Interesting history of a very beloved film. Puts the film in context of when it was made and audience reactions to it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Rowman & Littlefield for the ARC. This has always been a favorite movie of mine because it included both of my favorites Barbra Streisand and Union College. This book is well researched and written. I enjoyed reading about the creative processes that went into creating the movie. The pictures included were wonderful. Highly recommended!

IT’S UNQUESTIONABLY exciting when the production of a movie has enough drama to fill its own movie—or at least a miniseries. And there’s little better than telling a story where the main characters are already movie stars. Millions of dollars at stake, sexy people behaving badly, and, in some cases, mild criminality resulting in family-friendly wide releases? If only all classic movies had these kinds of engaging stories behind them, the sort of stories that make you look back on the movie in amazement that it was ever produced at all.

The Way We Were is not one of those movies.

It is, however, a justifiable classic: a heartbreaking doomed love story with challenging political themes and two movie stars working in their exact wheelhouses. This year has brought with it two new books about its production to coincide with the movie’s 50th anniversary—Tom Santopietro’s The Way We Were: The Making of a Romantic Classic and Robert Hofler’s The Way They Were: How Epic Battles and Bruised Egos Brought a Classic Hollywood Love Story to the Screen. Perhaps unfortunately, the production of The Way We Were had only small doses of the drama that fans crave and was a fairly straightforward production with the kinds of hiccups any big movie with big stars might experience. As a result, one of these books desperately clutches to any disagreement or challenge as evidence of a deeply troubled production; the other wisely tells the story of the movie’s production with such involved, gossipy detail that the reader hardly cares if the production was a disaster (it wasn’t). Together, these accounts prove that it can be enough to tell a story well and focus on its most interesting figures.

From an original script by theater maven Arthur Laurents, Sydney Pollack’s The Way We Were tells the story of two people who meet in college in 1937. Katie (Barbra Streisand) is a left-wing activist and Hubbell (Robert Redford) is a golden boy athlete and preternaturally gifted writer; they do not get along. Reconnecting close to the end of World War II, they begin to fall for one another, and their romance carries them into Los Angeles and the Hollywood blacklist, where her strident politics and his desire not to make waves trouble their relationship until it reaches a breaking point.

If you haven’t seen it, or haven’t seen it recently, I really do recommend it.

Producer Ray Stark pushed for casting Streisand in the lead as Katie; Pollack had worked with Robert Redford previously and wanted him. Redford wouldn’t commit to doing it, partly because he felt the character Hubbell was a supporting player to Katie and partly because he was the kind of movie star who didn’t commit to doing things easily. Eventually, Pollack convinced Redford there would be enough rewrites to beef up his character, and Redford agreed. Somehow, the numerous rewrites Redford insisted on never impinged on his image as a chill, breezy movie star. Thanks to a sexist double standard, the same was not true for Streisand.

Redford and Streisand didn’t fight much, but they had very different styles of working. Streisand was detail-obsessed and adamant about rehearsing. She called Pollack every night after shooting to go over the next day, something Hofler quotes Pollack calling “not a problem […] just time-consuming,” which adequately describes most of the production’s dramas. Redford, conversely, liked to be thought of as spontaneous, seemingly disinterested in the nuts and bolts of making the movie beyond his own performance: at one point, Streisand, Pollack, and Bernie Pollack (costumer and brother to Sydney) had a lengthy conversation about a military uniform Redford would be wearing, which Redford cut short with, “Guys, it’s fine. A uniform’s a uniform.”

Streisand and Redford’s different working styles weren’t irreconcilable, and such tensions are not a rarity in Hollywood (let’s call it the Four Christmases problem). Screenwriter Laurents felt strongly that the movie should focus on Katie and the story of the blacklist, but by the time the movie was edited and released, it was much more of a two-hander and a love story. He was angry, but gladly took the screen credit and payment. The first few cuts of the movie were longer and not as good as the version eventually released in theaters. These are, in essence, the “epic battles and bruised egos'' to which Hofler’s title refers.

In the case of Santopietro’s The Way We Were, the actual lack of real-life drama appears to be itself a crisis. The book is peppered with end-of-chapter teasers like, “The battles were just beginning,” or “Barbra Streisand […] was proving to be the least of his problems.” This sort of breathless reporting only underlines how relatively undramatic the whole production seemed to be. Santopietro dutifully reports every available detail about the making of the movie, including dedicated sections about the production designer, set decorator, cinematographer, costume designer, and editors—all important jobs, but almost none of which makes for interesting reading outside a reference text. He relies too heavily on interviews with erstwhile actor, now right-wing social media influencer, James Woods, who had a relatively small role in the movie but apparently has a great deal to say about its entire production.

At around the book’s halfway point, having taken us from the story idea through to the movie’s Oscar wins and losses, Santopietro begins to retell the story, providing something like a special-features commentary on the movie in running order. He offers, for example:
It is clear that Katie is not just a striver but also an underdog and perpetual outsider, which is why Pollack’s silent nighttime shot of Streisand walking by a sorority house is so oddly affecting; as rich sorority girls dance and laugh it up, Katie, briefcase in hand, walks by outside, glancing up wistfully but knowing she’ll never be invited to join.

While certainly a fair assessment of the character and the scene, it’s not clear what interest the reader has in Santopietro’s musings. The Way We Were is detailed and thorough, but its frequent promises of excitement are never borne out, and at some point, James Woods threatens to hijack the account altogether.

Hofler’s title, The Way They Were: How Epic Battles and Bruised Egos Brought a Classic Hollywood Love Story to the Screen, is somewhat ironic as Hofler doesn’t sweat nearly as much promising either epic battles or bruised egos. But Hofler does the superior job exploring the primary figures (e.g., Streisand, Redford, Pollack, Laurents), their motivations, and occasionally their personal lives, making The Way They Were a human story of an iconic film. Like most movies, The Way We Were involved artists collaborating imperfectly and making compromises they did not want to make. Unlike most movies, the end product is something really beautiful.

Only Hofler was granted interviews with Redford (I have no clue why Santopietro was not), but there is not a great deal in terms of Redford’s emotional arc working on this movie: Redford wanted to make sure that his character was a more fleshed-out person worthy of his star power; he liked Streisand but kept some distance both for the sake of their performances and to avoid Streisand developing a crush on him; he sometimes made people on set wait. One is reminded of the anecdote about the casting of The Graduate (1967), when Redford was considered for the lead but proved unable to put himself in the headspace of someone who didn’t get laid a lot. Here, too, he balks at a scripted scene that suggests that his drunken lovemaking would be anything less than stellar. A movie star like Robert Redford understands how to preserve his image.

In the case of EGOT winner and dog cloner Barbra Streisand, both books exhaustively stress how nearly everyone involved with the movie found Streisand unattractive. Twist: It’s her nose. Apparently, it’s too big. Hofler cites a few 1960s reviews of Streisand’s work emphasizing her apparent unsightliness, but archival research be damned: I speak for the millennial population when I say that Barbra Streisand was obviously gorgeous. How is it that her every screen appearance proves this—not just this movie but Funny Girl (1968), Yentl (1983), The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996), and others—but these experts need more proof every time? In search of drama on the set, did both men miss the striking drama of Streisand’s unforgettable, and unforgettably beautiful, face?

Toward the end of Hofler’s book, Laurents, a repeated irritant to Pollack and Stark throughout production, begins to take center stage. The original story and screenplay of The Way We Were (and a novelization Laurents wrote concurrently) are based largely on his own experience as a campus-radical-turned-Hollywood-radical. Katie’s character and her swooning affection for the handsome WASP Hubbell is meant to reflect Laurents himself and, Hofler suggests, his own swooning affection for a series of handsome WASPS, including Laurents’s longtime partner Tom Hatcher.

As Laurents would not have been able to get a movie made in the 1970s about his own gay love story, his character became Katie. Thus, as Redford (and Pollack, desperate to retain Redford) insisted on beefing up his character, Laurents fought frequently with the producer and director. Since Katie was a die-hard radical in occasional conflict with Hubbell, the latter had to have an even-handed point of view to make him something more than a roadblock to Katie’s political fulfillment. Laurents hated the idea that the “reasonable” character would be one who didn’t fight tooth and nail against the blacklist. When test audiences responded much more strongly to the love story than to the story of the Red Scare, scenes were cut and Laurents became a fierce critic of the movie. But once the movie was a critical and commercial hit, he softened somewhat.

Laurents’s opposition to the blacklist was genuine, of course, but his own personal connection to it was somewhat exaggerated. In his memoirs and in stories told in person (Laurents was a renowned raconteur), he fudged timelines a bit and beefed up his own heroism to appear, as Hofler writes, “in the august company of Dalton Trumbo, Ring Lardner, and eight other blacklisted writers who ended up being imprisoned. […] The sympathetic view of Laurents’s early career in Hollywood was that he ended up being ‘graylisted.’” Laurents’s apparent devotion to emotional truths came at the occasional expense of facts. By digging through the fact and fiction of Arthur Laurents’s life, Hofler arrives at a truth more interesting than bruised egos or epic battles. Laurents is rightly treated as a fascinating figure whose appetites for epic narrative and passionate romance could be consuming, even destructive.

Both books conclude with details about various attempts by the movie’s stars (mostly Streisand) to get going on a sequel to the 1973 movie. While Pollack never appeared particularly interested (less so since his death in 2008), Redford flirted with the idea sporadically over the years, seeming to eventually settle in on a stance opposed to sequels in general. Streisand rarely let up, and here, Santopietro’s book is more interesting, detailing nearly every time the original film’s director, writer, or stars floated the idea of a sequel on the record. There absolutely have been some fascinating angles, particularly setting a sequel in 1968 and seeing Hubbell radicalized. This idea, developed largely by Laurents, would have allowed him to reintroduce some of the political themes that he felt the original had ended up jettisoning. Laurents has died now too, and neither Redford nor Streisand seem to think a sequel could happen. We may never return to the characters Katie and Hubbell, though with the publication of these books, we finally have something more than misty, watercolor memories.

Fifty Years! Ok that makes me gasp in horror. Why? Because it was only yesterday that I was mooning over Robert Redford, deliciously wonderful in anything including The Way We Were.
Barbara Streisand was a great foil. A big question was, would the movie be too insipid for RR. In this book we see the backstory. Redford respected Streisand as an artist but she hadn’t done any straight dramas. She’d worked on musicals. Was this going to be just another fluffy vehicle for Streisand, or could it be more? Step up a Sydney Pollack to walk the line of making a film that suited Redford and Streisand. Interesting insight into all that went on to get the movie to its final cut.

A Rowman & Littlefield ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.

There's nothing more guaranteed to make a person feel old than learning that one of her all-time favorite films is coming up on its fiftieth anniversary. I had just started college when The Way We Were opened, and I made a beeline for the theater and what would turn out to be one of the most memorable movie experiences of my life.

There's a reason why the movie theater experience is hands-down better than watching a film on a big-screen television at home. Sitting in the packed, darkened theater on that long ago day, when Robert Redford said, "Katie, you expect so much!" and Streisand looked at him and replied, "Oh, but look what I've got!" every female in the audience (and probably many males) audibly sighed. I'll never forget that.

So... I wanted to know more about this movie, and author Tom Santopietro certainly delivered the goods with his in-depth, meticulous research. The movie studio was strapped for cash and thought that a movie with a non-singing (and Communist!) Barbra Streisand was the kiss of death. How wrong could a bunch of "experts" be?

From writing the story and the unforgettable music to choosing actors and filming locations and beyond, I feel as though I learned everything there is to know about The Way We Were. Anyone who's interested in this classic romantic film or in film-making itself should read it, too.

Interesting story of the way the film was made and developed. I really don't think it merited a book however.
' '

Highlighted this engaging new release for the Books section of Zoomer magazine article on the 50th anniversary of The Way We Were. (see column and mini-review at link)

A wonderful book on the making of “The Way We Were”. Very well researched. Highly recommended! Reading this will make you wish they had made the sequel, and you’ll read many reasons why they never made it.

Behind the making of a classic movie with plenty of derails on the stars, script, and scenes. The people behind the set were challenged by sensitive personalities, plot changes and location shootings. I could watch Redford read the phone book and be giddy. So the squabbles about who says what and balancing the storylines was not that interesting to me. Film buffs and admirers of Streisand and Redford have a treat in store with this book. Thanks to #NetGalley and #TheWayWeWere for advanced digital copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Rowman & Littlefield for the ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.
Memories....a wonderful behind the scenes look at a classic and one of my favorite all time movies. The first half was particularly interesting as it was the background to how this all began - I was surprised to learn the story was first in book form. Also surprising was the reticence with which Robert Redford agreed to play Hubbell. If you're a fan of the movie, you'll want to read this.

This classic film which I watched again yesterday seems slow and melodic compared to today's romance movies which usually are comedic vs syrupy...unless they are a bodice ripper like Bridgerton et al.

Lots of interesting stories, although the politics of Marxism and Communism as something to aspire to before WWII seems craaaazy, it was a wonderful romp back to a film that defined a generation. I loved the book from page one to end: anyone who saw this movie all those decades ago will appreciate it!

I’ve only seen the movie straight through once. I found it painful and sad to watch. The title song is haunting and makes me sad and feel very melancholy.
I wanted to read the behind the scenes look at a film that made its appearance just 2 weeks before I did.
What I found the most interesting was the parts about the scenes deleted and how after seeing them the film makes more sense. I cut to YouTube several times to watch those and clips while reading.
It was also interesting to read that both Redford and Streisand at various times were interested in a sequel, I’m glad one was never made. Let the movie remain as is and the story remain where it ends, although it’s sad.
I always thought they wouldn’t stay together and also I get mad at Hubbell for completely Abandoning his daughter..
But it’s the way it was.

Misty water coloured memories…back in 1974, living in London England, I went to see a movie starring two of my favourite actors. In 1974, before VHS, SVS, BluRay or streaming, the only way to see a film was in the theatre. And if you loved a movie, and were like me, you went to see it again and again. I could not guess how many times I saw it and loved it each time. It has been a while since I viewed it last but as I was reading the early parts of the book, particularly the script writing parts, I began to wonder if the author and I had seen the same movie.

It turns out from first concept to the screen it was a different movie. Except for the writer of the script, I think most would agree that what was presented was more marketable and enjoyable than a several hour political lecture on the Black List. It was a dark time in Hollywood and America where neighbour and friend tattled on each other. There is no doubt some fear was understandable but as things will do, it got out of hand when ambitious people highjacked the agenda.

It is interesting to read about the creative process and various talents who helped create the film we know and love. There were times when it was overtly contentious but the source was not Barbra Streisand, From all sources, she was wonderful to cast and crew. The biggest contentions were how bland and weak could the Robert Redford character be without losing the audience and whether the thrust of the movie was political/love story or love story with political bits. Thankfully, Sydney Pollack walked that line beautifully so that what reached the screen tugged on our heartstrings, made us think, and entertained us.

Fans of the movie will enjoy reading about the steps that were taken. The writing could be a tad tighter but the book is well worth a look. Four purrs and two paws up.

If you remember the movie, you’ll enjoy this book. Nice back story and reminisces.. Hard to believe it’s been fifty years.

I saw "The Way We Were" many years ago and see it show up periodically on cable and hadn't been interested in re-watching it -- until now. This book gives us a comprehensive behind-the-scenes journey through the background on casting the film, to challenges and infighting with Arthur Laurents on his screenplay (this was based on his semi-autobiographical novel), convincing Robert Redford to play the lead, and scoring the memorable music. The book has interviews with many involved in the production and also takes us through editing choices throughout. We learn some scenes were deleted that would have made the motivation clearer around the leads' break-up. Throughout the film there is a balancing of politics (red-baiting and black-lists) with romance. Ultimately, the romance story wins out due to test audiences getting bored in the extensive courtroom or political speech scenes. I highly recommend this book for a great look at how films get made with all the trials and tribulations as well as successes.

Thank you to Netgalley and Rowman & Littlefield, Applause for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Way We Were: the Making of a romantic classic took me back to one of my all time favorite movies. This behind the scenes making of a movie was very interesting especially around what made it into the film and what landed on the cutting room floor (yes I want to see the first draft version too!). The author shares how there was a struggle between a political movie with a romance or a romantic movie with the backdrop of politics and how the author Arthur Laurents and the director Sydney Pollack were at odds throughout the process.

If you are looking for dirt on Streisand or Redford this is not that book, but if you enjoy learning more about how this treasured movie was cast, written, shot, etc you will enjoy it. The author does a marvelous job of helping you see specific scenes in the film making we want to view it again!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Way We Were: The Making of a Romantic Classic was a good read. I enjoyed the behind the scenes look at how this movie came about. A must read for any fan of the movie.

Thank you to the publisher for an advance copy of this book. This is my honest review.

I absolutely loved reading this book. I was completely drawn into the topic and could not stop reading it.

As the 50th anniversary of the Streisand/Redford film approaches, Tom Santopietro, already known as a Hollywood film historian, gives us an incredibly comprehensive behind the scenes narrative of a movie that apparently defied a lot of odds to get made. It’s not particularly sentimental — it’s a blow by blow of what went on before the first audience ever heard Barbra sing the famous song. I’m a fan of both actors and this book is also for the truly obsessed — the details are amazing and the players are vividly described. This is quite a piece of Hollywood storytelling history that can be enjoyed by everyone. 4 stars.

Thank you to Rowman & Littlefield and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Author Tom Santopietro seems to have put a lot of effort into compiling a book of anecdotes about the making of the Robert Redford/Barbra Streisand movie romance smash The Way We Were. This book is often insightful in its many interviews with the primary creators of the film, most notably director Sidney Pollock and writer Arthur Laurents. Laurents’ original screenplay (which was rewritten by a multitude of uncredited writers) was a political story first and love story second. Director Pollock reversed that order. In making sure the movie star romance and star wattage worked, Pollock cut out much of the plot. This book is often repetitive and could have used a much stronger editor. Enjoyable none-the-less.