Robert Redford: He was not ours...

"Now take back the soul of Denys George Finch Hatton, whom you have shared with us. He brought us joy, and we loved him well. He was not ours. He was not mine."

The eulogy read to Denys (Robert Redford) by Karen (Meryl Streep) from the movie, Out of Africa.

Many significant events took place in America in 1969, including the Apollo 11 mission, in which American astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on the moon. It was the summer of love and music, when the Woodstock Festival drew 400,000 young music lovers to a dairy farm in upstate New York. The now notorious Richard Nixon was sworn in as the 37th President of the United States. Cult leader Charles Manson brutally murdered a pregnant young actress, Sharon Tate, and four others at her Los Angeles home. Sesame Street and The Brady Bunch premiered on our televisions, and on the big screen, a western film titled Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was released. 

In 1969, that year was also a memorable time for me, as I had just turned 15 that summer and was counting the days until I could get my driver's learning permit. It was the first time I had heard of an actor named Robert Redford.  

You see, my mother and her friends would dress up and have a girls' night out at the movie theater whenever Paul Newman or Sidney Poitier was starring in a new movie. Dad would reach into his wallet, generously giving Mom dollars for the movie admission, and extra so she could sit in the mezzanine loges. These chairs were broad in width, textured turquoise upholstery, reclined, rocked, and even had a built-in ashtray - and yes, you could smoke in the mezzanine. Also, the extra dollars were to treat herself to coffee and a slice of pie with her friends at the diner across the street from the theater. 

After Mom left for the evening with friends, and this time to see the newest hot movie, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford, Dad would often take us kids out for hamburgers and root beer floats. 

On Christmas Day in 1973, Paul Newman and Robert Redford once again partnered in their Oscar-nominated movie, The Sting. My Dad died that summer. Mom didn't want to spend Christmas at home without Dad, so we spent the holidays in Phoenix with her sister, our aunt, and then off to New Mexico to spend time with my brother, sister-inlaw, and their baby girl.

After the first of the year, The Sting was finally released at our local theater, and I remember feeling glad that Mom stayed true to her routine of meeting up with her dear friends to see their favorite leading man, Paul Newman (and now with a bonus, Robert Redford). Mom going to the movies with her girlfriends was one of the few things that stayed the same. 

It was in October 1973 that I started paying attention to Redford after watching him in the movie "The Way We Were," a weepy, heart-squeezing melodrama starring him with leading lady Barbra Streisand. And once again in 1974, when he played the dashing leading role of The Great Gatsby. 

While I loved the two movies above, it was the 7 Academy Award-winning "Out of Africa" that stole my heart. From the soundtrack by John Barry, the unforgettable scenery of Africa, and the leading stars, Meryl Streep, and, of course, Robert Redford. The story was from the 1937 memoir, Out of Africa, by Danish author Karen Blixen. She shared her account of being a woman in the wilderness of Africa. Still, most of all, she shared her affection for the man she loved, Denys Finch Hatton, a farmer, outdoorsman, biplane pilot, and nonconformist who came from a titled British family and was educated at Oxford. Sadly, Denys was killed doing something he loved, exploring the country amongst the clouds.  

Over the next fifty years, we would see Redford receive numerous accolades for not only acting in and directing projects, including Academy Awards, but also for his significant involvement in humanity. He co-founded the Sundance Institute and the Sundance Film Festival, supporting a new generation of filmmakers. Redford was noted for his environmental activism, including his support of Native American and Indigenous rights, as well as his advocacy for LGBTQ+ equality. 

In 2019, Redford openly became critical of the Trump admin by penning an op-ed referring to it as a "monarchy in disguise, and was vocal that "It's time for Trump to go." He criticized Trump's handling of COVID-19 pandemic, Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, and once again Redford penned an op-ed stating Trump lacking a "moral compass," while expressing support for 2020 presidential candidate, Joe Biden. 

On the day Robert Redford passed away, September 26, many memories flooded through my mind. There were so many thoughts that it wasn't until a couple of days later that I could sort it all out and finally understand the impact of this significant loss, especially in the dark of the Trump administration. Many of us are looking for heroes. 

However, the very first thing that came to mind was a recent conversation I had with a good friend. Julie is like a younger sister to me. It was a few months before Redford's death when I received a text from her,

Why didn't you tell me about Robert Redford? I just watched The Way We Were, and I need more movies that he starred in. What do you recommend?

While writing this entry, I was reminded of an earlier email I received from another dear friend, who had shared his thoughts with me. My friend sums it all up. I couldn't agree more. 

I liked and admired Robert Redford while he was alive, but I wasn't obsessive about it. Now I am -- I'm reading everything I can about him. My admiration is no less diminished. Not only is reading about Redford a good distraction from all the Trump bullshit, which gets worse every day, but it's also a confirmation that the world is worse without him in it. I'm sorry he's gone, I really am.

August 18, 1936 - September 16, 2025