The Way We Were: Looking Back (1999) (V)

User Rating:

9.0/10   

Director:

Michael Arick

Release Date:

1 January 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

A behind-the-scenes look at the making of the classic film about romance set against a backdrop of war and political differences...

Plot Keywords:

Behind The Scenes | Interview | Making Of | Out Take | Film Making

Cast

Barbra Streisand	...	Herself - 'Katie Morosky'
Arthur Laurents	...	Himself - Screenwriter
Sydney Pollack	...	Himself - Director
Marvin Hamlisch	...	Himself - Composer
Alan Bergman	...	Himself - Lyricist
Marilyn Bergman	...	Herself - Lyricist

Runtime:

62 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Company:

Columbia TriStar Home Video

Trivia:

This documentary is featured on the DVD for The Way We Were (1973), released in 1999.

Movie Connections:

References Funny Girl (1968)

dvd extra

This doco features all the major contributors except, strangely, not Robert Redford. We see Sydney Pollack doing the elastic band thing that Bob Balaban copied for Pollack's film Absence of Malice, Streisand looking fabulous in red Donna Karan, an outtake from the dance scene, and cuts, including the notorious 2 scenes that have become infamous, described here as the "missing climax". These are Katie at UCLA seeing an activist who reminds her of herself and crying, and Hubbell telling Katie she has been informed on and is a subversive wife, as the reason why the couple have to divorce. Although Streisand is wonderful in both scenes, the former is weakened by the activist and the crowd rejecting her. Pollack defends his cutting of the scenes for pacing and a "cleaner emotional line", but Streisand remains disappointed, which probably explains why she seems to have copyright of them according to the end credits. Writer Arthur Laurents makes some interesting comments - paralleling Redford and Streisand with what was said about Astaire and Rogers ie he gave her class and she gave him sex, and tells how Redford told him how women still run there hands through his hair they way Katie did. There is also a long discussion with Marvin Hamlisch and Alan and Marilyn Bergman on the music and the title song.