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The Way We Were

1973 · directed by Sydney Pollack · 118 min
23,636 feet · Prominence
1,058th of 24,106 films scored
Not coveredNo Rewatchables episode on file.

How this film scores

Draw67

Lifetime worldwide gross $50m, re-releases included; about $372m in 2026 money.

Rank898 of 11,051In 19736 of 48

How Draw works

Inflation-adjusted worldwide box office, on one global curve, and nothing else. It does not know whether a film was good.

Praise73

Awards claim half the headroom above the critics' score.

Critics63 baseAwards57 signal → +10 lift

Oscars1 won Original Dramatic Score4 nominated Actress, Cinematography, Costume Design, Production Design
Golden Globes1 nominated Lead acting
BAFTAs1 nominated Lead acting
How Praise works

Critics set the score; a tiered award record, Picture and Directing carrying the most weight, claims half the headroom above it. Praise is the verdict at the time; Legacy is the verdict since.

Legacy48

Judged directly: The Streisand song carries its memory.

Verdict48 of 100IMDb7 from 30kWikipedia44k views a monthAge53 years

Scored beside it · 1,171 of 4,039 films judged

If it does not belong in this company, the number is wrong.

How Legacy works

Legacy is a judgment, not a formula. A film can be adored by critics and culturally quiet, or lightly reviewed and permanently lodged in the culture, and no arithmetic over IMDb numbers tells the difference. Every signal behind it keeps updating.

draw 67 praise 73 legacy 48averages 63, placing it at23,636 ft
How the three become one number

Added, not multiplied, so a film transcendent on one pillar and weak on another is not zeroed out. A compression curve then squeezes the top, because the seven greatest films ever made should not be four thousand feet apart.

In these careers — elevation for this film

Barbra Streisand20,254 ftRobert Redford20,009 ftSydney Pollack18,295 ftBradford Dillman18,174 ftLois Chiles18,032 ftMurray Hamilton17,909 ftViveca Lindfors17,835 ftJames Woods17,661 ftHerb Edelman17,630 ftSally Kirkland17,628 ft