How Robert Redford’s First Film as Director Nearly Didn’t Happen
Robert Redford’s first go at directing, Ordinary People, was knocked back by studios before becoming a critical and box office hit. Discover how Redford’s vision shaped cinema and the Sundance Film Festival.
It’s a strange feeling to write about Robert Redford in the past tense, given how much he shaped the world of film over more than six decades. His legacy stretches far beyond his own acting and directing, with a string of awards to his name and a reputation for lifting up new talent. Redford’s influence is still felt, especially through the Sundance Institute and the festival he helped launch back in 1978. That event, now the biggest independent film festival in the States, got its name from a patch of land in Utah he’d bought and named after his character in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The festival has since become a launchpad for some of the most celebrated filmmakers and indie hits of recent years.
Redford’s Vision for New Filmmakers
Redford didn’t just want to leave his mark through his own work. He set up the Sundance Festival to give a leg up to up-and-coming directors and smaller productions. Over the years, it’s helped launch the careers of directors like Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Steven Soderbergh. Films like Little Miss Sunshine, Whiplash, and Donnie Darko all found their audience thanks to the exposure Sundance provided. Redford’s commitment to supporting fresh voices in film has had a lasting impact, both in the States and around the world.
Stepping Behind the Camera
After a couple of years away from acting, with only one film in 1979, Redford decided to try his hand at directing. He picked Ordinary People, a drama about a family in crisis, for his first project behind the camera. The story, adapted from a novel, starred Donald Sutherland and tackled some tough themes. Redford later explained his reasons for making the leap:
(It was) for a couple of reasons: One was that I’d acted and produced, but I wanted to have complete control. I wanted to do a small film about the society I was living in and take full responsibility for it. Ordinary People was turned down everywhere. To my good fortune, Barry Diller at Paramount let me do it.
Despite being a first-time director, Redford was given free rein on the project. He recalled,
Nobody bothered me, nobody came around.
He also spoke about his background in art and how directing let him combine his creative interests:
Another reason was that I had been an artist and shifted to acting and wondered if I should have left art. By directing, I realized I could put the two together: I could ‘design’ the film. Suddenly, I got very excited.
Ordinary People’s Surprising Success
When Ordinary People finally hit cinemas, it proved Redford’s instincts were spot on. The film pulled in $90 million at the box office on a modest budget, and critics were just as impressed. It picked up six Oscar nominations, with Redford taking home Best Director on his first try. The film also cleaned up at the Golden Globes, winning Best Picture and Best Director among its five awards. Not bad for a project that nearly didn’t get made at all.