Robert Redford would have been a natural fit for a western or war film made in Spain in the 1960s. He never did make a film in Spain, but he lived there for a while early in his career, staying in Mallorca and Malaga. At the time, he was trying to escape Hollywood and was considering quitting acting altogether. He lived a simple life in small towns, focusing on his painting and embracing a sense of freedom before his career took off with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969).
Years later, Redford co-starred with Barbra Streisand in the film The Way We Were (1973), which explored themes of Hollywood and the Spanish Civil War. The two meet in 1937 as college students from different circles. Katie (Streisand) is a student activist urging US intervention in the Spanish Civil War. Hubbell’s (Redford) snobbish friends taunt Katie, but he is impressed with her passion. After they reconnect several years, Hubbell becomes a successful screenwriter. But Katie’s continued activism, now fighting the Hollywood blacklist, threatens his career.
