Robert Redford, The Sting, and More! With Film Historian Harry Chotiner

Who among us didn’t love The Sting? The 1973 film was the second and last time Robert Redford and Paul Newman would team up. (The first, of course, was Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.) In their second hit film, they play clever con men who hatch an ingenious scheme to rob a rich gambler.

On Wednesday, January 7, Arts & Culture will focus on this iconic movie and the late Robert Redford’s career. Our guide will be film historian and industry veteran Harry Chotiner, whose eclectic film classes, Diving into the Movies, always are among OLLI’s most popular offerings. He also will talk briefly about Diane Keaton, another film icon who recently died, and assess the state of the movie business in the streaming era.

Tickets for his talk are $5 for club members and students and $10 for non-members. Please register early so we can be sure to accommodate everyone comfortably.

Chotiner strongly suggests you see The Sting again — or for the first time — before his talk. You can watch the film at home on Prime Video, YouTube TV, or Apple TV.

In Chotiner’s view, the combination of Robert Redford and Paul Newman alone is reason enough to see The Sting. However, Chotiner adds, the film also has one of the most memorable scores ever, a witty and complicated caper plot, a notable supporting cast of “delicious character actors,” and just the right liberal politics for the early 1970s. All these elements come together beautifully under the masterful control of George Roy Hill, who won an Academy Award for directing The Sting.

“A lot of us complain that Hollywood studios no longer make entertaining and fun movies for grownups,” Chotiner says. “This is exactly the kind of film that we're talking about, and we will discuss why films like it don't get made anymore. “

Chotiner is a film historian and adjunct assistant professor of film at New York University. Born and raised in Los Angeles, he says, “Films were always in my blood.” One of his grandfathers once owned movie theaters in L.A., some family friends were in the movie business, and his parents loved movies. Nevertheless, Chotiner first intended to be a rabbi, but he dropped out of rabbinc school to earn a Ph.D. in American history. He then worked as an editor at Socialist Review magazine. He “burned out on lefty politics” after three years and finally gave in to his attraction to film

He began as a script reader, eventually rising to vice president of development at Zoetrope Studio, CBS Theatrical Films, 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios), and Interscope Communications. After __ years in film, Chotiner started yet another career: teaching at College Preparatory School in Oakland, New York University School of Professional Studies, and OLLI. He is married to Patty Blum, a human rights lawyer.

With his endearing blend of scholarship, movie trivia, and personal anecdotes, Chotiner will greatly enhance your appreciation of The Sting. Register early so you won’t miss his exploration of one of Hollywood’s most beloved films.

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