The incomparable Sydney Pollack has passed away at the age of 73.
With an impressive filmography that includes "Tootsie", "The Firm" and "the Interpreter", Pollack has the distinctive achievement of having directed two of the most romantic films of all time; "The Way We Were" and the Oscar winning "Out of Africa", which also happen to be two examples of a particular style he excelled at with his features.
Teaming up great lead actors with compelling stories he kept alive the adult drama in a world that constantly underestimated this audience.
While everyone else was teaming up Jessica Alba and Chris Evans in films about saving the world, Pollack paired people like Sean Penn and Nicole Kidman to deliver films that could still be thrilling by genre conventions and deliver the emotional goods.
Extracting career best performances from people like Robert Redford, Barbra Streisand and Dustin Hoffman, Pollack was also a very accomplished actor, he delivered scene stealing work in "Eyes Wide Shut" and last year's multiawarded "Michael Clayton" which he also produced.
His producing work with the late Anthony Minghella also provided Pollack with a deserved place in film history, considering he made films like "The Talented Mr. Ripley".
Nominated for several best director Oscars he took it home for "Out of Africa" which in a way sums up the remarkable career of who also seemed to be a very charming man.
By exploring the basic core of human relationships he touched people everywhere and proved that we're affected by the same things, whether we're European royalty in Africa or drag performers in national television.
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