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Sydney Pollack

Started by tomwatson · 11 months ago

Years ago, writing a review of The Firm, I wrote “Sydney Pollack directs great dinner parties”; I meant it in the best way possible: the sheen, elegance and taste Pollack brought to filmmaking made for polished, easy to take films. Including The Firm, which in r ... Continue reading »

5 comments

  • tina oiticica harris

    1 year ago

    The news of Sidney Pollack's death came as such a shock last night. We were used to seeing him in vignettes of older films, sharing his knowledge of film. He seemed to be etarnal.
    I feel sorry there won't be any new work by Sidney Pollack.
    reply
  • Steve Barnes

    1 year ago

    There's a good reason why Mr. Pollack was known as and actor's (or star's as the case may be) director. He was a very good actor himself. From appearances in several of his own films, to roles in Woody Allen's "Husbands and Wives," Stanley Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut" to the final season of "The Sopranos," he put a pretty solid string of performances on screen. He deserve to be remembered for those, too.
    reply
  • Steve Barnes

    1 year ago

    Type your comment here.
    SORRY. CORRECTED VERSION, MINUS IDIOT TYPOS: There’s a good reason why Pollack was known as an actor’s (or star’s, as the case may be) director: He was a very good actor himself. From appearances in several of his own films, to roles in Woody Allen’s “Husbands and Wives,” Stanley Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut” to the final season of “The Sopranos,” he put a pretty solid string of performances on screen. He deserves to be remembered for those, too.
    reply
  • NYC Weboy

    1 year ago

    Steve, I agree very much about Pollack as an actor; one reason I cited Tootsie was because of his fairly integral role in the proceedings as Michael Dorsey's agent... though I didn't specifically come out and say it. Pollack, as you note, is often the good thing (as an actor) in otherwise so-so films, and he deserves credit for that as well. It would be nice, as a retrospective, to have someone examine Pollack's acting work in itself, separate from his directing, to se what can be seen (something I will now toy with writing... but wouldn't a "Sydney Pollack:Actor" series at Film Forum in New York or something be impressive? Hmmm....).
    reply
  • OutOfContext

    6 months ago

    Pollack seemed like such a warm and open person. Funny thing is I liked him immensely as an actor and as an interviewee, but only so-so as a director. I really enjoyed his documentary on Frank Gehry.
    reply
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