Sydney Pollack’s America

Sydney Pollack is a filmmaker of ‘Americana’ par excellence and the narrative lyricism of Hollywood movies, heir to both the rhapsody of the Golden Age and the fracture engendered by New Hollywood at the turn of the 1970s. The greatest cinema artists, from Jane Fonda (Lumière Award 2018) to Meryl Streep, Tom Cruise or his friend Robert Redford (whom he directed seven times), have passed in front of his camera. Deeply political and anchored in reality – akin to his contemporaries Mike Nichols, Robert Altman, Sidney Lumet or Jerry Schatzberg - Sydney Pollack's films reflect the American obsessions of the second half of the 20th century: the society of the spectacle, the immersion of politics in all strata of daily life and romanticism put to the test by modernity. Far from being Manichean, he declared: "I don't like to direct the viewer's thinking and my characters are full of uncertainties”. In 2021, we take a journey through the career of one of the last giants of American cinema, an ‘auteur' of unclassifiable work, touching all genres, with a filmography full of masterpieces, awards and Oscars. And for the occasion, never-before-seen restorations by Warner, Paramount and Wild Side.

The Slender Thread (1965, 1h38)
Alan Newell (Sidney Poitier), a volunteer at an emergency hotline centre, receives a call from a woman (Anne Bancroft) who, in her desperation, has taken a lethal dose of sleeping pills... For his first feature film, Sydney Pollack creates a movie that mixes psychological intrigue and police action.
Lumière Institute Sat 9 5:15pm | Comœdia Mon 11 2pm | Pathé Bellecour Wed 13 10:45am | UGC Astoria Fri 15 5:30pm

This Property is Condemned (1966, 1h50)
1930. Owen, a railroad agent, is sent to Mississippi to close down a large part of the business and lay off staff. He meets Alva (Natalie Wood)... A film that will mark the beginning of a long collaboration between Pollack and Robert Redford, his go-to actor.
Cinéma Opéra Sun 10 4:30pm | UGC Confluence Tue 12 2:30pm | Vénissieux Wed 13 8pm | Comœdia Fri 15 11:15am | Pathé Bellecour Sat 16 1:45pm

The Scalphunters (1968, 1h43)
1850, in the Rockies, trapper Joe Bass meets Indians who offer him a fool's bargain: his skins in exchange for a slave... An unusual film that breaks the codes of the western featuring a trapper, a black man, Indians and a former prostitute.
Cinéma Opéra Mon 11 9:45pm | UGC Confluence Thu 14 9:45pm | Lumière Terreaux Sat 16 2:30pm

They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (1969, 2h09)
In the middle of the economic depression, dance marathons are a resounding success. Robert and Gloria dance to the point of losing their minds... A deeply moving film (the marathon sequence is filmed in real time), a powerful adaptation of Horace McCoy's novel.
Villa Lumière Sat 9 7:15pm | Comœdia Tue 12 10:45am | Lumière Institute Wed 13 9:45pm | Pathé Bellecour Sun 17 5:15pm

Castle Keep (1969, 1h47)
Winter 1944. The Germans are preparing a counter-offensive in the Belgian Ardennes. Eight American soldiers take up residence with the Count of Maldorais (Jean-Pierre Aumont)... The only war film in Sydney Pollack's career, adapted from the novel by William Eastlake.
UGC Confluence Tue 12 8:45pm | Villa Lumière Wed 13 2:15pm | Cinéma Opéra Sat 16 5pm

Jeremiah Johnson (1972, 1h48)
19th century. Weary of the world, Jeremiah Johnson (Robert Redford), a former soldier, decides to leave everything behind and live alone in the Rockies... A true fable about civilization, in the captivating landscapes of Utah.
UGC Confluence Sun 10 2pm | Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon Tue 12 8pm | Pathé Bellecour Thu 14 8pm | Comœdia Fri 15 2:15pm | CinéDuchère Sat 16 8:30pm | Lumière Institute Sun 17 7:30pm

The Way We Were (1973, 1h58)
Spring 1937. Katie Morosky (Barbra Streisand), a committed student, meets Hubbell Gardiner (Robert Redford), a casual charmer... This movie garnered Sydney Pollack multiple awards and confirmed his status as one of the leading directors of New Hollywood.
Écully Mon 11 8pm | Villa Lumière Tue 12 4pm | Pathé Bellecour Wed 13 10pm | UGC Confluence Thu 14 2:45pm | UGC Astoria Sat 16 5:15pm

The Yakuza (1974, 1h52)
George Tanner, whose daughter has been kidnapped by Japanese gangsters, asks for help from his friend Harry Kilmer, who knows Japan and the crime syndicate... Between film noir and the western, two legendary figures confront each other, Robert Mitchum and Ken Takakura, nicknamed the "Japanese Eastwood".
Comœdia Sun 10 9:15pm | Lumière Terreaux Mon 11 9:45pm | Pathé Bellecour Tue 12 7:15pm | UGC Confluence Fri 15 10pm

Three Days of the Condor (1975, 1h57)
Working for the CIA, Joseph Turner (Robert Redford) finds his colleagues murdered one day. A race against time begins to unmask their murderers... A monument to the paranoid thriller with Faye Dunaway and Max von Sydow.
UGC Astoria Sun 10 5:45pm | UGC Confluence Mon 11 5pm | Cinéma St-Denis Tue 12 8:30pm | Caluire Thu 14 8:30pm | Pathé Bellecour Fri 15 6.45pm | Cinéma Opéra Sun 17 5pm

Bobby Deerfield (1977, 2h04)
In a Swiss clinic, Formula 1 champion Bobby Deerfield visits a colleague who has been in an accident. He meets a strange young woman, Lilian, who will challenge his self-assuredness... A personal and intimate melodrama led by the talents of Al Pacino and Marthe Keller.
Villa Lumière Thu 14 9:45pm | Lumière Bellecour Sat 16 8:30pm

The Electric Horseman (1979, 2h01)
Sonny Steele, an ex-rodeo champion past his prime, is reduced to selling the benefits of cereal to make a living. One day, he runs away with a stallion. Hallie Martin, a journalist who smells a scoop, goes looking for him... An ecological and political fable starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda.
UGC Confluence Sun 10 9:30pm | UGC Astoria Mon 11 8pm | UGC Confluence Wed 13 11am

Absence of malice (1981, 1h56)
Investigating a kidnapping case, the FBI puts an innocent man in jeopardy to obtain his cooperation while manipulating a young reporter on the lookout for a scoop... A thriller that questions the two pillars of American democracy: freedom of the press and the right to information.
Lumière Institute Sun 17 10:30am

Tootsie (1982, 1h56)
After several professional failures, an actor decides to cross-dress in order to get a female role in a successful series... A film that won several awards, featuring Jessica Lange and a remarkable Dustin Hoffman.
Rillieux Sun 10 3pm | Lumière Bellecour Mon 11 8:30pm | Pathé Vaise Fri 15 8:30pm | Comœdia Sat 16 10:45am | Pathé Bellecour Sun 17 2:30pm

Out of Africa (1985, 2h41)
Kenya, 1914. Karen (Meryl Streep), a young Danish woman abandoned by her husband, falls under the spell of Denys (Robert Redford), a hunter fiercely in love with freedom... Michel Boujut: "Heartfelt, a hymn to beauty and innocence, exoticism, metaphysics- ‘Out of Africa’ combines and embraces all the elements of cinematographic material, resulting in a film that epitomises all films."
Pathé Bellecour Sun 10 3pm | UGC Astoria Tue 12 7pm | Décines Thu 14 8pm | UGC Cité Internationale Sat 16 8:30pm | UGC Confluence Sun 17 2:15pm

Sketches of Frank Gehry (2006, 1h23)
A meeting between two 20th century creators. The filmmaker mixes biographical essay and conversation with the star architect, Frank Gehry, who has taken modern architecture to the level of high art.
Lumière Bellecour Tue 12 8:30pm