Redford

It's been said before (by me) and it will be said again (probably by me): In the cycle of the American film industry, two months plus a few days belong to the kids, the two months being December (from Thanksgiving, say, till Christmas) and June (from, say, May 15 through July 4). But those two months pay for the other 10 months, so perhaps we grown-ups should not begrudge them their fun.That also means that down-seasons, like early fall and late spring, belong to us, more or less, which is why in the next few weeks movies with John Malkovich, Robert Redford, Liam Neeson and Steve Martin dominate the film fare, rather than the 18-to-25-year-old mod squadders so beloved by our unruly children.

WASHINGTON -- Robert Redford calls "Quiz Show" a parable about "the eternal struggle between ethics and capitalism." It's no wonder that he explores television, an arena where ethics and capitalism clash all the time.In "Quiz Show," capitalism triumphs. The networks and producers, hungry for ratings and profits, deceive their viewers by fixing the results of the quiz shows.But the reality of television is more complex.The networks weren't wholly to blame for the quiz show scandals. Fakery isn't an easy thing to define, then or now. And television, for all its flaws, often manages to rise above commerce to serve the public.

Oh, how important are the little things.For years the phone rings and one picks it up to hear: "Is this Stephen Hunter? Please hold for Mr. Big."The seconds pass. Eventually, out of some telephonic ether, from a place where time doesn't exist, Mr. Big himself comes on, unruffled, unbothered, only slightly aware that the person holding the phone at your end registers on the radar of humanity.This time, however, the old horn goes jingle-jangle, and when a reporter picks it up, he hears the incredible: "Steve . . . Bob Redford."

The arts can learn from business. But business can learn from the arts, too, especially with creativity taking on increasing commercial importance.Consider five lessons from the arts section of the Jan. 25, 1994 New York Times:* 1. Success breeds failure. The lead story discussed the travails of the Sundance Film Festival, started by Robert Redford to tout exciting, low-budget films that get short shrift from Hollywood's high-powered distributors. Trouble is, the festival's success has turned it into a showcase for the establishment; huge studios have started using Sundance to market high-budget releases.

You're in the nuthouse, Mr. Jones. That's the gist of th drably titled "Mr. Jones," the picture that asks, "Have you hugged your manic-depressive today?"This is another in an endless litany of Hollywood films that hopelessly sentimentalizes the cruel condition known as mental illness and holds that somehow the "touched" are more pure, more innocent, more special than the rest of us. Their agony, or so runs the line, is a higher form of being.But give this one a tiny little sliver of credit.

Gibsonburg, Ohio. -- Women want to see more naked men in the movies. On the screen, not in the seat next to them.Recently, Glamour magazine polled 2,000 women between the ages of 18 and 44, asking if they felt exploited by excessive female nudity in the movies. Two-thirds of them said yes. Eighty-six percent voted to turn the tables and undress the men. Payback time, I guess.But wait a minute. Are we sure this is the way we want it? I decided to take my own survey. ''Are you in favor of gratuitous male nudity in the movies?

A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT(Columbia TriStar, rated PG, 1992)Robert Redford has accomplished with his director role in "A River Runs Through It" what few veterans have managed: He has created a deep sense of feeling.It's not that the film evokes a specific emotional response from the viewer, although it does that as well; it's that the film itself is the celluloid crystallization of the indescribable deep-seated feelings that drive most everyone but are seldom consciously acknowledged.If an alien were to land on the planet and you were at a loss to verbally convey the emotion of love for a family member and all the unspoken bonding, lack of understanding, joy and frustration that that entails, you could show the creature this film and he would immediately comprehend.

Woody Harrelson is, for the moment, at peace.Assured that his orange juice is freshly squeezed, he relaxes enough to cross his legs in a semi-yoga position and massage a large, naked foot.For Mr. Harrelson, being mellow isn't as easy as his laid-back demeanor might indicate. After all he has a lot on his mind: On a personal basis, he is a new father. Professionally, he has a new movie -- "Indecent Proposal" with Robert Redford and Demi Moore -- which opened Wednesday. The last episode of the long-running television series, "Cheers," in which he co-stars, will air in May. And he is author, director and star of a new play, "Furthest From the Sun," which opens a three-week run at a small Los Angeles playhouse in early April.

"Indecent Proposal," the slick new Adrian Lyne film, asks: Is everything for sale? The answer it gives is: Yes, except good screenplays.Largely, it's a gloss on a mean old story that used to make the rounds:Millionaire at a party goes up to a woman, says, "Would yousleep with me for a million dollars?" She says, "Yes." He says, "Would you sleep with me for $50?" She says, "What do you think I am, a whore?" He says, "We've already established that. Now we're haggling on the price."In this case, it's debonair Robert Redford making the pitch, without the haggling.

Anthony Drazan learned all about teen-agers from two sources: himself and from them.The director, whose first feature is an archaeologically precise and heartbreaking study of teen life called "Zebrahead," admits that Zack, the sensitive, funny and self-effacing hero of "Zebrahead," is pretty much a version of himself 10 years ago.The director sits in a Baltimore hotel restaurant attempting his first crab cake. It is momentarily more fascinating than the questions a reporter is lofting at him. He pokes, prods, as if unsure how to proceed, ultimately decides to use his fork, takes a bite and lights up."