The Way We Were

"Everything seemed so important then... even love!"

1973 1h 58m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

🍅

65%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

IMDB

★7.0TMDB · 532🍅65%Rotten Tomatoes●61Metacritic★7IMDB · 29,670

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Opposites attract when, during their college days, Katie Morosky, a politically active Jew, meets Hubbell Gardiner, a feckless WASP. Years later, in the wake of World War II, they meet once again and, despite their obvious differences, attempt to make their love for each other work.

“Everything seemed so important then... even love!”

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Cast

Barbra Streisand
Katie Morosky
Robert Redford
Hubbell Gardner
Bradford Dillman
J.J.
Lois Chiles
Carol Ann
Patrick O'Neal
George Bissinger
Viveca Lindfors
Paula Reisner
Allyn Ann McLerie
Rhea Edwards
Murray Hamilton
Brooks Carpenter

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Sydney Pollack
Writers: Arthur Laurents
Languages: English, French
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Grossed $50M — a 10.0× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

53 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Sydney Pollack, shot by Harry Stradling Jr.. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Marvin Hamlisch. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor John F. Burnett shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford and Bradford Dillman carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Everything seemed so important then... even love!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Sydney Pollack directs. Harry Stradling Jr. behind the camera. Marvin Hamlisch scores. John F. Burnett cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Grossed $50M — a 10.0× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.
253 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.
4Directed by Sydney Pollack, shot by Harry Stradling Jr.. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Marvin Hamlisch. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor John F. Burnett shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford and Bradford Dillman carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Everything seemed so important then... even love!".
9IMDB entry: tt0070903 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 8 themes, including "based on novel or book", "politics", "melancholy", "anti-communism".

The technical file

Cinematography: Harry Stradling Jr.
Original score: Marvin Hamlisch
Editing: John F. Burnett
Production design: Stephen B. Grimes
Costume design: Dorothy Jeakins
Makeup / hair: Donald Cash Jr.
Runtime: 118 min · 1h 58m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $5,000,000
Box office: $50,000,000
Return: 1000% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: The Way We Were (1973)
Rotten Tomatoes: 65% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 61/100
IMDB rating: 7/10 · 29,670 votes
MPAA: PG

Awards

Won 2 Oscars. 6 wins & 8 nominations total

Academy Award for Best Original Dramatic Score
National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Sydney Pollack

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2019-08-14
★ 7/10
A radical Left-winger falls in love with a more conservative WASP on the verge of WW2 and post-war A disparate couple meets in college in 1937, New York, and then reignite after the war. Katie (Barbra Streisand) is an uber-Liberal while Hubbell (Robert Redford) is more levelheaded about politics. He becomes a writer in Hollywood during the blacklist investigations of the late 40s wherein Katie’s activism threatens his social life and career. The story closes in 1957. “The Way We Were” (1973) is a classic drama/romance, much acclaimed in its day. The vibe is similar to “Love Story” (1970) but this has superior characters and a more interesting setting. It’s interesting to see how loony Liberals existed way back then in the 30s-40s. The movie works because it wisely makes Katie three-dimensional. Sure, she’s a typical INtolerant, obnoxious Leftie, but she also has a human side, a warm and humble side. Meanwhile Redford is at the top of his game here. Streisand incidentally developed a crush on Redford during shooting, but didn’t share her feelings. He feigned ignorance and used Barbra’s infatuation for the benefit of the movie. There has been some confusion about the last act. Pay attention to what Hubbell says. What happens has nothing to do with Carol Ann and everything to do with the obvious. The film runs 1 hour, 58 minutes, and was shot in Union College in Schenectady, New York; Ballston Spa in upstate New York; New York City; Malibu; and nearby Union Station in Los Angeles. The peripheral cast includes Bradford Dillman, Lois Chiles and James Woods. GRADE: B

Production companies