Tuesday, January 6, 7:00 pm - Barefoot in the Park
Tuesday, January 13, 7:00 pm - Brubaker
Tuesday, January 20, 7:00 pm - The Natural
Tuesday, January 27, 7:00 pm - Sneakers
Tuesday, February 3, 7:00 pm - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Tuesday, February 10, 7:00 pm - The Sting

With a career spanning over 60 years, Robert Redford remains the ideal American actor: always effortlessly charming, but also thoughtful, curious, and grounded.

January's films each focus on a different facet of Redford's persona -- the Romantic Lead, the Social Conscience, the Homegrown Hero, and the Ringleader.

February wraps up this series with two of the most beloved buddy films ever made: his collaborations with the equally iconic Paul Newman, with the pair playing outlaws and con men, while remaining deeply, disarmingly likeable.

January 6: Barefoot in the Park

Written by Neil Simon and based on his own play, this romantic comedy sees Robert Redford and Jane Fonda as newlyweds in New York City. When uptight lawyer Paul (Redford) and free-spirited Corie (Fonda) get hitched and move into a tiny fifth-floor apartment, they find that pure passion (of which there's plenty) may not be enough for their marriage to persevere.

Redford's charm is on full display -- equal parts exasperated and romantic -- as he learns that sometimes lasting love means surrendering control.

"It is as hilarious and pleasantly zany a farce as it was in the howling stage success by Neil Simon, who also did the script for the film." —Myles Standish, St. Louis Post Dispatch

Directed by Gene Saks

Starring Robert Redford, Jane Fonda, Charles Boyer, Mildred Natwick

January 13: Brubaker

When reform-minded Henry Brubaker (Robert Redford) arrives at his new job as warden for Arkansas' Wakefield Prison, he immediately sees that things will have to change -- but the horrific ways in which the prisoners are mistreated can be traced to the greed and callousness of those at the very top of the ladder.

Redford demonstrates a fierce moral conviction, confronting corruption and insisting that institutions can do better, even as the cost is increasingly personal. When the villain is the system itself, how do you keep fighting?

"Unsparing in its evocation of brutality, and unswerving in its commitment to Brubaker's radical, uncompromising ideals, the film at its best provokes a powerful sense of tension and outrage." —David Ansen, Newsweek

Directed by Stuart Rosenberg

Starring Robert Redford, Yaphet Kotto, Jane Alexander, Morgan Freeman

January 20: The Natural

Robert Redford becomes an American myth with his portrayal of Roy Hobbs, a baseball prodigy who, after a mysterious disappearance, returns later in life with one last shot at glory.

Redford radiates both confidence and melancholy as a homegrown hero whose talent is somehow both miraculous and deeply human, resulting in a nostalgic classic of sports cinema.

"Being a baseball fan involves repeatedly experiencing exquisite pain and exquisite joy. Well, there's a lot of both in The Natural." —Gene Siskel, Chicago Tribune

Directed by Barry Levinson

Starring Robert Redford, Glenn Close, Robert Duvall, Kim Basinger, Wilford Brimley

January 27: Sneakers

Computer hacker Martin (Robert Redford) is the ringleader of a misfit group of specialists (including Sidney Poitier, Dan Aykroyd, and Mary McDonnell) who test the security of various San Francisco companies. Martin is approached by two National Security Agency officers who ask him to steal a newly invented decoder. Martin and his team discover that the black box can crack any encryption code, posing a world-changing threat if it lands in the wrong hands -- but is there any such thing as "the right hands"?

Information is power in this breezy caper film, which sees Redford older and slyer; relaxed, witty, and still magnetic.

"Part of the pleasure afforded by such a sequence comes from the careful exposition of intricate teamwork, combined with an adroit attention to the personalities involved." —Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

Directed by Phil Alden Robinson

Starring Robert Redford, Ben Kingsley, Sidney Poitier, Dan Aykroyd, Mary McDonnell, River Phoenix, David Straithairn

February 3: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Loosely based on a true story of fast-draws, wild rides, train robberies, a torrid love affair, and a new lease on outlaw life in far away Bolivia, this revered buddy Western is also a character study of a remarkable friendship between Butch (Paul Newman) -- possibly the most likeable outlaw in frontier history -- and his closest associate, the fabled, ever-dangerous Sundance Kid (Robert Redford).

As Sundance, Redford is laconic and impossibly cool -- a role that cemented Redford as a new kind of outlaw. His off-the-charts chemistry with Newman made the two an iconic pair for the ages.

"Note-perfect performances, a screenplay steeped in both nostalgia and a timely sense of insight, and anti-heroes you can't help but love: it's no surprise that the always re-watchable Butch And Sundance was once labelled the most likeable film ever made." —Bob McCabe, Empire Magazine

Directed by George Roy Hill

Starring Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Katharine Ross

February 10: The Sting

Following the murder of a mutual friend, aspiring con man Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford) teams up with old pro Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman) to take revenge on the ruthless crime boss responsible, Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw).

Hooker and Gondorff set about implementing an elaborate scheme, one so crafty that Lonnegan won't even know he's been swindled. As their big con unfolds, however, things don't go according to plan.

Reunited with Newman and director George Roy Hill, Redford trades the old west for the 1930s, working his boyish charm to his advantage at every turn. The result is a caper film both jaunty and precise, even as the game grows dangerous.

"One of the most enduring and exquisitely crafted blockbusters of all time." —Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times

"An unalloyed delight, the kind of pure entertainment film that's all the more welcome for having become such a rarity. What's more, it's a triumph of quality Hollywood craftsmanship." —Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

Directed by George Roy Hill

Starring Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Robert Shaw

Film Prices

Lincoln Theatre Members get $3.00 off on the following prices when buying tickets at-the-door:

General: $12.00
Seniors, Students, and Active Military: $11.00
Children 12 and under: $9.50

All prices include a $2.00 Preservation Fee that goes directly into our capital account for the preservation of the Lincoln Theatre and its programs.

FILM SERIES: ROBERT REDFORD - THE GREAT AMERICAN MOVIE STAR