The most difficult movie of Robert Redford’s career: “That was a heavy trip”
Throughout his illustrious career, Robert Redford has cemented himself within the bedrock of independent cinema, both through his acting and tireless championing of the medium through his creation of the Sundance Film Festival and advocacy for other directors through his work as a producer. As a result, the filmmaker has created a career that is incomparable to many others from his generation, extending his passion for film and talent to every corner of the industry, leading to groundbreaking performances in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting and The Way We Were, as well as staggering directorial achievements with Ordinary People and Quiz Show.
However, after decades of working in the industry, Redford became well-versed with the struggles of lifting a project off the ground and bringing stories to the silver screen, describing one film that was particularly challenging to make.
Redford rose to success when Hollywood was on the cusp of unprecedented change, with the power dynamic between directors and studio heads finally shifting and allowing for a renewed sense of creative energy to electrify the film industry, leading to films like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Chinatown and Taxi Driver.
This era changed the nature of the business forever, with new auteurs creating ground-breaking films that created daring stories and challenged the studio executives who only believed that certain stories could be successful. However, it also set a precedent in which the relationship between studios and directors is always in a state of flux, with constant battles between creatives and the suits about which stories deserve to be shared.
After working in Hollywood during these changes and after the New Hollywood movement ended, Redford has experienced all kinds of ups and downs in the filmmaking process, describing one film in particular that was most challenging to bring to life.
The Horse Whisperer, directed in 1998, was one of the many projects directed by Redford himself. Starring Redford, Kristin Scott Thomas and Scarlett Johansson, the film follows the mother of a severely traumatised daughter who employs a horse trainer to help the girl and her equally injured horse.
It is a heartfelt and poignant story that touches on many weighty themes, creating an intimate portrait of the many ways that people heal and how we deal with grief and pain. This is a topic that Redford has consistently been drawn towards, with his Oscar-winning film Ordinary People also focussing on the aftermath of trauma.
However, despite Redford’s passion for the film, it remains as one of the most conflicting from his filmography due to his love for the story but strained experiences during the production. The filmmaker reflected on the aftermath of the film, saying, “I was looking for something uplifting, as much for myself as anything else. Because that was a heavy trip. Even though it had some positive aspects to it, it was about healing, it involved damaged animals, children, and was a hard, heavy movie to make”.
Many people in the business have famously warned against working with animals and children, and Redford famously did both in order to bring his vision to life. While it tested the director in new ways, making anything is always an achievement, and it remains a testament to his fierce passion and pursuit of honest storytelling.
