I was quite surprised how shocked I was at hearing of the recent death last night of filmmaker/actor/producer Sydney Pollack (1934 - 2008).
Now that he has passed away I cannot pretend he was one of my favorite directors around, he wasn't, but, by no means did I think of him as a hack Hollywood studio director. I actually liked him and found him to be a pretty good actor. No one is going to say he was Robert De Niro or Al Pacino but many times he was just as effective in his roles.
I think the first time I saw Sydney Pollack may have been in his 1982 comedy "Tootsie". The film was nominated for 10 Oscars and was named by AFI as one of the 100 Funniest Films of All Time. But it wasn't until I saw him act in Woody Allen's "Husbands & Wives" and Stanley Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut" that I really considered myself a fan of his work.
I have not seen all of his films but Pollack was a filmmaker who consistently made entertaining, watchable films. He was one of those lucky people who enjoyed commercial success but also gained critical success as well. He didn't make a masterpiece every time, but that is okay. It is difficult to do that within the studio system.
The last film Pollack directed, that I saw, I actually didn't like very much. It was "The Interpreter" starring Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn. It wasn't an unwatchable film but I found some of the character development weak and little chemistry between the two stars. But films such as "The Firm" and "Tootsie" are enjoyable to watch.
Pollack's acting impressed me more than his directing. Besides appear in Woody Allen and Stanley Kubrick movies he was also in last year's highly acclaimed "Michael Clayton" playing George Clooney's boss. The film was on my "top ten" list for 2007. It would have been my choice for "best picture" of the films nominated. Pollack also served as a producer on the film. Other films Pollack was in include "Changing Lanes" "The Player" and "A Civil Action".
He also produced a great many films from the recent HBO film about the 2000 presidential election, "Recount" to "Cold Mountain", "The Quiet American" and "The Talented Mr. Ripley".
Here are some ratings of films Pollack either directed, acted in or produced:
"The Interpreter" (Dir./Prod/Act) ** 1\2 (out of ****)
"Sabrina" (Dir. /Prod) ** 1\2 (out of ****)
"The Firm" (Dir./ Prod) **** (out of ****)
"Tootsie" (Dir. Prod/ Act) *** (out of ****)
"Husbands & Wives" (Act) **** (out of ****)
"Eyes Wide Shut" (act) **** (out of ****)
"The Quiet American" (prod) **** (out of ****)
"Cold Mountain" (prod) *** (out of ****)
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