Robert Redford hired him as an advisor when "The Horse Whisperer" was going into production and, as the movie's director and star recalls in Ms. Meehl's documentary, ended up modeling much of his character on Buck's gentleness and humanity.
Although many liberal Catholics were impressed by the gentleness of Benedict's style as Pope - another of his surprises - the conservative views he adopted in the aftermath of the 1960s student revolutions had a profound impact on his pontificate.