The Way We Were (1973) analysis

The Way We Were (1973)

3.5/5

This film is a classic. A beautiful love story. Great performances by Streisand and Redford. I suppose you could call this a "romcom", but it's more substantial than that. 

***SPOILERS***

I can't decide if this movie is feminist or not. I go back an forth. It seems that Katie (Streisand) is the all empowered woman at the start of the film. Although she gets ridiculed a lot. She also doesn't have her writing acknowledged in class. And then she tears it up and cries when it isn't read out. 

Another reason she gets disempowered by a man (ie. Hubble) is that at the start of the film she says she doesn't drink (ie alcohol) and it doesn't take much for Hubble to convince her "just a sip". For the rest of the film she is constantly seen drinking. 

One pro for Katie is that the sex scene with her and Hubble is a) quite long and b) shows her face and experience of it predominantly. This is unusual considering the film was made in 1973 and also depicts an era of conservatism. She even seems to be the one to seduce him. Although it's not great that she whispers at the end "You know it's Katie don't you?". It's not great that a strong independent woman needs to seduce a womaniser jock that is so drunk and passed out he doesn't even know who he's having sex with. Then the next day Hubble seems really awkward and ashamed while Katie is smitten with him. 

Ultimately when Hubble and Katie get together Katie becomes deferential to him. Despite her inappropriate volatile outbursts at his friend's parties Katie says she stops going to communist meetings. The film makes Katie look like an irrational embarrassment. 

Not only that, but when they break up Katie calls him to come over, practically begging him. She prostrates herself before him and says she will change practically everything about her that makes her strong an independent. 

However after they move to Hollywood Katie redeems herself and stands up for her beliefs in the protest going against Hubble's wishes. So eventually Katie stays true to herself and they break up, but she asks him to stay until the baby is born. In the end she is married to someone else and still standing up for her beliefs. So I go back and forth, I think in the end the film portrays a woman sacrificing her love of a man (who makes her compromise herself) to maintain her beliefs.