If you just know Robert Redford as the Sundance Kid then, you need to dive deeper into his celluloid domain.

No doubt the role of Sundance brought him under the limelight but Redford also acted in some of the most talked about political thrillers, released against the conspiracy riddled political period of the 70s.

For good reason, till death, the epithet ‘Sundance’ stuck to him, which the actor astutely used to create a platform for film makers known to shun the conventional methods of movie making.

Sundance Film Festival became the platform for the experimental, the innovative and, certainly, the kooky.

Redford, an inspiration for avant-garde movie makers, died on 16 September, aged 89.

Although the image of Redford in cowboy attire, holding a revolver is an enduring one, the roles of a journalist uncovering political shenanigans, a CIA researcher on the run after exposing a rogue operation or a millionaire lothario eyeing the wife of a common man illustrate the actor’s versatility.

Undeniably, Butch Cassidy carved out a western movie sub-genre, but in the 70s volatile global scenario with the cold war providing a fertile ground for complex espionage and multifaceted political intrigue, Redford appeared in some of the most unforgettable thrillers.

The buddy movie genre

The news of the actor’s demise had two distinct effects – a feeling of sad reflection among those who actually saw him dominate Hollywood and a renewed sense of curiosity among the relatively young movie freaks who saw a few Redford movies as classics.

Almost all movie buffs, both young and old, have seen the Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) – the film, which moved away from the Clint Eastwood created solitary gunman image, crafting the western buddy-movie formula.

A year later, this same template was successfully used in a WW1 action thriller ‘You Can’t Win them All’, starring Tony Curtis and Charles Bronson.

Other films include, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974), Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991).

On TV, the buddy chemistry was recreated for the highly successful 1971 series The Persuaders, with Roger Moore and Tony Curtis.

Although in Butch Cassidy, Robert Redford was the younger guy as opposed to Paul Newman, already an established Hollywood face, their on screen camaraderie plus the mutual trust became a touching portrayal of friendship whatever the circumstance.

This formula heavily influenced the early and mid-70s Bollywood buddy classic movies, Sholay, Kala Patthar and certainly the timeless songs: Yeh Dosti, Ek Raasta Hai Zindegi.

As a trickle down impact, Bangladesh movies like Dost Dushman, Jinjeer and others capitalised on the buddy theme. 

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid came to Bangladeshi audience during the early 80s VCR revolution when Dhaka saw the mushrooming of VHS movie cassette rental shops.

The political and espionage intrigue

Early 70s Redford films, Three Days of the Condor (1975) and All the President’s Men (1976) delves into the murky world of espionage and politics, using the turbulent 1970s global geopolitics as a background.

The Three Days of the Condor shows a CIA researcher being hunted for exposing a secret plan to take over oil fields in Arab nations in the expectation of a global oil shortage.

This premise carried real life connotations as only two years earlier, in 1973, the Organisation of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) enforced an oil embargo on the United States and other nations for supporting Israel in the Yom Kippur War.

Naturally, the price of oil shot up from $3 a barrel to $12, triggering an energy crisis, long lines at gas stations and widespread public anger.

This film was followed by All the President’s Men, a political thriller based on the real life Watergate Scandal, which disgraced and, eventually, brought down US President Richard Nixon.

Both these films came to Bangladesh on VHS in the early 80s, becoming top choices for those preferring movies, providing cognitive stimulation.

People in Dhaka were also lucky to see another Redford-Newman classic, The Sting, on BTV in the mid 80s.

This film introduced the con-game sub-genre to local film lovers, as both Newman and Redford played the roles of smooth con men with 1930s recession as the setting. 

Indecent Proposal triggers a social storm

We saw Robert Redford films on VHS in the early 80s since their original release dates were in the early 70s – a period when local cinema halls did not show latest releases.

But in the 1990s, with most middle class homes in Dhaka owning either a VCR or a VCP, watching the latest Hollywood films was a favourite pastime.

In 1993, with Dhaka plus the country slowly but inexorably opening up to globalisation and satellite TV, Robert Redford starred erotic drama, Indecent Proposal, was released.

A year earlier, in 92, Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone had whipped up a frenzy with the daring erotic thriller, Basic Instinct.

This was also a time when Douglas starred in several thrillers bordering on softcore.

If memory serves correctly, these thrillers, featuring explicit language and liberally peppered with scenes of physical intimacy, were dubbed ‘One X’ by local movie rental shops.

Indecent Proposal is a film about a millionaire libertine who agrees to pay $1 million to a young couple, in exchange for a night with the  wife.

The couple, needing the money desperately to save their house from being foreclosed, agrees but this escapade leads to more than just a one-night stand with perks.

Redford, who had played characters mostly in thrillers and action movies, was presented here as the suave gambler with a taste for fine things in life, some of which have “forbidden” written all over it.

This film became a rage as it took the erotic thriller genre into another level but sparked outrage as many conventional film lovers felt the movie commodified women, threatening orthodox institutions, universally considered sacred.

Thankfully, in the movie, Robert Redford eventually redeems himself in the role of the bon viveur when he concedes that while money can buy love it cannot overpower the passion of the heart.

A topic that may trigger a fierce debate, I am sure but let’s keep that for another time.

Robert Redford may be called one of the last of the great ones, with many referring to the actor as the earlier Brad Pitt.

In the list of Redford movies, Butch Cassidy and the political thrillers will inevitably be on top although for me, Indecent Proposal will have a special place.

This is the movie, which struck a blow to the very staid fabric of Dhaka society of the early 90s, presenting Redford as the morally ambiguous protagonist – a celluloid trend, currently in rage.

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Towheed Feroze is a former journalist!