clean Air Coalition, which he had joined in the highway-planning dispute. She became his environmental spokesperson, aligning Sundance with the newly formed Utah Wilderness Coalition to help draft a Citizens" Proposal Bill, to counteract a wilderness-limiting Republican proposal that was in the offing. Logan-born Mack professed herself "shocked" by Redford"s preparedness for the fight. "When I came for the job interview, he was disorganized. There was a fat file of issues spilling onto the floor. But he had done his research. He didn"t want to be a figurehead. He wanted to be in the action, anatomizing the legislation, a.n.a.lyzing the court judgments, dismembering government. He would constantly cite his belief in gra.s.sroots political action. He would say, "The little fight is as important as the heavyweight bout. We can"t let precedent steamroll the people. We have to rewrite legislation." He made it very clear to me and Joyce that this was a new, fighting Sundance."
Stormy waters lay ahead. Within months, Weil was gone. A major investigative feature by Peter Biskind in Premiere Premiere magazine charged Beer with mismanagement and Redford with naive neglect. According to Biskind, Sundance, in Redford"s absence, had become a fiscally compromised embarra.s.sment. Wilhite, said Biskind, failed because, despite innovative creativity, he didn"t click with Redford. Weil did, but, wrote Biskind, she failed because she followed Beer"s example of rudderless extravagance. According to Gary Burr, resort manager Brent Beck"s a.s.sistant, Beer "charged the inst.i.tute for flowers and catering expenses for parties," incurring entertainment bills of $200 to $300 per night, two or three nights a week. His expenses often approached $20,000 monthly, said Burr. "By the time the summer [programs] came around, there wasn"t enough money for [the inst.i.tute] to pay for food and housing. Gary didn"t understand that he was working for a nonprofit, and that the people around him were working for almost nothing." magazine charged Beer with mismanagement and Redford with naive neglect. According to Biskind, Sundance, in Redford"s absence, had become a fiscally compromised embarra.s.sment. Wilhite, said Biskind, failed because, despite innovative creativity, he didn"t click with Redford. Weil did, but, wrote Biskind, she failed because she followed Beer"s example of rudderless extravagance. According to Gary Burr, resort manager Brent Beck"s a.s.sistant, Beer "charged the inst.i.tute for flowers and catering expenses for parties," incurring entertainment bills of $200 to $300 per night, two or three nights a week. His expenses often approached $20,000 monthly, said Burr. "By the time the summer [programs] came around, there wasn"t enough money for [the inst.i.tute] to pay for food and housing. Gary didn"t understand that he was working for a nonprofit, and that the people around him were working for almost nothing."
"I never abused the inst.i.tute finances," says Beer in his defense. "But I was the sitting target because, after Sterling Van Wagenen, I came to oversee all the different areas at the same time. That was one h.e.l.l of a juggling act, and I defy anyone to string together all the different cultures of L.A., the studios, the Beltway, the politicos, the trust funds-and not not spend money. Also, whatever I did, I did with Bob"s and [lawyer] Reg Gipson"s full support." Gipson believes that "blaming Gary was cheap and mean-spirited, because there were so many complicated aspects concerning the seeking of grants, pursuing benefactors, forging friendships with studios, and generally building up a machine that empowered independent filmmaking. Biskind may have forgotten that we were dealing here with something no one had ever attempted before." One of Biskind"s sharpest swipes was at Redford, who, he claimed, maneuvered undeserved tax relief against resort expenses. Redford admits only to "some really dumb errors of judgment in the power I entrusted in people. There"s no question that there were mistakes, but they weren"t of the sinister caliber that was implied. They were mistakes of inexperience, maybe of overambition." Still, the core indictment was a cruel one: that Redford couldn"t or wouldn"t run Sundance himself and, in the words of an anonymous staffer, "wouldn"t let anyone else run it either." Redford doesn"t disagree: "Much was true, and it was painful for me as the years unfolded and the true nature of some of my senior management people emerged and the skeletons came out of the cupboards. Our problem was the relative size of Sundance. It was not a little arts colony by the Provo River. It was always meant to reach out, and by the nineties, with the festival booming, we had affiliates in Cuba, Russia and j.a.pan. That"s a lot of people moving in a lot of directions at the same time, and that means it"s going to be hard to keep track. I made a mistake with Gary Beer because he worked for his own interests. He didn"t relate to the junior staffers, and I saw the rifts, but ignored them. I also made a mistake with Reg Gipson, whom I allowed too much lat.i.tude." spend money. Also, whatever I did, I did with Bob"s and [lawyer] Reg Gipson"s full support." Gipson believes that "blaming Gary was cheap and mean-spirited, because there were so many complicated aspects concerning the seeking of grants, pursuing benefactors, forging friendships with studios, and generally building up a machine that empowered independent filmmaking. Biskind may have forgotten that we were dealing here with something no one had ever attempted before." One of Biskind"s sharpest swipes was at Redford, who, he claimed, maneuvered undeserved tax relief against resort expenses. Redford admits only to "some really dumb errors of judgment in the power I entrusted in people. There"s no question that there were mistakes, but they weren"t of the sinister caliber that was implied. They were mistakes of inexperience, maybe of overambition." Still, the core indictment was a cruel one: that Redford couldn"t or wouldn"t run Sundance himself and, in the words of an anonymous staffer, "wouldn"t let anyone else run it either." Redford doesn"t disagree: "Much was true, and it was painful for me as the years unfolded and the true nature of some of my senior management people emerged and the skeletons came out of the cupboards. Our problem was the relative size of Sundance. It was not a little arts colony by the Provo River. It was always meant to reach out, and by the nineties, with the festival booming, we had affiliates in Cuba, Russia and j.a.pan. That"s a lot of people moving in a lot of directions at the same time, and that means it"s going to be hard to keep track. I made a mistake with Gary Beer because he worked for his own interests. He didn"t relate to the junior staffers, and I saw the rifts, but ignored them. I also made a mistake with Reg Gipson, whom I allowed too much lat.i.tude."
As public scrutiny of Sundance went on, Redford redrew the lines. Among Wilhite"s innovations was the Great Movie Music symposium, a black-tie fund-raiser staged at Lincoln Center that mustered many of Hollywood"s scoring luminaries and their families and supporters. It raised $600,000, with Redford hosting. Redford canceled subsequent fund-raisers, proving to some that Biskind was right in his accusation of "schizophrenic leadership." In Redford"s mind he was reestablishing the tactical position he had taken back in 1981, when the inst.i.tute began. "I told Gary, "Do not use me as the flag carrier in this way. I will help. I will meet people and state our case. But I do not want to become the calling card. If the inst.i.tute"s principles are good enough, it is destined to work. If not, so be it. So no more black-ties.""
The consolation of moviemaking remained impervious. For several years Redford had been circling one project, an adaptation of Norman Maclean"s elegiac novella A River Runs Through It. A River Runs Through It. Its resonance of times past, of the joy and dilemma of family and the mystery of origins, lured him first in 1981. Now it a.s.sumed an urgent relevance, and by a series of fortuitous events, the rights came his way. Its resonance of times past, of the joy and dilemma of family and the mystery of origins, lured him first in 1981. Now it a.s.sumed an urgent relevance, and by a series of fortuitous events, the rights came his way.
Maclean, a University of Chicago professor, published the pithy, part-autobiographical book shortly after his retirement in the 1970s. In 1981, while visiting Tom McGuane in Montana, Redford found himself debating the authenticity of the concept of the western. "We were discussing the essence of the western experience-living it, as opposed to loving it," says Redford. "We started talking about authors who caught the truth: A. B. Guthrie, Vardis Fisher, Wallace Stegner. Then Tom told me about this amazing little story by a retired professor. He said, "Trust me, read it, it"s the real thing."" Redford says he was overcome by the last line in the book: "I am haunted by waters." "I thought, Whoa, this cuts to the heart all right. This connects environment, family and the immutable nature of destiny. This is the western I I want to see." want to see."
In the mid-eighties, Redford invited the reclusive Maclean, who still lived in Chicago, to Sundance to discuss a possible adaptation, but before he could conclude a deal, the rights were s.n.a.t.c.hed from him by Annick Smith, a lab student who"d established a homestead ranch in Montana"s Blackfoot River Valley, the locale of A River Runs Through It. A River Runs Through It. Smith developed her adaptation at Sundance but failed to win studio backing. Others before her had tried to mount this film, including the actor William Hurt. When Smith"s option lapsed, Redford stepped in. Smith developed her adaptation at Sundance but failed to win studio backing. Others before her had tried to mount this film, including the actor William Hurt. When Smith"s option lapsed, Redford stepped in.
Redford kept up a constant correspondence with Maclean and visited Chicago repeatedly. "I was fatalistic. Norman was idiosyncratic. If his views and my views corresponded, then it would work. I confronted him like that. I said, "I will tell you what I"d like to do, and you tell me straight if you like my thinking or not. When it comes down to it, I"ll give you the draft script. If you dislike whatever it is I want to shoot, you be the decider: you pull the plug. If you say stop, I"ll stop.""
Ovitz could find no studio backing for the project. Wildwood persisted, with Redford funding development from his own pocket. Redford had chosen as the screenwriter the relatively inexperienced Richard Friedenberg, who had written a moving script for a James Garner television movie called Promise Promise that Redford liked. When Redford had first sent Friedenberg a copy of Maclean"s book, the screenwriter"s response was negative: "The piece was just 104 pages long, and there was no story," says Friedenberg. "It was lyrical, with a clunky 55-page section about fly-fishing in the middle. I told Redford, "Jews don"t fly-fish."" that Redford liked. When Redford had first sent Friedenberg a copy of Maclean"s book, the screenwriter"s response was negative: "The piece was just 104 pages long, and there was no story," says Friedenberg. "It was lyrical, with a clunky 55-page section about fly-fishing in the middle. I told Redford, "Jews don"t fly-fish.""
A rapid correspondence began between Friedenberg and Redford. But Friedenberg refused to sign a contract. "Because I had been in situations where promises were made, and then I, the writer, could not deliver. There were other issues. I understood this book had immense appeal for Bob, but he is primarily a visual person. His concepts seemed entirely visual. I worried about that. But then I accept, as the screenwriter, my responsibility is to find the story line. So that is how we progressed. The deal was, I would go off, meet Maclean, research and invent some film story line that reflected the book."
Maclean was in his eighties and ailing. But Friedenberg"s friendship with Maclean"s daughter, Jean, established the bridge of understanding between author and adapter. "The old boy was in the last days of his life, so I"d ask the questions and Jean would communicate them and then write down Norman"s answers," says Friedenberg. "What I got in Montana was the feel for the period. But talking with Jean in Chicago, I saw the dichotomies between the book and the reality. The thing was, Norman left out a lot. It was in those gaps I found the invisible story Bob wanted."
A River Runs Through It is a short generational history of the Macleans leading to the rite-of-pa.s.sage boyhood story of Norman and his failed attempt to save his self-destructive brother, Paul. Friedenberg discovered that Maclean"s sweetheart, later wife, Jessie, a central character in the story, was not the uptight Scot that Maclean described; in Friedenberg"s definition, she was "a flapper, more like wild boy Paul than straight-and-narrow Norman." This liberated Friedenberg"s fictionalizing of the Maclean family story and allowed him, after three years and numerous drafts, to write a filmable narrative. "The breakthrough came on the plane to Montana," remembers Friedenberg, "after I"d learned all about Jessie from Jean. I saw that the problem of the novella was the balance between the competing brothers who reflect different values in a changing world. In the book, Norman is in his thirties, and he describes the tussles with his father and his brother, Paul. But because he is recounting events, he himself never matures as a character. It is all told from the thirty-year-old perspective. What I realized was, I had to find a Norman is a short generational history of the Macleans leading to the rite-of-pa.s.sage boyhood story of Norman and his failed attempt to save his self-destructive brother, Paul. Friedenberg discovered that Maclean"s sweetheart, later wife, Jessie, a central character in the story, was not the uptight Scot that Maclean described; in Friedenberg"s definition, she was "a flapper, more like wild boy Paul than straight-and-narrow Norman." This liberated Friedenberg"s fictionalizing of the Maclean family story and allowed him, after three years and numerous drafts, to write a filmable narrative. "The breakthrough came on the plane to Montana," remembers Friedenberg, "after I"d learned all about Jessie from Jean. I saw that the problem of the novella was the balance between the competing brothers who reflect different values in a changing world. In the book, Norman is in his thirties, and he describes the tussles with his father and his brother, Paul. But because he is recounting events, he himself never matures as a character. It is all told from the thirty-year-old perspective. What I realized was, I had to find a Norman who grows. who grows. What I did was fix on the moment he returns from college, intending to join the Forestry Service, and discovers his younger brother has somehow a.s.sumed seniority as the star journalist and general high achiever in his absence. So the elder became the younger and the movie dynamic of raw compet.i.tiveness was set up." What I did was fix on the moment he returns from college, intending to join the Forestry Service, and discovers his younger brother has somehow a.s.sumed seniority as the star journalist and general high achiever in his absence. So the elder became the younger and the movie dynamic of raw compet.i.tiveness was set up."
Friedenberg wrote a ten-page summary in longhand and mailed it to Wildwood. Redford immediately had a personal connection with Friedenberg"s blueprint: here was an essay about the interconnectedness of all things, rooted in the compet.i.tive growth of complementary boys growing into manhood under the direction of a piously misdirected father, a Montana yarn that might have been the Westwood tale of himself, Coomber and Charlie. "You only had to see the pa.s.sion he put into it to know that there were private elements of Bob"s autobiography there, too," says Friedenberg.
The recent box office and Academy Award success of the low-key film Driving Miss Daisy, Driving Miss Daisy, the brainchild of his old boss Richard Zanuck and his wife, Lili Fini Zanuck, gave Redford hope. But every major studio turned down the film and Redford was forced to turn to an old friend, producer Jake Eberts. For two years Friedenberg had been roughing it, living on bare expenses from Wildwood. Then Eberts dove in. "I had no trouble saying, "Sure,"" says Eberts. "I grew up fly-fishing in Quebec, I loved the story, I loved Bob"s work on the brainchild of his old boss Richard Zanuck and his wife, Lili Fini Zanuck, gave Redford hope. But every major studio turned down the film and Redford was forced to turn to an old friend, producer Jake Eberts. For two years Friedenberg had been roughing it, living on bare expenses from Wildwood. Then Eberts dove in. "I had no trouble saying, "Sure,"" says Eberts. "I grew up fly-fishing in Quebec, I loved the story, I loved Bob"s work on Ordinary People. Ordinary People. We had a short meeting, that"s all it took. Then I went out to look for the $10 million to get us going." The studios were still saying no. Hume Cronyn recalled the apathy surrounding the film-in-preparation. "I met a bigwig from Paramount at the Wyndham [Hotel, Cronyn"s home in New York] who told me Redford had lost it," said Cronyn. ""He"s finished," the guy said. "The activism has burned his brain. This is a G.o.dd.a.m.n movie about trout." I knew what this guy meant, but I saw it the other way. We had a short meeting, that"s all it took. Then I went out to look for the $10 million to get us going." The studios were still saying no. Hume Cronyn recalled the apathy surrounding the film-in-preparation. "I met a bigwig from Paramount at the Wyndham [Hotel, Cronyn"s home in New York] who told me Redford had lost it," said Cronyn. ""He"s finished," the guy said. "The activism has burned his brain. This is a G.o.dd.a.m.n movie about trout." I knew what this guy meant, but I saw it the other way. A River Runs Through It A River Runs Through It was like was like The Old Man and the Sea. The Old Man and the Sea. It was contemplative. It was as much an experiment as anything anyone was doing at the June labs." It was contemplative. It was as much an experiment as anything anyone was doing at the June labs."
Redford wouldn"t give in. He began casting and told his Wildwood coproducer Patrick Markey to find locations to duplicate Missoula, Montana. For a moment, it seemed a deal with Sherry Lansing at Fox would work out-but Lansing withdrew. "I was going to do it one way or the other," says Redford. "Even if that meant funding it from my own pocket. I told Markey, "Press on!""
Redford says he conceived the movie in consultation with the Maclean family and Friedenberg "in spasms, like I painted in Paris thirty-five years before." For the key job of cinematographer he chose forty-five-year-old Frenchman Philippe Rousselot, who had won two Cesars, the French equivalent of the Academy Award. Rousselot had worked with Eric Rohmer before making his first English-language movie, the heavily stylized Diva. Diva. Redford admired his use of light, exemplified in John Boorman"s lush woodland-set Redford admired his use of light, exemplified in John Boorman"s lush woodland-set The Emerald Forest. The Emerald Forest. "That whole notion of interconnected nature required the most subtle control of light between sky, forest and water. Rousselot was fresh to America then, and very focused. The time was right to utilize him." "That whole notion of interconnected nature required the most subtle control of light between sky, forest and water. Rousselot was fresh to America then, and very focused. The time was right to utilize him."
Tom Skerritt was called on to fill the role of the Presbyterian minister father of the Maclean boys. But the boys were harder to come by. At one point, the Bridges brothers, Jeff and Beau, were considered, then a wide array of actors, including Ethan Hawke, were auditioned. Redford"s vision for the boys was rigid. "I didn"t want stars. I wanted great intelligence and sensitivity." Late in the day Brad Pitt showed up. Pitt, then primarily a television actor, had just scored on the big screen in Ridley Scott"s Thelma and Louise. Thelma and Louise. "I thought he looked the part, but he didn"t convince me," says Redford. "He also carried a heavy dose of att.i.tude, which put me off." According to Pitt, he was rejected outright but went on to demonstrate the kind of bullish intransigence Redford himself had shown with people like Mike Nichols. "I would not accept no," says Pitt. "I"d been tracking this project for months. I said to Bob, "Look, I want to have another reading." So I called up a buddy, Dermot Mulroney, and we decided to take the two scenes I"d auditioned with and make a minimovie, complete with sound track." Mulroney"s wife, Catherine Keener, who had starred in Pitt"s just completed indie movie, "I thought he looked the part, but he didn"t convince me," says Redford. "He also carried a heavy dose of att.i.tude, which put me off." According to Pitt, he was rejected outright but went on to demonstrate the kind of bullish intransigence Redford himself had shown with people like Mike Nichols. "I would not accept no," says Pitt. "I"d been tracking this project for months. I said to Bob, "Look, I want to have another reading." So I called up a buddy, Dermot Mulroney, and we decided to take the two scenes I"d auditioned with and make a minimovie, complete with sound track." Mulroney"s wife, Catherine Keener, who had starred in Pitt"s just completed indie movie, Johnny Suede, Johnny Suede, directed by Sundance alumnus Tom DiCillo, acted in the demo. Melissa Etheridge contributed the music. Redford says, "Brad may have shown me some show reel, but I"d made my mind up anyway. I cast Craig Sheffer, because he looked right and he wanted that role of Norman badly. I thought Brad would balance him well, playing Paul. There was a stance about Brad I liked. He acts tough, like he has to face down the world and all its ills. But inside I saw he is a sensitive person who craves approval, like the character Paul." British actresses Emily Lloyd and Brenda Blethyn were cast as Norman"s sweetheart, Jessie, and Clara Maclean, the boys" mother. Apart from admiring their individual qualities-Lloyd had just completed David Leland"s accomplished directed by Sundance alumnus Tom DiCillo, acted in the demo. Melissa Etheridge contributed the music. Redford says, "Brad may have shown me some show reel, but I"d made my mind up anyway. I cast Craig Sheffer, because he looked right and he wanted that role of Norman badly. I thought Brad would balance him well, playing Paul. There was a stance about Brad I liked. He acts tough, like he has to face down the world and all its ills. But inside I saw he is a sensitive person who craves approval, like the character Paul." British actresses Emily Lloyd and Brenda Blethyn were cast as Norman"s sweetheart, Jessie, and Clara Maclean, the boys" mother. Apart from admiring their individual qualities-Lloyd had just completed David Leland"s accomplished Wish You Were Here, Wish You Were Here, and Blethyn was fast becoming a fixture in British art house film-Redford saw anthropological accuracy in the women"s casting: "There is a definite quality in the Britishness that rubs sharply against rural Americana, but complements it. It"s a prissy arrogance that"s part of the Puritan in the American heart. I got two contrasting aspects of that in Emily and Brenda: the teenage rebel and the convention-bound patrician." and Blethyn was fast becoming a fixture in British art house film-Redford saw anthropological accuracy in the women"s casting: "There is a definite quality in the Britishness that rubs sharply against rural Americana, but complements it. It"s a prissy arrogance that"s part of the Puritan in the American heart. I got two contrasting aspects of that in Emily and Brenda: the teenage rebel and the convention-bound patrician."
On April 2, 1991, during preproduction in Livingston, Montana, news came that Charlie Redford had died of heart failure in his home at Tiburon, after a long bout with Alzheimer"s. Only three months before, Redford had become a grandfather when Shauna and Eric"s daughter, Michaela, was born, "an occasion of the greatest joy," he says. More than ever the issues of family and duty and human responsibility preoccupied him. "From our deepening conversations I knew a lot of his own life was in River, River," says Friedenberg. "We talked over some key issues. Communication had always been a problem within his family, especially communication with his father. A similar separation existed with Norman and Paul and their father-though Bob said the reverend reminded him more of his grandfather, whose att.i.tude to his son was to chastise a wrongdoing by imposing a silence. After his father"s death the issue of scripting the silences became emphatic. We started to actually create dead s.p.a.ces, which made problems for the actors, particularly Craig Sheffer, who could not understand the lack of a verbalized philosophy for his Norman character. He persisted in complaining-a lot. He would sit in the wings writing his own eloquent speeches for Norman, and it was maddening for Bob because he just didn"t get it. He didn"t get Bob. It was only later, when he saw the movie finished and screened at the Toronto Film Festival, that he took us aside and said, "s.h.i.t! What was I trying to do? Now Now I get it."" I get it.""
Redford had made his peace with Charlie, after a fashion. Through the late eighties they exchanged letters constantly, always barbed and full of wit, but increasingly affectionate. Redford bought his father a giant television for his new home; Charlie responded with a clever memo about his failing eyesight. Redford offered Charlie the use of his house at Trancas Beach, invited him to Utah, asked him to share Thanksgiving at a rented house in Weston, Connecticut. But Charlie was still his father"s son, still oppressed by the austerity from Westerly, still scared. Family friend Marcella Scott saw rivalry till the end.
With Bill Coomber at his side, just like old times, Redford took the wheel of his Porsche to drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco for the funeral service in Mill Valley. Coomber found his stepbrother much changed: "I felt he was a lot edgier, maybe less in control of his temperament." Coomber also felt "profound sadness" for Redford"s loss in never achieving insight or intimacy with Helen, Charlie"s wife. For his part, Redford found the trip "just priceless time together. That long drive allowed us to review the years, because I had seen so little of him. It was strange, driving north to my dad"s funeral, because it was a road trip into both our past lives. Lots of memories. Seminal moments. The need to escape as teenagers. The madness in Westwood. The crazy hot-rodding in the Valley. The bust-ups, the breakdowns. A lot of misunderstanding was patched up. We were brothers again, tighter than ever."
When River River started shooting six weeks later, around Livingston and Big Timber, Montana, Redford told Patrick Markey, "The movie"s already done in my head." Markey recalls, "He was sizzling. It was the sweetest filming experience I"ve ever had. It poured out of him, and there was no indication of the paucity of the source material. Instead, it felt like he was compressing a saga comparable with Flaubert or Proust into this immaculate vignette. Rousselot didn"t lead it visually, Bob did. He was onto every fiber of it. The sound. The costuming. The accents. The att.i.tude of people. Everything." started shooting six weeks later, around Livingston and Big Timber, Montana, Redford told Patrick Markey, "The movie"s already done in my head." Markey recalls, "He was sizzling. It was the sweetest filming experience I"ve ever had. It poured out of him, and there was no indication of the paucity of the source material. Instead, it felt like he was compressing a saga comparable with Flaubert or Proust into this immaculate vignette. Rousselot didn"t lead it visually, Bob did. He was onto every fiber of it. The sound. The costuming. The accents. The att.i.tude of people. Everything."
"The absence of a studio deal didn"t slow us down," Friedenberg says. "There was not much tension at all." According to Friedenberg, the one errant aspect was Pitt"s and Sheffer"s tendency to drop in anachronistic improvisations and challenge Redford"s subtleties.
Central to the book was its fishing location, the 130-mile-long Blackfoot River, which wound from the Lewis and Clark Mountains to its intersection with the Clark Fork River near Missoula. For hundreds of years the Blackfoot Indians called the waterway the River on the Road to the Buffalo, and Maclean, as a child, revered it. But Markey found it unusable. "The headwaters were orange and toxic because an old mine, the Mike Horse, had caved into it fifteen years ago. All the residue zinc, lead and cadmium poured down, year after year. It was ruined, and the fish Maclean hunted, the cutthroat, rainbow, bull and brown trout, were mostly gone. Bob was sickened by it." Markey moved the fly-fishing scenes to the Gallatin and Yellowstone rivers. Redford was immediately receptive to the local chapter of Trout Unlimited, which sought a.s.sistance for an awareness campaign about local pollution. "Bob sidetracked once again," says Markey. "It was, "How the h.e.l.l do we celebrate the sanct.i.ty of heritage in this film when the Blackfoot is a cesspool?" It came right into the middle of his agenda, and he offered to join fund-raisers for National Fish and Wildlife and the American Rivers a.s.sociation, which had the Blackfoot registered as one of the ten most endangered waterways. It wasn"t nostalgia. He worried all the time about what he called "capturing the past." The loss of the Blackfoot proved his point, and he worried that the movie would not articulate itself properly, that it would not be enough, ecologically speaking."
In the early screenplays, a voice-over narration by Norman, introducing and interspersed throughout the story, was included. But as the editing began, the voice-over caused problems, exacerbated by Redford"s temporary distraction. Strained finances dictated that he interrupt production to accept a big-budget movie, Sneakers, Sneakers, that Ovitz had put together. In consequence, he was in San Francisco working on the thriller when he should have been on that Ovitz had put together. In consequence, he was in San Francisco working on the thriller when he should have been on River. River. Editors often cut from the director"s notes, but here the process failed. The first editor was fired, having cut the movie, says Friedenberg, "in far too modern a way." Another editor, Bob Estrin, had been summoned to recut at the Lantana facilities in Santa Monica. "I almost lost the movie," says Redford, "and that"s the price for not paying attention. When I saw the a.s.sembly footage, I was horrified. We had drifted too far away from what Maclean wanted. Richard had written an invented opening speech that just felt wrong. I wanted Editors often cut from the director"s notes, but here the process failed. The first editor was fired, having cut the movie, says Friedenberg, "in far too modern a way." Another editor, Bob Estrin, had been summoned to recut at the Lantana facilities in Santa Monica. "I almost lost the movie," says Redford, "and that"s the price for not paying attention. When I saw the a.s.sembly footage, I was horrified. We had drifted too far away from what Maclean wanted. Richard had written an invented opening speech that just felt wrong. I wanted Norman"s Norman"s words, because that was where the magic was. We sc.r.a.pped the narration we"d started with and began a brand-new edit." Also abandoned was Elmer Bernstein"s entire sound track, which Redford felt too "standard." Instead, Mark Isham was recruited to create something nostalgic and evocative. words, because that was where the magic was. We sc.r.a.pped the narration we"d started with and began a brand-new edit." Also abandoned was Elmer Bernstein"s entire sound track, which Redford felt too "standard." Instead, Mark Isham was recruited to create something nostalgic and evocative.
For the new voice-overs, Redford asked Wallace Stegner, among others, to try reading the subst.i.tute lyrical narration, which was mostly Maclean"s. "I came close with Wally, but he read flat," says Redford. In the end he opted to voice it himself, "because it felt comfortable. I knew how Norman sounded, I knew his way, I became Norman. So I introduced the story, and filled the gaps, keeping the reflective tone. Norman had died in 1990, but I sent demos to the Maclean family, who approved. It got to feel very good then, like we were pleasing the old ghost."
For Sheila Andrews, Redford"s friend from high school, this new movie was nothing less than encyclopedic. "I felt A River Runs Through It A River Runs Through It was his meditation on American values beyond was his meditation on American values beyond Jeremiah Johnson Jeremiah Johnson or or All the President"s Men All the President"s Men or anything else," she said. One early line of Norman"s narration-"It is those we live with and love and should know who elude us"-explained a great deal for Alan Pakula. "I read an article that said that what he and Sydney had in common was that both liked to make the kind of movies they"d enjoyed watching as they grew up. But or anything else," she said. One early line of Norman"s narration-"It is those we live with and love and should know who elude us"-explained a great deal for Alan Pakula. "I read an article that said that what he and Sydney had in common was that both liked to make the kind of movies they"d enjoyed watching as they grew up. But River River was unlike anything Bob saw, or anything Sydney could have made. Brad [Pitt] speculated that Bob was trying to outdo what Sydney had done with was unlike anything Bob saw, or anything Sydney could have made. Brad [Pitt] speculated that Bob was trying to outdo what Sydney had done with Out of Africa, Out of Africa, that it was arty compet.i.tion. But of course it wasn"t. There had been plenty of romantic biopics like that it was arty compet.i.tion. But of course it wasn"t. There had been plenty of romantic biopics like Out of Africa Out of Africa before. There had never been a movie like before. There had never been a movie like River. River. It wasn"t autobiography, but it was a unique meditation about heartland Americanism that grew from his and Maclean"s experiences. It was also an amazingly delicate construct that deserved the award nominations, and then some. It ticked all the boxes of all-time cla.s.sic." It wasn"t autobiography, but it was a unique meditation about heartland Americanism that grew from his and Maclean"s experiences. It was also an amazingly delicate construct that deserved the award nominations, and then some. It ticked all the boxes of all-time cla.s.sic."
Within twenty-four hours of the completion of editing of A River Runs Through It, A River Runs Through It, Jake Eberts had sealed a distribution deal with Columbia. Thereafter, the movie"s marketing was cofunded by his own company, Allied Filmmakers, an affiliate of Pathe that had started five years before with Sean Connery"s Jake Eberts had sealed a distribution deal with Columbia. Thereafter, the movie"s marketing was cofunded by his own company, Allied Filmmakers, an affiliate of Pathe that had started five years before with Sean Connery"s The Name of the Rose. The Name of the Rose. "The point is, we remained independent," says Eberts. "My objective had been to preserve Bob"s vision, as Bob"s was to preserve Norman"s. It was undiluted, which is all he wanted." "The point is, we remained independent," says Eberts. "My objective had been to preserve Bob"s vision, as Bob"s was to preserve Norman"s. It was undiluted, which is all he wanted."
Ovitz had made a good deal for Redford on Sneakers: Sneakers: $8 million against 10 percent of the gross, which was $2 million more than current hotshot Sylvester Stallone was earning. All the usual perks and sidebars were in the contract, including the critically important casting approvals. But Redford was still unhappy. He confided his unease to one of CAA"s rising stars, Bryan Lourd. "He talked to me confidentially," says Lourd. "He didn"t want to go the direction Mike was pushing him. He said he wanted significant movies, not significant checks, as a priority. There were changes in the zeitgeist and he acknowledged that and was ready to play to that, which all intelligent performers must do, but he also wanted to keep his attention on the long term. He wanted a substantial body of work to look back on." $8 million against 10 percent of the gross, which was $2 million more than current hotshot Sylvester Stallone was earning. All the usual perks and sidebars were in the contract, including the critically important casting approvals. But Redford was still unhappy. He confided his unease to one of CAA"s rising stars, Bryan Lourd. "He talked to me confidentially," says Lourd. "He didn"t want to go the direction Mike was pushing him. He said he wanted significant movies, not significant checks, as a priority. There were changes in the zeitgeist and he acknowledged that and was ready to play to that, which all intelligent performers must do, but he also wanted to keep his attention on the long term. He wanted a substantial body of work to look back on."
Making Sneakers Sneakers for ten weeks on the Universal back lot, in Simi Valley and around San Francisco was no great strain. for ten weeks on the Universal back lot, in Simi Valley and around San Francisco was no great strain. River River had brightened him greatly. Things were going well with Kathy O"Rear. Bernie Pollack considered him "unusually cheerful." Redford also found himself comfortable with the director, Phil Alden Robinson. There was also the element of fun. The tricky conspiracy plot helped educate Redford about the computer age. And though much play was made in the press of the fact that the story line was skewed toward the new, youthful pinup River Phoenix, Redford ignored the barbs. "You have to keep reminding yourself you are not working for the critics." had brightened him greatly. Things were going well with Kathy O"Rear. Bernie Pollack considered him "unusually cheerful." Redford also found himself comfortable with the director, Phil Alden Robinson. There was also the element of fun. The tricky conspiracy plot helped educate Redford about the computer age. And though much play was made in the press of the fact that the story line was skewed toward the new, youthful pinup River Phoenix, Redford ignored the barbs. "You have to keep reminding yourself you are not working for the critics."
Forty-two-year-old Robinson, whose modest baseball movie Field of Dreams Field of Dreams had done so well, shared the kind of devotion to script that endeared him to his lead actor. The cover of the script given to Redford read, "Based on 27 man-years of drafts by Phil Alden Robinson, Walter F. Parkes and Lawrence Lasker." It was Parkes and Lasker who"d pitched to Universal the notion of "a high-tech had done so well, shared the kind of devotion to script that endeared him to his lead actor. The cover of the script given to Redford read, "Based on 27 man-years of drafts by Phil Alden Robinson, Walter F. Parkes and Lawrence Lasker." It was Parkes and Lasker who"d pitched to Universal the notion of "a high-tech Dirty Dozen Dirty Dozen" as a follow-up to their 1983 computer-age War Games; War Games; but it was Robinson who, he says, "went on to write the forty million plot variations." Robinson first saw himself as the screenwriter of the project only and refused Parkes"s initial entreaties to direct but it was Robinson who, he says, "went on to write the forty million plot variations." Robinson first saw himself as the screenwriter of the project only and refused Parkes"s initial entreaties to direct Sneakers, Sneakers, despite the career boost of despite the career boost of Field of Dreams. Field of Dreams. According to Parkes, "we finagled Phil, and as soon as we had him, it seemed, we got Redford. Then Redford was the magnet for the other big hitters like Sidney Poitier and Ben Kingsley who came aboard." According to Parkes, "we finagled Phil, and as soon as we had him, it seemed, we got Redford. Then Redford was the magnet for the other big hitters like Sidney Poitier and Ben Kingsley who came aboard."
The story line was unashamed Hitchc.o.c.kian MacGuffin territory, involving National Security Agency infiltration that recalled Three Days of the Condor. Three Days of the Condor. Redford"s role was computer genius Martin Bishop (a name that references two of the CIA men listed as victims in Redford"s role was computer genius Martin Bishop (a name that references two of the CIA men listed as victims in Condor Condor), whose electronic a.n.a.lysis team is tricked into stealing a mysterious black box that they subsequently learn has the power to breach all encrypted national security systems worldwide. What appears to be a story of NSA perfidy emerges as a grudge war between Redford"s Bishop and his college-days compet.i.tor, the devious Cosmo, played by Ben Kingsley.
"My way of enjoying the role was hooking in to the whole issue of privacy in this information age," says Redford. "Bishop"s team can get into anyone"s files. Not long before, I learned I"d been investigated by the Treasury Department and the LAPD. That blew me away. Treasury checked me out for six months because I went to Cuba to visit Garcia Marquez for the Sundance Latin American program. In the case of the LAPD investigation, the best bet is they saw the Leonard Peltier film [Apted"s Incident at Oglala Incident at Oglala] and figured I was undercover with American Indian Movement radicals. All of it was paranoid nonsense, of course, but it made me think: this is Orwell"s Big Brother in the making. We are in a society now that has hidden cameras in malls, at banks, at drugstores. We have computers on our desks that are as much windows into our lives as windows on the world. People can hack into our personal information. Our credit cards are routinely stolen. Our Social Security numbers are traded. Sneakers Sneakers reminds us to pay attention to all this new technology." reminds us to pay attention to all this new technology."
Redford worked from October through February, with breaks to wrap the edit of A River Runs Through It A River Runs Through It and ski with the family at Christmas. Frustrated as he was by the lightness of the subject, he was thankful for a movie that felt effortlessly sweet, especially because of Robinson"s humor and the kinship of ensemble acting. He found River Phoenix a gentle, respectful student; Dan Aykroyd (playing the gadgets wizard Mother) "all mischief and treason"; Poitier, Kingsley and Mary McDonnell, playing the love interest, stimulating dinner companions. The best moments, though, were the days in San Francisco when he found time to visit with Amy, who was attending San Francisco State University, studying film. In the last five years Amy"s interest in movies had grown through internships at the June labs. She had also spent time in London, where she"d started acting. Of the Redford children, friends say, Amy was most effusive in either applauding or criticizing her father. "She wasn"t good at phony politeness," says a Sundance staffer. "In fact, she went punk, adopting a punk look with a punk att.i.tude. When she addressed you directly, you tended to listen." When Redford visited, says Amy, she was unimpressed by his description of and ski with the family at Christmas. Frustrated as he was by the lightness of the subject, he was thankful for a movie that felt effortlessly sweet, especially because of Robinson"s humor and the kinship of ensemble acting. He found River Phoenix a gentle, respectful student; Dan Aykroyd (playing the gadgets wizard Mother) "all mischief and treason"; Poitier, Kingsley and Mary McDonnell, playing the love interest, stimulating dinner companions. The best moments, though, were the days in San Francisco when he found time to visit with Amy, who was attending San Francisco State University, studying film. In the last five years Amy"s interest in movies had grown through internships at the June labs. She had also spent time in London, where she"d started acting. Of the Redford children, friends say, Amy was most effusive in either applauding or criticizing her father. "She wasn"t good at phony politeness," says a Sundance staffer. "In fact, she went punk, adopting a punk look with a punk att.i.tude. When she addressed you directly, you tended to listen." When Redford visited, says Amy, she was unimpressed by his description of Sneakers: Sneakers: "I told him he should be acting more and starring less." "I told him he should be acting more and starring less."
Universal"s summer testing of a rough cut of Sneakers Sneakers yielded such positive results that the release planned for Christmas was moved up to September. Decent reviews followed, and a satisfying gross: $51.5 million in the United States alone, a return doubled worldwide. yielded such positive results that the release planned for Christmas was moved up to September. Decent reviews followed, and a satisfying gross: $51.5 million in the United States alone, a return doubled worldwide.
The success did not dissuade Redford from breaking with Ovitz. "From the beginning I never really trusted him," says Redford. "But I thought he was smart and shrewd in a tough business. I also thought that having someone represent you in so savage an environment who actually loves to do what you hate doing-that is, deal chasing-was a boon." But, as he had told Lourd, he had grown uncomfortable with the direction in which Ovitz was nudging him.
A number of projects Redford liked had died on the vine: a George Washington biopic; a morality tale about the rain forest that he discussed with Spielberg, who "got the visuals, but couldn"t get the subtext of the story"; a romantic comedy, The President Elopes, The President Elopes, which Penny Marshall developed. Worryingly, none caught fire and he redoubled his efforts to find a script that would engage him and properly contrast which Penny Marshall developed. Worryingly, none caught fire and he redoubled his efforts to find a script that would engage him and properly contrast River. River.
Lourd now gave Redford an Amy Holden Jones script he had under development with new Paramount chairperson Sherry Lansing for his clients Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson. It was based on New York journalist Jack Engelhard"s hard-edged novel Indecent Proposal, Indecent Proposal, with a flagrantly s.e.xual theme. "It wasn"t drafted with Bob at all in mind," says Lourd. "But he told me he was a risk taker, and I had an inkling this was just sufficiently outrageous for him." with a flagrantly s.e.xual theme. "It wasn"t drafted with Bob at all in mind," says Lourd. "But he told me he was a risk taker, and I had an inkling this was just sufficiently outrageous for him."
Redford recalls reading the script in one sitting and being alternately engaged, surprised and amused by it. The role proposed to him was of a middle-aged billionaire intent on buying s.e.x with a married young woman on a weekend in Vegas. "My gut did the talking," Redford says. "Finally, it was fun and it was now. now. I didn"t ask for anyone"s opinions. I called Lourd and said, "Yeah, it will work."" Lourd, together with his agent partner David "Doc" O"Connor, takes credit for revitalizing Redford"s career in the nineties. "Unquestionably he needed to find the new-generation audience," says Lourd. "He was I didn"t ask for anyone"s opinions. I called Lourd and said, "Yeah, it will work."" Lourd, together with his agent partner David "Doc" O"Connor, takes credit for revitalizing Redford"s career in the nineties. "Unquestionably he needed to find the new-generation audience," says Lourd. "He was the the megastar of the seventies, but tempus fugit and all that. It is the eighteen- to twenty-five-year-olds who pay for the tickets. Bob had to shake up that market, and I knew putting him with Woody, who was huge from the TV series megastar of the seventies, but tempus fugit and all that. It is the eighteen- to twenty-five-year-olds who pay for the tickets. Bob had to shake up that market, and I knew putting him with Woody, who was huge from the TV series Cheers, Cheers, and Demi, who was very hot, would open up that new audience for him." and Demi, who was very hot, would open up that new audience for him."
Before the filming commenced, there was some irate discussion about the alterations to the source material. Engelhard, who viewed himself as a political conservative, felt his work was being distorted. He later deplored the choice of Redford: "The billionaire in my novel is not Robert Redford, but an Arab sheik. The husband is a Jewish speechwriter and the wife is a Grace Kelly type. So the novel, obviously, has many layers, political, religious, cultural, which Hollywood won"t touch." English director Adrian Lyne reshaped the essence and under his supervision the Engelhard novel retained its Faustian theme but became less a study of cultural differences than of s.e.xual role-play. Lyne, who began his career directing shorts in Britain fourteen years before, had stunningly captured the social fallout of s.e.xual liberalism in Fatal Attraction, Fatal Attraction, his fourth movie, which was nominated for six Academy Awards, earned $450 million and was labeled by his fourth movie, which was nominated for six Academy Awards, earned $450 million and was labeled by Time Time "the zeitgeist hit of the decade." One of his follow-ups, "the zeitgeist hit of the decade." One of his follow-ups, Jacob"s Ladder, Jacob"s Ladder, about madness, comprehensively showed his grasp of deviant psychology. "The genius of Lyne was his timing," says Lourd. " about madness, comprehensively showed his grasp of deviant psychology. "The genius of Lyne was his timing," says Lourd. "Fatal Attraction was the postfeminist, post was the postfeminist, postFear of Flying kickback. kickback. Indecent Proposal Indecent Proposal cautioned against the s.e.x-and-wealth "me me me" nineties." Redford"s enthusiasm was for "this nexus of energies, the morality tale, the timing, the subtexts." Redford knew he was catching a wave. In 1992 Paul Verhoeven"s cautioned against the s.e.x-and-wealth "me me me" nineties." Redford"s enthusiasm was for "this nexus of energies, the morality tale, the timing, the subtexts." Redford knew he was catching a wave. In 1992 Paul Verhoeven"s Basic Instinct Basic Instinct ingeniously blended Russ Meyer with ingeniously blended Russ Meyer with Dynasty; Dynasty; Lyne"s Lyne"s Indecent Proposal Indecent Proposal had the same populist targeting, and was as illuminating of the insatiable urges of twenty-four-hour Las Vegas as had the same populist targeting, and was as illuminating of the insatiable urges of twenty-four-hour Las Vegas as Peyton Place Peyton Place once was of New England"s deceptive serenity. once was of New England"s deceptive serenity.
In the movie, David (Harrelson) and Diana Murphy (Moore), lovers since high school, run out of money building their Santa Monica dream home and try to recoup at the gaming tables; they fail. Entrepreneur John Gage (Redford) then offers David a million dollars for a night in bed with Diana. In the novel, the characters are shady. In the film, Diana is the dewy-eyed happily married wife who falls for her seducer. David in turn becomes the conscience-stricken sinner, a characterization that owes something to Richard Gere"s role in Pretty Woman. Pretty Woman. "Of course this was perverse heroism," says Redford. "But it worked as great entertainment in the Reagan era, when everything was about the cash and the cost and, it seemed, everyone was playing dirty." "Of course this was perverse heroism," says Redford. "But it worked as great entertainment in the Reagan era, when everything was about the cash and the cost and, it seemed, everyone was playing dirty."
In October 1992, the week Indecent Proposal Indecent Proposal wrapped in Las Vegas, wrapped in Las Vegas, A River Runs Through It A River Runs Through It premiered at the Ziegfeld in New York as another benefit for NRDC. A month before, Redford had joined the Maclean family for "a very moving and gratifying" American Rivers benefit screening at Bozeman, Montana. Of all Redford"s movies, only a handful enjoyed such unanimous critical praise, exemplified by Richard Schickel"s review in premiered at the Ziegfeld in New York as another benefit for NRDC. A month before, Redford had joined the Maclean family for "a very moving and gratifying" American Rivers benefit screening at Bozeman, Montana. Of all Redford"s movies, only a handful enjoyed such unanimous critical praise, exemplified by Richard Schickel"s review in Time, Time, in which he wrote that the movie scored "because [Redford] has rigorously maintained the understated tone of a book that never plea-bargains, never asks outright for sympathy or understanding, yet ultimately, powerfully, elicits both." in which he wrote that the movie scored "because [Redford] has rigorously maintained the understated tone of a book that never plea-bargains, never asks outright for sympathy or understanding, yet ultimately, powerfully, elicits both."
Six months later, Indecent Proposal Indecent Proposal opened nationwide on a maximum-distribution twenty-five hundred screens and raced around the world, earning more than $260 million, Redford"s greatest moneymaker to date. His nineties rebirth had come after a thirty-year career of determined variety, experiment and invention. He had proved again his imagination and durability as he straddled the art house and middlebrow markets. He was back at the epicenter. opened nationwide on a maximum-distribution twenty-five hundred screens and raced around the world, earning more than $260 million, Redford"s greatest moneymaker to date. His nineties rebirth had come after a thirty-year career of determined variety, experiment and invention. He had proved again his imagination and durability as he straddled the art house and middlebrow markets. He was back at the epicenter.
21.
Delivering the Moment Redford"s att.i.tude toward his children had always been one of tough love. Financial indulgence, he believed, suffocated the families of the rich. He would give each of his children a home and beyond that nothing other than trust, care and emotional support. After an interrupted period of study in Chicago, Jamie and Kyle returned to make a home in Denver, where their son, Dylan Larson, was born and from where Jamie pursued the life of a writer independently, working under the guidance of Josh Donner, a William Morris agent. It was while he was drafting a soon-to-be-abandoned sci-fi version of The Odyssey The Odyssey for Universal that the call came from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, a hospital renowned for its treatment of liver disease, reporting the availability of a suitable liver for transplant. Redford was in New York, in the final days of preparing a new film, for Universal that the call came from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, a hospital renowned for its treatment of liver disease, reporting the availability of a suitable liver for transplant. Redford was in New York, in the final days of preparing a new film, Quiz Show. Quiz Show. He left the production and joined Jamie to fly to Nebraska. En route Redford told Jamie he wanted him to write the next Tony Hillerman movie for Wildwood. "It was such a boost," says Jamie, "because his att.i.tude had always been one of promoting self-sufficiency. On that flight he changed. He knew I was at my lowest, that there were so few people for me to lean on, and he gave me this gesture of hope, something to hang in for." He left the production and joined Jamie to fly to Nebraska. En route Redford told Jamie he wanted him to write the next Tony Hillerman movie for Wildwood. "It was such a boost," says Jamie, "because his att.i.tude had always been one of promoting self-sufficiency. On that flight he changed. He knew I was at my lowest, that there were so few people for me to lean on, and he gave me this gesture of hope, something to hang in for."
Though Quiz Show Quiz Show was a fragile project that had almost slipped from his grip on several occasions, Redford felt he should delay it for one year. "My son"s well-being obviously came first. I sat by his bed and rea.s.sured him. I told him, "I"ll be there, h.e.l.l or high water." But Jamie made the decision. "Get on with the movie," he told me. "Do what you were put here for, and let me do what I have to do."" was a fragile project that had almost slipped from his grip on several occasions, Redford felt he should delay it for one year. "My son"s well-being obviously came first. I sat by his bed and rea.s.sured him. I told him, "I"ll be there, h.e.l.l or high water." But Jamie made the decision. "Get on with the movie," he told me. "Do what you were put here for, and let me do what I have to do.""
Jamie"s first operation, an eight-hour procedure, seemed to be a success, but his recovery was hampered by a faulty valve in the new liver. Each Friday night after shooting in New York, Redford took a plane to Omaha. "I knew the operation didn"t work," says Jamie. "Your body tells you. The blood tests were coming back okay, but something felt felt wrong." On the day Jamie was due for release from the hospital, an ultrasound test showed a thrombosis on the hepatic artery, a condition that suggested fatal atrophy of the bile ducts. It was dealt with surgically. Jamie was again registered for a nationwide liver search. For the next three days, says Redford, Jamie was "out of it, but steady." There followed, says Redford, twelve of the worst weeks of both their lives. Finally, over the Fourth of July weekend, a replacement liver was located. "People often asked me about the value of celebrity in such a situation," says Jamie. "They say, "I"m sure Robert Redford gets to pull strings." But it"s not true. My father was 100 percent involved. He consulted on every aspect of the surgeries. He never stopped talking with the consultants. But that"s as far as it went. Celebrity can"t help in the life-and-death department." The constant tension brought father and son closer than they"d been since their days together in Europe. "At times like those you review your life experience," says Jamie. "I saw both my parents as being loving supporters. My mother was the nurturer of my youth. My father was sometimes absent, but always there in spirit. At the time of my operations, the roles reversed. My mother would have been there for anything I asked: she never let me down. But in the crisis it was my dad who oversaw it all. He needed to do that. I saw it clearly. It was not a case of redeeming himself or making up for anything. It was just his time to bat had come, and he was there." wrong." On the day Jamie was due for release from the hospital, an ultrasound test showed a thrombosis on the hepatic artery, a condition that suggested fatal atrophy of the bile ducts. It was dealt with surgically. Jamie was again registered for a nationwide liver search. For the next three days, says Redford, Jamie was "out of it, but steady." There followed, says Redford, twelve of the worst weeks of both their lives. Finally, over the Fourth of July weekend, a replacement liver was located. "People often asked me about the value of celebrity in such a situation," says Jamie. "They say, "I"m sure Robert Redford gets to pull strings." But it"s not true. My father was 100 percent involved. He consulted on every aspect of the surgeries. He never stopped talking with the consultants. But that"s as far as it went. Celebrity can"t help in the life-and-death department." The constant tension brought father and son closer than they"d been since their days together in Europe. "At times like those you review your life experience," says Jamie. "I saw both my parents as being loving supporters. My mother was the nurturer of my youth. My father was sometimes absent, but always there in spirit. At the time of my operations, the roles reversed. My mother would have been there for anything I asked: she never let me down. But in the crisis it was my dad who oversaw it all. He needed to do that. I saw it clearly. It was not a case of redeeming himself or making up for anything. It was just his time to bat had come, and he was there."
The instant Jamie opened his eyes after the second liver transplant, he knew the surgery had worked. "It was a beautiful dawning, like someone turning on the sunshine again. Just a feeling of, Yes, this is right! This is how I have been waiting to feel all my life. Yes, this is right! This is how I have been waiting to feel all my life." The recovery, though, was complicated by recurring ulcerative colitis, which resulted in the removal of Jamie"s colon. It wasn"t until October of the following year that he was healthy enough to resume an active lifestyle, exercising, traveling, writing to deadlines for Wildwood. Redford felt "an unspeakable relief, one of the truly great moments of my life."
Hume Cronyn believed Redford was "hardened" by the crisis, but Redford contends that the opposite was true, that he came more than ever to cherish life and found new depths of love within family that he"d hoped would also extend to friendships like Pollack"s. For Cronyn, Redford had become reclusive: "He let friends slip away; he stopped returning calls." Jamie says no: "He was, and is, a sn.o.b in one sense only: he must receive something intellectually or spiritually from a friendship. I think his hurt at that time was that friends for both of us were thin on the ground. Some serious rethinking began. When you"re at death"s door, you reevaluate things like love and truth."
The notion of truth, subjective and empirical, had been an intellectual preoccupation for as long as Redford could remember, and it was the appeal that lay behind his pursuit of Quiz Show. Quiz Show. Richard Friedenberg contends that Richard Friedenberg contends that A River Runs Through It A River Runs Through It triumphed not as a homily but because it revolved around the absolute truth of who Redford really was: "It wasn"t the story. It was this guy on horseback resolving his personal issues of purpose and survival within the universe of a movie." Carol Rossen believes Redford is someone who feels compelled to contribute to public life, while remaining committed to the isolated, reflective existence that centered on the verities. "Truth is his big hang-up in life," she says. Film after film of his reflected a pursuit of the question: "What is wrong with this picture?" triumphed not as a homily but because it revolved around the absolute truth of who Redford really was: "It wasn"t the story. It was this guy on horseback resolving his personal issues of purpose and survival within the universe of a movie." Carol Rossen believes Redford is someone who feels compelled to contribute to public life, while remaining committed to the isolated, reflective existence that centered on the verities. "Truth is his big hang-up in life," she says. Film after film of his reflected a pursuit of the question: "What is wrong with this picture?" Quiz Show Quiz Show would be his sharpest commentary so far on "the truth" of national values. would be his sharpest commentary so far on "the truth" of national values.
Indecent Proposal opened doors for him, and he parlayed that into a deal with Jeff Katzenberg at Disney to acquire opened doors for him, and he parlayed that into a deal with Jeff Katzenberg at Disney to acquire Quiz Show, Quiz Show, a project that had been developed by Barry Levinson and Sundance hero Steven Soderbergh at TriStar, then abandoned when stars Richard Dreyfuss and Tim Robbins dropped out. Based on a nonfiction book by Richard Goodwin called a project that had been dev