The New Direction Of Vanessa Redgrave

British Actress Is Still Trying To Change The World

(CBS)  Candor is one of Redgrave's virtues, patience another. Take the case of her nearly half-century romance with Italian actor Franco Nero. They married just five months ago, on New Year's Eve.

"Why bother?" Wallace asks.

"Well, we've known each other for about 40 years," Redgrave says. "We've loved each other. He's been calling me his wife. I always liked that."

"It was a ceremony of respect and love with the family and some very close friends and dancing and grandchildren. It was wonderful," she says.

"To look at your face, it's quite apparent you feel that way still," Wallace remarks.

"I think after 40 years you know who you love and respect. And I do love and respect him very, very much," she says.

Love, marriage and children. Between them, she and Franco have three children: their son, Carlo, a director, and her two daughters from a previous marriage, Joely and Natasha Richardson, both actresses.

And then there is Vanessa’s sister, actress Lynn Redgrave. They've had public disagreements in the past, mostly over Vanessa's politics. Here's what Lynn Redgrave told Wallace back then:

"When her revolution comes, if it does, if I were in her way I’m sure she’d walk right over me, much as she might love me," she said. "It would upset her, I think, but, you know, onwards brothers, to the final goal. I think. That wouldn’t surprise me at all."

Today, Lynn Redgrave says, "I regret now, not that I felt the way I did because I think I was justified at the time in feeling that way. What I regret is speaking about it."

"The two of you have been at odds from time to time," Wallace remarks to Vanessa Redgrave.

"No, years ago we are at odds," Vanessa Redgrave replies, laughing. "We've never been at odds since the last, I don't know, ten years."

In that time Lynn survived a battle with breast cancer.

"Did your illness bring you closer?" Wallace asks Lynn Redgrave.

"Incredibly close, you know? It's as sisters, I can't describe it except to tell it warms my heart. It warms my soul, and I love every minute with her," she replies.

"She's an immensely giving and generous person. I'm very lucky to have her as a sister," Vanessa Redgrave tells Wallace.

"And she, too, for you," Wallace remarks.

"I think she feels the same way, yes," says Redgrave.

"Ah…That's lovely," Lynn Redgrave reacts. "It is as good as it gets. And I know how lucky I am because – sisters aren't always so close, at any time in their life let alone at this later point."

At this later point, Vanessa Redgrave shows no signs of slowing down. She's up for another Tony Award for her role in "The Year of Magical Thinking." But one role you will not see her play anytime soon is that of retiree. Why?

"Because I can't afford to," she says.

"What do you mean you can't afford to?" Wallace asks.

"I mean I can't afford to," she replies. "How do I pay my mortgage?"

Redgrave has spent much of her own money on projects in which she truly believes. She made a film for UNICEF, for which she serves as a Goodwill Ambassador.

Age has not quieted her convictions, just given them new direction. No, Vanessa Redgrave has not given up on trying to change the world.

"I came to see that human rights and human rights law is the only basis for creating a world that my children, your children, our grandchildren can live in," she says.

[alancarl1]

As my Jewish mother would say, a tiger doesn't change its stripes. Fortunately, Mom was often wrong about things, and for all I know Ms. Redgrave may be a true friend of the Jewish people today.

Those Jews who harbor ill-will for Ms. Redgrave's harsh statements made long ago should get over it. We need to bring the world together, not continue tearing it apart. We Jews need to keep vigilant - our history requires it. But clearly Ms. Redgrave is no threat to the security of world Jewry. And if she thought about it, I think even even Mom would agree.

[altalker1]

Anti-Zionism singles out the national feelings and movement of the Jews and considers Israel -and only Israel- an illegitimate state. It proposes actions, which would bring death to millions of Jews. Although from a strictly theoretical point of view you could be anti-Zionistic and not anti-Semite, in the real world the two come together.
In a propaganda film of the late 1970%u2019s, the radical Vanessa Redgrave performed a sensuous dance with a PLO machine gun. Whenever the film attacks Jews and Judaism, although the Arabic word Yahud (Jew) is used, the English subtitles read %u201CZionists%u201D. Martin Luther King understood the question very clearly when he declared: %u201CThey criticize Zionists but they mean Jews. You%u2019re talking anti-Semitism.%u201D
The overall attack on Zionism is appalling if we consider that even progressives such as feminists and ecologists were partners of the assault, even when in their areas of interest Israel can show a much better record than the Arab world, which can not exhibit one single democracy throughout its twenty-one states. Jean Paul Sartre reacted to the hypocrisy of considering the Arab world, with its slavery and feudal states as Socialist, and Israel, with its kibbutzim and welfare state as %u201Ca lackey of imperialism.%u201D Israel is one of the few states whose birth was indispensable to save thousands of lives.
Acknowledgement: From lectures given by Dr. Perednik published in http://www.New-Angle.org

[rkhater]

Unlike the Iranian president Ms. Redgrave has never called for the destruction of the state of Israel. Ms.Redgrave worked for the lifting of injustice from the Palestinian people and not for carrying out another injustice on the Israeli people.
Being anti-Zionist is not the same as being anti-jewish. Zionisim is a political movement whose aim is to establish a nation for one race or religion that excludes other groups living in the same land. One can imagine that the Nazi philosophy which called for removing the Jews from Europe can find something in common with the Zionist idea of establishing a homeland for the Jews in Palestine.

[rkhater]

Unlike the Iranian president Ms. Redgrave has never called for the destruction of the state of Israel. Ms.Redgrave worked for the lifting of injustice from the Palestinian people and not for carrying out another injustice on the Israeli people.
Being anti-Zionist is not the same as being anti-jewish. Zionisim is a political movement whose aim is to establish a nation for one race or religion that excludes other groups living in the same land. One can imagine that the Nazi philosophy which called for removing the Jews from Europe can find something in common with the Zionist idea of establishing a homeland for the Jews in Palestine.

[cdfoxtrot]

I hadn't known that Vanessa had taken such a courageous stand on behalf of the Palestinian people. It was a little before my time but it's sad there aren't others following in her footsteps today. Here in America we only get the pro-Israel view on things, and the US news channels are either biased or afraid to offend the pro-Israel crowd. Pity anyone who stands up to the Israelis, such as the British unions who are currently under attack for being so bold as to push for boycotts of Israel.

[altalker1]

Anti-Zionism singles out the national feelings and movement of the Jews and considers Israel -and only Israel- an illegitimate state. It proposes actions, which would bring death to millions of Jews. Although from a strictly theoretical point of view you could be anti-Zionistic and not anti-Semite, in the real world the two come together.
In a propaganda film of the late 1970%u2019s, the radical Vanessa Redgrave performed a sensuous dance with a PLO machine gun. Whenever the film attacks Jews and Judaism, although the Arabic word Yahud (Jew) is used, the English subtitles read %u201CZionists%u201D. Martin Luther King understood the question very clearly when he declared: %u201CThey criticize Zionists but they mean Jews. You%u2019re talking anti-Semitism.%u201D
The overall attack on Zionism is appalling if we consider that even progressives such as feminists and ecologists were partners of the assault, even when in their areas of interest Israel can show a much better record than the Arab world, which can not exhibit one single democracy throughout its twenty-one states. Jean Paul Sartre reacted to the hypocrisy of considering the Arab world, with its slavery and feudal states as Socialist, and Israel, with its kibbutzim and welfare state as %u201Ca lackey of imperialism.%u201D Israel is one of the few states whose birth was indispensable to save thousands of lives.
Acknowledgement: From lectures given by Dr. Perednik published in http://www.New-Angle.org

[imagineit-2009]

Mike Wallace, I honor your dedication as a person to present a great human being, Ms. Redgrave! While her politics and views may differ from many, she does have the right to be outspoken about them.

Ms. Redgrave has shown the world that there are 2 sides to every plight and fight. Even though her causes may be unpopular I feel exceptionally touched that this woman has the courage to be the voice of those who have not been valued in this world.

[mackandal-2009]

I regret that Mike Wallace considers his interview with Vanessa Redgrave one of his finest stories. Mr. Wallace should be ashamed to suggest that the pro-Palestinian stance for which Ms. Redgrave has been known should be equated with anti-Semitism. He should be even more ashamed to compare Ms. Redgrave's stance with that of the extreme position against Israel that Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmedinejad takes, as Mr. Wallace does in the introduction to Mr. Ahmedinejad's segment, which followed.

While neither side in the Mideast conflict can cloak itself in innocence, to suggest that the issue of violence is something to be addressed only by Palestine is to omit these facts, among many others: that Palestinian land is illegally occupied by the Israelis; that Palestinian homes are bulldozed with heavy equipment sold to the Israelis by U.S. firms; and that Palestinian families, including children and elderly, are as a result displaced and often killed. Shame on Mr. Wallace for shelving CBS's time-honored tradition of news and news analysis, and thus allowing the Israeli government to continue perpetrating
human-rights violations in the shadows.

[mackandal-2009]

I regret that Mike Wallace considers his interview with Vanessa Redgrave one of his finest stories. Mr. Wallace should be ashamed to suggest that the pro-Palestinian stance for which Ms. Redgrave has been known should be equated with anti-Semitism. He should be even more ashamed to compare Ms. Redgrave's stance with that of the extreme position against Israel that Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmedinejad takes, as Mr. Wallace does in the introduction to Mr. Ahmedinejad's segment, which followed.

While neither side in the Mideast conflict can cloak itself in innocence, to suggest that the issue of violence is something to be addressed only by Palestine is to omit these facts, among many others: that Palestinian land is illegally occupied by the Israelis; that Palestinian homes are bulldozed with heavy equipment sold to the Israelis by U.S. firms; and that Palestinian families, including children and elderly, are as a result displaced and often killed. Shame on Mr. Wallace for shelving CBS's time-honored tradition of news and news analysis, and thus allowing the Israeli government to continue perpetrating
human-rights violations in the shadows.