The Way We Were

The Way We Were

The Way we Were was directed by Sydney Pollack in 1973. The film is rated a PG but does have some scenes of a sexual nature that may need parental consent before young children watch it. The film is aimed primarily at women.

The tells the story of two lovers and their lives. It tells the epic tale of how they meet, how they fall in love and how they fall out of love. The story starts in a college where the two main characters Katie and Hubbell go. Katie is a outgoing load mouth jewish activist who stands up for what she believes in and Hubbell is the school jock, he is handsome and good at sport and very popular. Katie and Hubbell are in the same writing class, that is were they meet. Hubbell and Katie both have a shared interest in writing and that's how they first initially connect. Katie is fascinated by Hubbell and she becomes infatuated. They don’t meet again till a few years later during the Second World War, Hubbell is in the Army and Katie is working in New York. Hubbell stays with Katie in New York and their relationship develops from thereon. When Hubbell’s book takes off and they move to Hollywood so he can make a movie, Katie falls pregnant and all seems well. their relationship hits hard times as Hubbell cheats on Katie, they stay together till the baby is born but their relationship can’t handle it and they split. They meet for the last time by chance in New York, they both have new partners and are happy, although they have split they still love each other but realise they are happier apart.

The film is told in a linear order from start to finish, following the ups and downs of their lives and relationship. I think this structure is really effective in a love story as it enables the audience to be there from start to finish, understanding the whole story and relating to the characters and their journey. The film has a lot of montages to show the passing of time and the development of their relationship. These are accompanied by music that gives an atmosphere of romance and happiness. I think the montages are a really effective way to fill in the story, they give the audience a real feel for the characters' feelings and lets them into their world. This film doesn’t really have a focal place like the other films I have watched and there are a lot of location changes. When they first get together Katie lives in a small flat and she is not very well off. They show this by having shots where almost the whole living space is showing to illustrate how small the flat is. Then when they move to Hollywood the are living a better life, the film shows this by having two shots of them in sports cars and playing volleyball on the beach. This adds a kind of rags to riches side to the story. When they first connect in College they meet on a dark shadowy street lit only by street lights, the shadowy setting is romantic and creates a sense of suspense and mystery. Then when they bump into each other years later they met in a posh restaurant, it is glamourous buzzing with people miles away from their college days, this shows how much they have both changed. The film also has lots of close ups and two shots to show the relationship between Katie and Hubbell and the other characters. The music in this film also plays a vital role in this film, it really adds to the atmosphere of the scenes and gives the audience a better understanding of the emotions.

This film is slightly different from the other earlier films I have watched. This film involved more physical scenes. There is a scene with them kissing in front of the fire and sex is defiantly implied. These scenes show the intimacy of the relationship and add another dynamic to the story. The scenes aren’t too graphic but they show way more than the earlier films. This is because of the changing attitude of the times in the 40’s they would never show that kind of physical intimacy but in the 70’s people were a lot more relaxed about sex and it would have been acceptable to suggest that their relationship was physical.