One of the rare cases of important directors, who for some reason never got the glory he deserved, did not enter the list of great directors, even though he was very productive, loved actors, knew how to get the best out of the stars and made many excellent films, some of which are rightly called classics. The reason for the unforgettable and always relaxed and familiar, due to his participation as an actor in several films, Sidney Pollackfrom the respected personalities of Hollywood.

A director who had a solid and penetrating narrative ability, with many distinct artistic nuances in his work, he always delivered remarkable work, sometimes going as far as Oscar and much more was gained by the audience. Sidney Pollack had a pass in the general public, perhaps something that the “festival system” did not forgive him, although he stood firmly against the establishment logics and conservative American policies. With penetrating humor and a particularly masculine narration and at the same time an enemy of male toxicity, he will create a male film character, uncompromising, romantic, charming, who in the end leaves the screen defeated, having as a model the Robert Redford.

On the 90th anniversary of his birth (July 1, 1934), Pollack, who died untimely at the age of 73 some 15 years ago on May 26, 2008, will leave behind great films such as “They kill the horses when they get old”, “Our best years”, “The Three Days of the Condor”, “Beyond Africa”, “Secret Yakuza Organization”, “The Electric Horseman”, “Without Deception”while we will love him even more from his appearances as a character actor in some important films, most notably those in the films “Eyes Tightly Closed” by Stanley Kubrick and “Married couples” by Woody Allen.

He directed a total of 21 films, produced 47 and played 32 roles as an actor in films and television series.

With a truck

Pollack was born in 1934 in Lafayette, Indiana, to a family of Jewish immigrants, to Rebecca and David, a semi-professional boxer and pharmacist. His parents would divorce when he was still young, and his mother suffered from alcoholism and psychological problems and died at the age of 37 when Pollack was 16.

Despite his plans to enter medical school, Pollack would leave Indiana for New York at age 17 in a lumber truck. After the end of his military service, he will receive an invitation from Meissner to become his assistant, but the people who decisively influenced him to engage in the field of entertainment were the great John Frankheimerwhich brought him to Los Angeles as a young actor and the Bart Lancasterwho in his first film “Wild Youth”, convinced him that he should take the step towards directing.

From TV to cinema

Pollack will first enter the television set by directing an episode of his own “The Twilight Zone” and some episodes of it “run away” and her “Alfred Hitchcock Hour”. He will follow the jump to the cinema, with films that caught the interest of the public, while he made his debut with the dramatic “The Slender Thread”starring Poitier.

Coexistence with Robert Redford

His first major success would come with the sensational drama “They Kill Horses When They Get Old”giving to Jane Fonda the opportunity to make a memorable role and himself to be nominated for the first time with the Oscar for directing.

Robert Redford, with whom he had developed a long friendship since the 50s, will meet artistically in the early 70s, when he will direct him in the western “Jeremiah Johnson” in 1972 and the following year in the classic emotional drama and sufficiently political “Our best years”highlighting his co-star at the same time Barbra Streisand.

Immediately after, the strong thriller will be shot “Secret Yakuza Organization”by Robert Mitchamwhile in 1979 his time will come “Electric Rider”a special film about American decadence and the flight to unspoiled nature, reuniting Redford with Jane Fonda.

The Three Days of the Condor

However, here, we have to go back a little to 1975 and stop, because it is the year of the wonderful espionage and political thriller “The Three Days of the Condor”, an iconic film of the genre, with Redford winning impressions, having alongside its wonderful Faye Dunaway. A film with political implications about the role of the American secret services and their interventions in people’s private lives.

three days of the condor

Finally an Oscar

In the 80s he will taste the glory, as in 1982 he will deliver the huge hit “Tutsi”despite his legendary fights with Dustin Hoffman. Commercial triumph and ten Oscar nominations will make Pollack one of the most marketable names in Hollywood. 1985 will be the time of vindication, as it will be his year “Beyond Africa”, of 11 Oscar nominations and seven wins, including Best Picture and Best Director. Pollack will narrate, as he knew, a romantic drama and once again he will make an unforgettable leading couple, with Redford – Streep.

Havana

Pollack, who never left the duties of producer and “player” of the film industry, will enter the 90s with the ambitious “Havana”, a film homage to his beloved “Casablanca”, about the adventures of a gambling adventurer , of Robert Redford’s beloved in burning Cuba, just before the Batista junta fell. The film, despite being a commercial failure and heavily criticized, has a special charm, a flawless protagonist and a delightful romantic story.

Firma, Sabrina and fatigue

In the last years of his creativity, Pollack will show his fatigue, but always with a distinct style. He will make a huge success with Tom Cruise in the well-made “The Firm”, which lacks edge and thought, while the remake of the romantic comedy “Sabrina” with Harrison Ford (the original was directed by Wilder and starred Bogard) not to be particularly convincing, while his swan song was the spy thriller “The Interpreter” with Nicole Kidman.

The actor director

Sidney Pollack, who lived a quiet personal life, having been married since 1958 to his acting classmate Claire Griswold with whom he lived with her until his death, he had the ability to develop excellent relationships on the film sets with all the actors, while his experience from acting helped him to come to them, understand them and trust him, bringing out the better result.

Eyes Hermetically Closed

He will leave prematurely struck by cancer in 2008, leaving behind beloved films, but also some of his appearances as an actor, most notably in Kubrick’s last creation “Eyes Hermetically Closed”, but also a void. This, of an era when the directors even in easily digestible and seemingly indifferent films, put their personal signature and their anxieties that might annoy the “bosses”, but touch the wider audience and leave the room wiser.