Posted on 01/19/2006 1:21:03 PM PST by seamus
Edited on 01/19/2006 3:43:25 PM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
Deseret Morning News, Thursday, January 19, 2006
Redford says sacrifices for film fest 'worth it'
He's pleased with emphasis this year on documentaries
By Jeff Vice
Deseret Morning News
Robert Redford says he has made plenty of sacrifices — including occasionally stalling his film career — to ensure that the Sundance Film Festival would survive and thrive. But, he adds, "it was all worth it."
 Robert Redford will appear at Park City premiere tonight.  Louis Lanzano, Associated Press |
"We've been able to accomplish what we set out to do in the beginning, which is provide an outlet to help independent artists make their films and have their works be seen by a wide audience," he said by phone from the Sundance resort in Provo Canyon while in the midst of preparing for the opening of the Sundance Film Festival 06.
Redford said he will be at the Eccles Theatre in Park City tonight to introduce the opening-night premiere film ""Friends With Money,"" a comedy-drama starring Jennifer Aniston, Catherine Keener, Frances McDormand and Joan Cusack.
And he says he's excited about this year's festival, especially with its added emphasis on documentary features. "I'm happy that we've been able to support the documentary arts for years and that that form of filmmaking has become every bit as strong as the others."
He is also enthused about the festival's world cinema and short-film categories, which he says audiences "tend to neglect, though they're certainly missing out if they do."
Redford served in an advisory capacity to the Utah/U.S. Film Festival in the late 1970s and early '80s, and then his Sundance Institute took over and "decided to put it in a ski resort in the middle of winter, to make it as hard to get to as possible," he said with a laugh. "The experiment worked. We're here today because we took that risk and many others.
"Our willingness to take chances on films and filmmakers speaks for itself. Sundance has been good for independent filmmaking."
Redford acknowledged that Utah has also taken chances with its support of the festival. "I think there were a few lifted eyebrows at first, but we've established a relationship based on mutual trust and respect." He also voiced his pleasure about an agreement the Sundance Institute signed last year that will keep the festival in Utah for at least the next 12 years.
Last month, Redford was honored by the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., for his contributions to the film industry in a ceremony that put him in company with other honorees — and with President Bush.
The outspoken liberal activist says he was skeptical at first. "To be honest, I had a few reservations about going to Washington, D.C., as you can probably understand. But it's hard to turn down the chance to be onstage with people like Tony Bennett, Tina Turner, Suzanne Farrell and the magnificent Julie Harris."
He was also able to tour the White House with his family. "I got to sit in Thomas Jefferson's seat. That, alone, made it worthwhile."
Meanwhile, Redford has been been reviving his sometimes-dormant film career. He's already provided one of the voices (of Ike the Horse) for a live-action (with computer-graphic enhancements) version of "Charlotte's Web," and he's scheduled to play legendary baseball manager/executive Branch Rickey in a film about Jackie Robinson. He's also planning to direct and star in "Aloft," a drama about the plight of the North American peregrine falcon, which could reunite Redford with his pal Paul Newman (they co-starred in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "The Sting").
Asked about rumors that Matt Damon and Ben Affleck may be remaking "Butch Cassidy," Redford said he finds that "depressing."
"There is no shortage of good, original ideas, and there's just no point to remakes. Why do they have to mess with things that were perfect the first time around?" he said with a groan.
The 2006 Sundance Film Festival will run through Jan. 29 at various venues in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and the Sundance resort. For ticket information, call 801-326-2000 or 435-940-8900 or go to www.sundance.org.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com
© 2006 Deseret News Publishing Company
The way Hollywood is making movies nowadays, anything with "Butch" in the title would not be about gay men...
The new film, titled just "Butch and the Kid," will tell the story of the forbidden love of these two inseperable men, drawn closer by shared peril, great riches, and life on the run.....
It's already been done, only in the female version...Thelma and Louise.
The "Fabulous" Seven
Little Big Man
My Darling Clement
The Outted Josey Wales
Stagcoach
Oh, I wish I had the time to write the synopsis of each of these titles...but I'm sure there are people wittier than I who can fill in for me...
What a joke. In truth Redford was a lousy actor. He's so wooden he could have played the wagon in some of his Westerns.
A Fist Full of Condoms
The Good, The Bad, and the Sexy
The Alhomo
The Frisky Kid
A Big Hand for the Little Man
Adam Oakley
Hung High
Pale...umm...Rider
High Plains Diva
This could go on all day.....
Don't often agree with Bob, but he and I are on the same page here.
I read today where two documentaries being shown at the Sundance Film Festival star Al Gore and Ralph Nader. I'm totally convinced these awards now exist to bestow aritificial honors on "progressive" films.
Anyway, I can see his point about Butch & Sundance. Why do a remake? New tech isn't going to give you a better production. it's just going to end up being stupid and PC, and a cringe-making flop -- like Alec Baldwin's The Getaway.
Fistful of A**
"This could go on all day..."
Unforbidden
How The West Was Worn
The Wild Hunch
They Died With Their Boots Off
Shaney
Rio "GRAND"!
Dances With Wolfie
..............
And Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson says he's never had plastic surgery except a little work on his nose.
It's funny but I have trouble imagining what these actors look like, because I only identify them with their roles. Bob isn't even as good as Tom Hanks, fa Pete's sake.
and........
Secret Of The Lone Ranger
The Naked Spur
Rio "BRAVO"!
The Man Who Shot Liberty's Valance's
He Wore A Yellow Ribbon
Three Hours To Kill
The Law Jake Wade Broke
Enough said, for now......
Redford doesn't have alot of range as an actor but he was a great director for Quiz Show and Ordinary People. When he got political and started pushing it in our face I got sick of him. And that facelift is terrible. I'm not saying it to be cruel but that was a mistake Robert.
The Outlaw Josey Will!!
"Raindrops keep falling on his head"
Now now, don't get this thread pulled :)
Me too - no way Damon and Affleck can come close to the original ... but I did hate that insipid "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head". Ugh!
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