Sundance: The utopian vision and ultimate legacy of Robert Redford
In the rugged mountain terrain of Utah, a vision emerged in the late 1960s. An idyllic haven for independent cinema, an Eden for filmmakers yearning to escape the noise of Hollywood: this was the dream of actor and director Robert Redford.
Redford quickly became an icon of the screen with his seemingly impossibly rugged handsomeness, which was only matched by a gentle nature and good humour. As one might expect, Redford’s rise to the top of the pile was quick after his first role broke.
After that, a career would ensure that few people can boast to match. Redford’s ability to play both disgustingly good-looking yet somehow likeable characters put him in a unique position that he took full advantage of. His run of movies, including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Candidate, and The Way We Were, would confirm his spot on the mantle of Hollywood greats, but his legacy runs far deeper than on-screen brilliance.
Not just content with being the golden boy of Hollywood, Redford began sculpting what would become the Sundance utopia. What would define this new, glorious meritocracy? A singular, almost zealous commitment to championing emerging filmmaking talent. With Redford as the benevolent leader, of course.
By 1968, the Hollywood actor found himself with delightfully heavy pockets. A slew of films produced under the New Hollywood banner, like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Downhill Racer, had proved to be not only critically acclaimed but commercially successful too. As the leading man, Redford, too, had been able to reap the financial rewards of these cinematic endeavours, and he got the idea to buy some land. As expected, he didn’t go the usual route.
Unsatisfied with a large country manor or a villa in the south of France, he purchased an entire ski resort encompassing more than 5000 acres. Changing the name from ‘Timp Haven’ to ‘Sundance’, named after his titular character in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, the first step of Redford’s mission was complete.
In the beginning, there was the Sundance Institute. For a decade after the sale, he had been gestating his grand plan, and finally, in the early 1980s, it was ready. Founded in 1981, the institute was designed to support and nurture new voices in film – an environment where storytellers could explore their creativity without the commercial pressures of the mainstream industry. The institute became an incubator for talent, helping launch the careers of renowned directors like Quentin Tarantino and Paul Thomas Anderson. As Redford said at the time, clarifying his mission: “Storytellers broaden our minds: engage, provoke, inspire, and ultimately, connect us.”
The vision expanded in 1985 with the establishment of the Sundance Film Festival, a showcase for the films and filmmakers nurtured by the institute. The festival fast became a mecca for independent cinema, gaining a reputation as a launchpad for movies that might not have been made within the confines of Hollywood. Films like Steven Soderbergh’s Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs, and indie gem Little Miss Sunshine were catapulted from obscurity to the Oscar stage.
How Sundance went nationwide
By the mid-1990s, the Sundance Channel (now known as Sundance TV) sprang to life, broadcasting independent films and original programming to millions of homes across America. Having made a deal with Showtime to secure a platform for 24-hr access, now audiences could immerse themselves in the world of independent cinema without having to trek through the Utah snow. In the new millennium, the Sundance vision expanded to brick-and-mortar with the launch of Sundance Cinemas, a chain of theatres dedicated to screening independent and foreign films. Redford’s indie utopia was no longer just in the mountains of Utah; it had a physical presence in cities nationwide. The vision of the Sundance kid knew no bounds; he dreamed of multiplex plazas dotted around the world, each with its own bookshop and cafe, a culture hub for people to come together in harmony, bonded over the shared power of cinema. And the Sundance Group, of course.
The utopian vision had its limits, however. Some successful sites were laid down – others did not benefit from the same fate. Several franchises failed to open, and funding cuts reportedly left dozens of half-constructed Sundance Cinemas hollow and desolate, bleak graveyards that stood as a testament to the waning momentum of a once great pursuit. In 2015, the cinema chain was sold off to the AMC-owned Carmike Cinemas, marking a sadly pivotal moment in the saga of Sundance. As the branded theatres faded away, some argued it signalled the end of Redford’s utopian vision. The indie oasis had been swallowed up by the very commercial interests it was created to resist. Or, at the very least: it had crumbled under its own gigantic weight.
Today, while Sundance may no longer embody Redford’s complete utopian ideal, its impact on the film industry is undeniable. The festival and institute continue to thrive, churning out a fresh batch of storytelling mavericks each year. Gargantuan filmmakers of the contemporary scene still credit Sundance with their success. Robert Eggers, whose last film was the towering $90million Viking epic The Northman, was launched to fame less than ten years prior when his indie debut The Witch won the ‘Best Director’ prize at the Sundance Film Festival.
Sundance will be Robert Redford’s largest legacy
Before his death, Redford took a backseat, stepping down from his leadership role at the festival in 2019. He became more of a figurehead, a blonde-haired presence at the festival he once presided over with fervent passion.
As we survey the landscape of independent cinema, Redford’s utopia continues to cast a long shadow. The sale of the cinema chain and the lacklustre success of Sundance TV may have signified a slowing down of utopia, but the ripples of the Sundance impact are still felt far and wide. It’s a testament to the power of the dream that started it all back in 1968.
There can be no doubt that living your life on the screen is a guaranteed way to find yourself remembered in the future. A salient point most actors will have thought of before taking a breath before their first scene. But while being in the movies is a flash of a memory, being the reason for the movies is an eternal connection to the art that gave you life.
The cowboy hat might have been hung up for good, but the legacy of the Sundance Kid lives on.
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