Message movie — Robert Redford hopes 'Lions for Lambs' won't be lumped with flicks on Iraq war

SAN FRANCISCO — Actor and political activist Robert Redford learned a lifelong lesson when he was a teenager.

"At 18, I went to the University of Colorado. I was asked to leave after a year. I went to Europe to study art," Redford says during an interview at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. "I was living a very Bohemian life with a lot of other students. They would talk about politics all the time.

And I had nothing to say. That's when I became determined to really read up about my country so I would have an answer for their questions."

After a few years abroad, he returned to the United States a "pessimistic optimist." He knew that while the country faced major problems, there was potential for change. It just meant getting involved.

That's why Redford balanced his pursuit of an acting career, spawned by the art he studied overseas and fueled by the set design work he began doing when he returned to the United States, with an interest in history, current events and politics. He was determined to live a life of learning and being proactive when it came to politics.

That has continued for the past 50 years. Redford has fought for social causes, such as the environment and American Indian rights. He founded the Sundance Institute and Film Festival, which helps small, independent filmmakers and has become a powerhouse in getting films noticed.

In acting, his movies such as "All the President's Men," "The Candidate" and "Three Days of the Condor" were driven by strong political messages.

Now, he's on the road to talk about his new film, "Lions for Lambs," which represents Redford's passion for politics. He directed the movie and co-stars with Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep. The film looks at America's current war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. But instead of focusing on the gunbattles and big special effects, the movie is about today's politics and how they mirror the past. It has lots of dialogue. Cruise plays a Republican senator, Streep a cable-news reporter and Redford a college professor.

"Lions for Lambs" reflects Redford's belief that the American people are being failed by the educational system and that politicians and media more interested in small matters, such as a celebrity's rehabilitation stay, than in bigger, important matters, such as the war.

The film deals with the current conflict, but Redford doesn't want "Lions for Lambs" to be lumped in with other recent productions about the war, such as "Rendition," "Kingdom" or "Home of the Brave."