The Art of Sydney Pollack
After writing the previous blog about the death of this great film maker, I began to ponder about what exactly set him apart in a field not wanting for talent. What made his movies so unforgettable that even 30 or 40 years later, they remain as vivid in your mind as if you saw them yesterday?
Undeniably, he worked with cream-of-the-crop scripts, but even the finest writing can be wrecked by mis-directed direction. Pollack was always sensitive to the material he was working with. Case in point: Tootsie. A very funny script, to be sure, but it was a cinematic disaster waiting to happen, a potential candidate for the 10 Worst Films of the Year list. In the hands of a less attuned director, it would have rapidly degenerated into an over-the-top, campy flop of a farce that squandered the talent (and ruined the rep) of its excellent actors. Pollack never lost of sight of the movie’s underlying deeper themes or sacrificed the humanity and dignity of the characters for a cheap laugh.
Pollack also possessed an uncanny knack of inspiring great performances from every actor he worked with. He took Jane Fonda, fresh from making a fool of herself in Barbarella, and turned her into a serious actress with They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Similarly, Barbra Streisand, known only for her amazing voice and comedic skills, delivered an outstanding dramatic performance in The Way We Were. Three Days of the Condor transcended the thriller genre and became a character study when Pollack worked his magic with Robert Redford and Faye Dunaway. Though she’s never turned in a slouchy performance in her life, Meryl Streep’s portrayal of the complex Isak Dinesen in Out of Africa stands out as arguably her finest role and best work on the screen.
Above all, Pollack respected his audience. He always gave his best and we always got our money’s worth and a great deal more. His films are finely crafted works – visually rich, fully realized thematically, thought-provoking and insightful pieces of cinematic art that have stood, and will stand, the test of time.
–phoebe kate