Max von Sydow in ‘Three Days of the Condor’ (1975)
Directed by: Sydney Pollack
Screenplay by: Lorenzo Semple Jr. and David Rayfiel, based on “Six Days of the Condor” by: James Grady
Starring: Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson, Max von Sydow, John Houseman
Max von Sydow, who would have turned 91 on April 10, had a 70-year career that spanned some 150 films. Though he is most well known as Antonius Block in Ingmar Bergman’s “The Seventh Seal,” Father Lankester Merrin in William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist” or as Ming the Merciless in “Flash Gordon,” von Sydow’s performance as Joubert in Sydney Pollack’s 1975 political thriller, “Three Days of the Condor” remains a highlight.
Featuring an all-star cast, “Three Days of the Condor” is truly Robert Redford’s story. As Joseph Turner, Redford is a bookworm-turned-spy in mid-1970s New York City. Pollack uses a grey palette muting the background, not so much obscuring it, but rather blending it in to raise Redford’s profile as a man on the lamb.
The muted profile also allows von Sydow’s Joubert to stand out, not just because the actor was tall. In fact, there is a scene in which both Redford and von Sydow are in the same frame that you get a sense of just how tall both actors are. It helps to give von Sydow an even more menacing profile; he is thin and silent, his eyes always moving, calculating the next steps forward. He shows no remorse and no empathy, the hallmark of a cold-blooded assassin.
Even more menacing is that the character is in very few scenes in the film. This is not to say that the character is utilitarian in nature; he is referred to in the third person more frequently than seen. This helps to keep Turner on the move. The script, a collaboration between Lorenzo Semple Jr. and David Rayfiel, crafts a series of subdued characters for both Redford, but especially in von Sydow’s Joubert. In muting the background, Pollack allowed the actors to truly stand out, von Sydow being the most obvious benefactor.
The subdued nature of the background also helps Turner establish trust, something that does not come easily for the character after witnessing his colleagues having been murdered in the think tank, a cover for the CIA. Turner’s group was responsible for scanning books looking for hidden meanings and other useful information when Turner uncovers a plot within the CIA.
Knowing that he must keep a low profile, he kidnaps Kathy Hale played by Faye Dunaway, who plays the “damsel in distress” act quite effectively. Pollack’s direction of her performance elevates her relationship with Turner in an unexpected way; they fall for each other once the bonds of trust are forged.
Just as critical though is Turner’s relationship with the mysterious Joubert and the two actors get to share the screen twice in this film. Owen Roizman’s cinematography is key in establishing that the game of “cat and mouse” is still very much in effect, especially during their first encounter when Turner tests the waters to see if he is still a target.
The second encounter between the two men is vastly different as the third act takes an unexpected turn. Once the plot is revealed, and the two men can speak as compatriots rather than antagonists, we still see Joubert as a menacing figure, a credit to von Sydow’s performance and persona earlier in the film. We also see Redford’s Turner a changed person from that of someone who is fearful to someone who becomes fearless. Without a doubt, Max von Sydow’s performance makes Turner’s transition that much more jovial, only to be let down in the final few minutes of the film when Turner confronts Cliff Robertson’s Higgins.
Still, Sydney Pollack would go on to make many other thrillers featuring similar style stories, but none are as strong as “Three Days of the Condor,” a tribute to everyone on the production but most certainly Max von Sydow’s mysterious Joubert.
