Redford criticises PM's film appeal

Robert Redford has hit-out at the Prime Minister for comments he made about the film industry.

Speaking before a visit to Pinewood Studios in January, David Cameron said the Government should help "UK producers to make commercially successful pictures".

But the Hollywood veteran branded the PM's view "very narrow", and joked of his political problems, "that may be why he's in trouble".

During a press conference for his London version of the Sundance Festival, The Sting star said help shouldn't be given simply to make films box-office hits.

"That view, I think, is very narrow. It doesn't speak to the broad category of filmmakers and artists," he said.

The star also said he was "not a particular fan" of 3D, and that he thought technology had "got a little too far" in the film industry.

"My feeling right now is things have gone too far, at some great cost by the way, and time will tell whether it really works or not", he said.

Redford also told how he was opposed to including the hit song Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head in the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid which teamed him up with Paul Newman for the first time. The song is used in a famous scene where Newman shares a bicycle with co-star Katherine Ross.

He said: "A film that I was in, Butch Cassidy, the music played a huge role.

"I didn't see it at the time because I thought it was stupid.Suddenly there was a scene where the guy was singing Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head and it isn't even raining and I thought 'Jesus, what?'. Well, how wrong was I?"