The Way We Were (Special Edition)

Amazon.com essential video

Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand star as sociopolitical opposites--he's a WASP novelist, she's an activist--who nevertheless strike up a romance in the 1930s, and have a rocky relationship through the next two decades that reflects much of America's history. An essential part of the movie--the Hollywood blacklist and the McCarthy witch- hunt years--comes across as a botch, due to some excessive cutting before the film was released. But except for that hole in the heart of the story, director Sydney Pollack (Out of Africa) has crafted a strong and moving drama about two interesting characters. Redford (always good with Pollack) is at the height of his powers, and Streisand is persuasive. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

The Way we Were.......2007-09-13

Great movie, a classic even. In great shape! Came in the mail very quickly. A+

Great Movie!.......2007-08-23

The movie worked great and the shipping time was amazing! Everytime I've ordered under regular shipping my product is always here in three days!

A classic love story that was well worth the wait.......2007-06-11

The Way We Were is one of those classic love stories that I always knew I should see, but just never got around to it. Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford shine as a couple of polar opposites who are doing their best to make things work despite their differing political and economic views. Through it all, and despite their differences, their love for each other keeps them together year after year while they try to make their relationship work. The love story is beautiful, well told, and difficult not to enjoy. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who loves love stories.

robert redford fan.......2007-03-18

a classic romantic movie, its so great to see the older movies restored on DVDs. robert redford is so handsome and as for the song, well, after i saw the movie, "the way we were" became so meaningful and beautiful to me.

Touching romance.......2007-02-16

Great love story. Everytime I watch this movie, I cry. Robert Redford couldn't have been more handsome than he was in this movie. And Barbra Streisand is always great in whatever she does. Strictly a chick flick for a rainy afternoon or a cold evening at home alone.

The Barbra Streisand Collection (The Mirror Has Two Faces / The Prince of Tides / The Way We Were)

Average customer rating:

the best of the best
Definitive Trilogy of Streisand's Three Romantic Wallows
The Barbra Streisand Collection
A DOUBLE KNOCKOUT OF A TRIPLE DVD SET!!!
Good value for money

The Barbra Streisand Collection (The Mirror Has Two Faces / The Prince of Tides / The Way We Were)
Starring: Barbra Streisand
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B0006SGYM4
Release Date: 2005-02-08

Customer Reviews:

the best of the best.......2007-05-13

I loved this movie package...I am a big fan of Barbra Streisand and love getting this 3 movie package. "Prince of Tides" is my favorite movie of all time....I also loved the price.....I have been collecting all of her music and movies.....

Definitive Trilogy of Streisand's Three Romantic Wallows.......2006-10-17

This collection of three epochal films from Barbra Streisand's film career all share the swooning romanticism that has become her cinematic trademark as both actress and filmmaker. All succeed in satisfying her fans even if there are undeniable lapses that may try the patience of other viewers.

The earliest is 1973's "The Way We Were", which has becomes an emotional touchstone for a generation who saw it as the ultimate opposites-attract romance. Director Sydney Pollack does an exceptional job in delineating the somewhat preposterous love story, and he guides Streisand to one of her most subtle and touching performances. Veteran screenwriter Arthur Laurents wrote a strong, multi-dimensional character for her in Katie Morosky. It's quite a journey from young Communist college radical in the late thirties to glamorous Hollywood wife in the early fifties, but Streisand seems fully committed in conveying her character's idealism and blind idolatry. Matching her every step of the way is Robert Redford, who was then at the peak of his matinee idol popularity as well. He smartly underplays the lionized Hubbell Gardiner, fleshing out a character that could have remained a cipher but instead seems to understand his own limitations. It's interesting how all the other characters fade completely in the background as a result of the mega-wattage generated by the star coupling.

In essence, the movie consists of three distinct parts: the college years when they first make impressions on each other, the WWII years when they meet again and start an unlikely romance, and the Hollywood years when they are married and get mired in the studio system. The first two parts are excellent and filled with memorable moments. When the story moves to Hollywood, the movie gets a bit more problematic. The star-crossed couple is challenged by the revelation to Hubbell's studio that Katie was a former Communist, which in turn makes Hubbell, now a rising screenwriter, a target for blacklisting. What should have been the most interesting part of the film becomes muddled as to what exactly is happening to cause their inevitable break-up. Ironically though, the film's most powerful scene is in this section, the train station confrontation between Katie and Hubbell over people and their principles.

But bottom line, there is no narrative connection between the Hollywood blacklist and their separation, which just seems odd given the build-up of the story to that point. I am not certain whether reinstating several crucial scenes (cut at the last minute by Pollack) would have helped after seeing some of them in the extensive and insightful documentary included as part of the DVD package, "The Way We Were: A Look Back". I have to agree with Pollack (and disagree with Streisand) that the deleted scenes don't really fit in with the pacing and emotionalism during this part of the movie even though they do provide added context. Of course the coda outside the Plaza Hotel is still classic, mainly due to the brevity of dialogue, the swooning Marvin Hamlisch music and the tear-jerking stares and gestures.

The second film is 1991's "The Prince of Tides". In only her second directorial effort (after "Yentl"), Streisand proves to be a masterful storyteller with an almost exaggerated romantic sensibility and an unfettered preoccupation with psychoanalysis. She obviously found the perfect vehicle in Pat Conroy's epic novel about Tom Wingo, a Southerner whose failing marriage and career reflect a deep suppression of an abusive childhood, the memories of which are triggered by his twin sister's suicide attempt. That the story revolves around a man's personal crisis versus a woman's may strike some as odd given Streisand's particularly female perspective, but she actually makes Tom's complex personal journey resonate with greater sensitivity as a result. In fact, the emotionalism Streisand invests in her musical performances is very much in evidence here, and her lush, almost Baroque style fits the contours of this soap opera very well.

The movie is helped immeasurably by a galvanizing performance from Nick Nolte, who captures all the layers of pride, regret, anger, sadness and humiliation in his character. He propels the storyline with the unbridled passion of an actor sinking his teeth into a juicy part as only a female director could define it. In fact, Streisand steps back to play the subordinate role of Dr. Susan Lowenstein, the pricey New York psychiatrist treating Tom's sister, Savannah. It is probably her most subtle work onscreen even with the touches of excess that often detract from her performances. She also hands out plum parts to both the wonderful Kate Nelligan, who gets to age convincingly as Tom's upwardly driven mother with a dark secret, and Blythe Danner, dependably effective as Tom's conflicted wife. Both especially excel in their revelatory conversations with Tom, the dialogue insightful without delving too much into psychobabble. Credit should be given to Conroy and Betsy Johnston, who wrote the superb screenplay.

The movie is not without flaws. First, after a powerfully cathartic scene that feels like the movie's climax, the story shifts to an inevitable affair between Tom and Lowenstein and a flagrant detour into Lowenstein's own catharsis, which brings up valid questions about her character's professionalism in even having an intimate relationship with a patient. This part of the story is Streisand at her most self-indulgent as both director and actor, as we follow these two smitten people on gauzy romantic walks and sweaty lovemaking by candlelight. Regardless, it's an impressive accomplishment to translate Conroy's lengthy, often florid narrative into a cohesive movie that retains the major themes of its source material, and Streisand has done a splendid job in pulling it all together.

The last movie is the weakest of the trio, 1996's "The Mirror Has Two Faces", still her last starring vehicle. While she shows a sure hand in maneuvering the inevitable shenanigans of a romantic comedy, the multi-hyphenated legend lets her intractable need to convey serious-minded, self-esteem-oriented messages weigh this 1996 movie down considerably. At an epic length of 130 minutes, the story, adapted by Richard LaGravenese from a forgotten 1958 French film, is quite slight as it focuses on Rose Morgan, a wildly popular Columbia literature professor but also a fortyish, baseball-obsessed frump long in the shadow of her beautiful sister Claire and glamorous mother Hannah. Her lot in life seems crystallized at Claire's wedding when she weds Rose's longtime crush Alex. Meantime, Columbia mathematics professor Gregory Larkin tires of bedding beautiful women who rile him toward irrational acts and wants to find a homely woman with whom he can have a platonic, intellectually-focused friendship and eventually a chaste marriage. Greg places a personals ad to which Claire responds unbeknownst to Rose. The budding relationship between Rose and Greg turns on the inevitable moment when Rose seeks intimacy from a disinterested Greg. This leads to a physical transformation and a message-driven finale.

As Rose, Streisand is quite good and sympathetic most of the way, even if she never looks terribly frumpy and overdoes her character's magnetic speaking skills in the lecture hall. Like the yearning Barbra of long ago, she achieves a palpable sadness when she feels humiliated on her wedding night. However, once Rose transforms herself, Streisand's ego takes over as her blonde highlights and aerobicized body bring back the execrable, soft-focus treatment from the lovemaking scenes in "The Prince of Tides". Looking more like his uni-browed brother and father as he grows older, Jeff Bridges plays Greg as a befuddling stereotype who grows more unrealistic as the story evolves. At the time of release, Lauren Bacall received all sorts of kudos as Hannah, though it is a relatively superficial performance in a showy role except for a wonderfully brave, make-up-free scene where Hannah admits to Rose how she valued her beauty while it lasted. Mimi Rogers provides sharp bite as Claire, while Pierce Brosnan lends the necessary smarminess to the shallow Alex and George Segal (Streisand's one-time co-star in "The Owl and the Pussycat") is relegated to a dispensable best-pal role.

This is a worthy collection for any Streisand fan.

The Barbra Streisand Collection.......2006-02-25

The dvd's were great-highly recommend this if you are a Barbra Streisand fan.

A DOUBLE KNOCKOUT OF A TRIPLE DVD SET!!!.......2005-10-31

I OWN THE BOX SET OF THESE MOVIES BECAUSE I AM A HUGE FAN OF MS. STREISAND'S.

EVEN THOUGH I'M GIVING THE SET 5-STARS, I REALLY DIDN'T ENJOY "THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES". I FELT THAT STREISAND MISCAST BRIDGES IN THE ROLE OPPOSITE HER. I ALSO FELT THAT THE PLOT DIDN'T HOLD UP.

"THE PRINCE OF TIDES" IS ONE OF MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE MOVIES. IT PACKS AN EMOTIONAL WALLOP. THE ACTING WAS TOP-NOTCH AND I WAS RIVETED TO MY SEAT. STREISAND'S DIRECTION WAS RIGHT ON TARGET; AND REALLY GRASPED THE AUTHOR'S CONVEYANCE OF THE SUBJECT. I WAS VERY MOVED BY THE PERFORMANCES AND THE MOVIE. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT.

"THE WAY WE WERE" IS A REAL CLASSIC TEAR-JERKER. I'VE SEEN THIS FILM AT LEASE 20 TIMES AND I GET EMOTIONAL EVERYTIME THE 'PLAZA SCENE' PLAYS. THE COUPLING OF STREISAND AND REDFORD IS A "MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN" EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED IN SO MANY OF THEIR BELIEFS. THE BACKDROP OF THE POLITICALLY-CHARGED MCCARTHY ERA KEEPS IT INTERESTING. BUT TO WATCH THEIR INTERACTION IS VERY SEDUCTIVE--EMOTIONALLY AND PHYSICALLY. PLEASE CHECK THIS ONE OUT TOO.

Good value for money .......2005-09-08

Three different Streisand movies about love in one package: sounds like great value and it is, to some extent. If what you're looking for is the movies, then this is great value. This package lacks the extras that we associate with dvds - and this is the major flaw in this collection.

The Way We Were - long and at times plodding but characteristic of the romance movies of the 70s; the killer is the final 15 minutes of the film - makes the whole journey almost worthwhile.

The Prince of Tides - scrumptuous cinematography; the most 'arty' of Streisand's directorial efforts. Nick Nolte should've won an oscar for his layered and sensitive playing of Tom Wingo.

The Mirror Has Two Faces - competent romantic comedy. The gem in the film is Lauren Bacall.

Perhaps the package would've made more sense if it included all three of Streisand's directorial efforts so we can witness her range and growth as a director?

Average customer rating:

The Way we Were
Great Movie!
A classic love story that was well worth the wait
robert redford fan
Touching romance

The Way We Were [Region 2]
Starring: Barbra Streisand , Robert Redford , Bradford Dillman , Lois Chiles , and Patrick O'Neal
Director: Sydney Pollack
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

( W ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00004U0N0

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

The Way we Were.......2007-09-13

Great movie, a classic even. In great shape! Came in the mail very quickly. A+

Great Movie!.......2007-08-23

The movie worked great and the shipping time was amazing! Everytime I've ordered under regular shipping my product is always here in three days!

A classic love story that was well worth the wait.......2007-06-11

robert redford fan.......2007-03-18

Touching romance.......2007-02-16

Average customer rating:

The Way we Were
Great Movie!
A classic love story that was well worth the wait
robert redford fan
Touching romance

The Way We Were [Region 2]
Starring: Barbra Streisand , Robert Redford , Bradford Dillman , Lois Chiles , and Patrick O'Neal
Director: Sydney Pollack
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

( W ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00004TLB2

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

The Way we Were.......2007-09-13

Great movie, a classic even. In great shape! Came in the mail very quickly. A+

Great Movie!.......2007-08-23

The movie worked great and the shipping time was amazing! Everytime I've ordered under regular shipping my product is always here in three days!

A classic love story that was well worth the wait.......2007-06-11

robert redford fan.......2007-03-18

Touching romance.......2007-02-16

DVD:

DVD

DVD