A River Runs Through It
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Movie Reviews of A River Runs Through It
Movie Review: Cinematic Poetry.
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't think anybody who has ever visited the American West, particularly the north-western states of Montana and Wyoming, hasn't come away deeply impressed with the majestic beauty of their mountains, rivers, streams, endless skies, prairies and meadows. Many probably went home to find that the photos they took, trying to immortalize their impressions, just didn't seem to do justice to the real thing, and wishing they possessed the craft to adequately capture the region's beauty in images, whether literary or visual. Robert Redford has succeeded to combine words and pictures in this stunning adaptation of Norman Maclean's 1976 autobiographical novella "A River Runs Through It."
Set in early 20th century rural Montana, this is the coming-of-age story of the author and his brother Paul, sons of a Scottish Presbyterian minister who raised them with both love and sternness and instilled in them, more than anything else, an understanding for the divine beauty of their land, symbolized by and culminating in a fly fisherman's skill in casting his rod, and his ability to become one with the river in which he fishes. For, in Norman Maclean's words, in their family "there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing;" and growing up, the brothers came to believe quite naturally that Jesus's disciples themselves must have been fly fishermen, too; and that consequently every good fly fisherman is closer to the divine than any other human.
But while they were united by their love for their native land and its rivers and fish, the brothers couldn't have been any more different on a personal level. And thus, this is also a story of brotherly (and parental) love and loss, of the inability to communicate, and of dreams and aspirations nurtured and fatally disappointed. While disciplined, sensible Norman (Craig Sheffer) left Montana for a six-year college education at Dartmouth and ultimately - after having temporarily returned home and taken a bride - to assume a teaching position at the University of Chicago, rebellious Paul (Brad Pitt in a truly career-defining role) knew that he would never leave his home state and "the fish he had not yet caught;" and opted for a journalist's life instead. But ultimately he wasn't able to fight the demons that possessed him; and his parents and brother had to stand by and helplessly watch him embark on a path of self-destruction, reduced to comments on symbolic matters like Paul's decision to change the spelling of their last name by capitalizing the "L" ("Now everybody will think we are Lowland Scots," scorned their father), where to open topicalize their concerns would have destroyed the careful equilibrium of mutual respect, love, hope, caution and guardedness characterizing their relationship. And so, only after Paul's death could his father tell a hesitant Norman that he knew more about his brother than the fact that Paul had been a fine fisherman: "He was beautiful" - and mourn in a sermon, even later, that all too frequently, when looking at a loved one in need, "either we don't know what part of ourselves to give or, more often than not, the part we have to give is not wanted. And so it is those we live with and should know who elude us. But we can still love them. We can love completely, without complete understanding."
Craig Sheffer and Brad Pitt are perfectly cast as the earnest, reasonable Norman and his maverick brother Paul, who relies on his innate toughness in his fateful attempt to take life to its limits and still beat the devil, but who also turns the casting of a fishing line into an art form that makes a rainbow rise from the water, and who with his greatest-ever catch stands before his father and brother "suspended above the earth, free from all its laws, like a work of art." Moreover, this movie reunited Robert Redford with Tom Skerritt, with whom he had first shared the screen in the 1962 Korean war drama "War Hunt" (both actors' big-screen debut), and who gives a finely-tuned, sensitive performance as the Reverend Maclean. Notable are also the appearances of Brenda Blethyn as Mrs. Maclean and Emily Lloyd as Norman's bride-to-be Jessie. But the movie's true star is Montana itself, particularly its rivers and streams; every frame of Philippe Rousselot's Academy Award-winning cinematography and every sweep of the camera over Montana's magnificent landscape, and along the silver bands of its rivers with their gurgling cataracts and waves curling softly against their banks, powerful testimony to Robert Redford's genuine love and respect for the West and for nature in general; the causes closest to his heart and matched in importance only by his efforts to promote a movie scene outside of Hollywood. And Redford himself assumes the (uncredited) role of the narrator, thus bringing to the screen Norman Maclean's lyrical language and uniting words and pictures in an audiovisual sonnet, subtly accentuated by Mark Isham's gentle score.
Both movie and novella end with the lines that have given the story its title: "[I]n the half-light of the canyon, all existence fades to a being with my soul; and memories, and the sounds of the Big Blackfoot River, and a four-count rhythm, and the hope that a fish will rise. Eventually, all things merge into one; and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs" - those of Norman Maclean's now-lost loved ones; those he "loved and did not understand in [his] youth." As we have had to learn, it is not only human life that is terminal; even nature itself (including, incidentally, the Macleans' beloved Big Blackfoot River) is not immune to destruction by human carelessness. This movie is a powerful plea to all of us not to wait until it has become too late.
Also recommended:
A River Runs through It and Other Stories, Twenty-fifth Anniversary Edition
The Norman Maclean Reader
Norman MacLean (Western Writers)
The Big Sky
Desert Solitaire
Jeremiah Johnson
The Horse Whisperer
Legends of the Fall (Deluxe Edition)
Spy Game (Widescreen Edition)
Movie Review: One of the most purely poetic, honest films ever!
Summary: 5 Stars
There's only one film that I can think of where when watching it, I literally feel like I'm literally flipping the pages of a book as I'm watching it, and that film is A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT (1992). It is one of the most "pure" films that I've ever seen. Set in a small rural community in early 20th century Montana, the film is much more than your by-the-numbers, slice-of-life period piece that Hollywood trots out from time to time. It authentically evokes a real time and place and puts the viewer there, a rare feat. It is not a film of overt depth, yet it has a focused simplicity that effectively translates many basic truths about people that films that try to go deep often fail to do. It allows it's characters to develop at a leisurely pace and grow on the viewer. It doesn't beat the viewer over the head with character details and have scenes where they seem to be in a vacuum. Last but not least, it is one of the most beautifully shot films ever made.
Directed by Robert Redford, I'd say that A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT is his best accomplishment as a film director. Redford also narrates it from the point of view of the main character Norman MacLean (played with sublime confidence by Craig Sheffer). Redford's narration is perhaps the best narration that I've heard in any film...EVER! His narrative is a huge reason why this film works; it is perfectly timed, placed, and spaced, almost like another character in the film. It is ironic that Redford narrates from the POV of Sheffer's character Norman, when it is Brad Pitt, the actor that plays Norman's younger brother Paul, that was considered to be the second coming of Redford. Pitt, who is invigorating and engrossing performance as Paul, gives perhaps the most unpretentious performance of his career. While Norman is our guide and observer, Paul is the film's center, the conduit between the clean-cut, pristine world of the MacLean family (the typical American ideal) and the local brothels, bars, and gambling joints (the seedy underbelly of society).
Rounding out the main cast are Tom Skerritt and Brenda Blethyn as Reverend and Mrs. McLean, the parents of Norman and Paul, and Emily Lloyd, as Norman's future wife Jessie. Skerritt and Blethyn are pitch perfect in their roles, each representing the traditional parental stereotypes, the stern father and the worrisome mother. Lloyd is sweet and charming as Jessie and her courtship with Norman is refreshing as it is simply the story of 2 people who found each other at the right time and place that realize they are each other's soulmates. Additionally, there is a diverse cast of scene-stealing supporting characters providing welcome comic relief played by Stephen Shellen (Jessie's brother), Edie McClurg (Jessies' mom), and especially Susan Traylor (as the local wild girl).
Sheffer and Pitt don't resemble each other in reality, but they really seem like REAL brothers with a love-hate sibling rivalry that never boils over into anything absurd. The way they play off each other is great. The MacLean family scenes are so inviting and authentic that it's unreal! When watching them, I almost felt discomfort at times that I felt like I was spying on them. I would wager that many parents can relate to this family's situation...The Reverend MacLean worrying about his 2 sons' future and Mrs. MacLean just plain WORRYING! And Norman and Jesse's relationship is sweet and understated. The film also dares to subtly tackle issues such as racism (the Indian girl that Paul brings on a double-date with Norman and Jesse) as well and to realistically show the seamier, seedier side of Paul's life (gambling halls and brothels).
The main draw of A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT is the immaculate, pristine scenery of the Montana, the mountains, plains, sky and beautiful rivers. I was glad to find out that the cinematography for this film took home the Oscar because if any film deserves it, this one does! I just wish it had gotten a bit more recognition from the Academy. What Redford has crafted here is extraordinary. As much as the cinematography has been rightly praised, it is the attention to character detail and how it complements the scenery that impresses me the most about this masterwork of cinema. This is really one of those films that demands viewing!
Movie Review: 'Ansel Adams meets Elia Kazan' in this awesome film!
Summary: 5 Stars
Once upon a time, Hollywood made "films, " and some of these films became the epitdome of art. That talent has all but been forgotten in an era where imagination takes a back seat to the obvious. There used to be a clamor for fine directors and actors who could convey the thoughts and feelings of an author or screenwriter without the use of nudity or foul language. They used to make films without explosions and blood and gore. And those films used to be AND still are better than most anything that Hollywood cranks out today.Enter "A River Runs Through It" directed by Robert Redford. This film is a quiet character study that has brilliance in the acting and directing. This is so apparent that you'll find your emotions welling up in you as you watch it. It is such a delicately made film that you'll need to watch it multiple times to understand that the director and actors aren't going to spell out what you should be feeling. They aren't going to speak every emotion they're having - you're going to have to surmise those for yourself. This is so NOT like the films Hollywood makes today. It's a subtle, beautiful film.
Brad Pitt may have made a mark in the public's collective memory when he appeared shirtless in "Thelma and Louise", but in "A River Runs Through It" he shows his chops and in doing so, let's us know he is an exceedingly talented actor not just a pretty boy.
Craig Sheffer (has the lead in this film and does a phenomenal job of giving us a young man living with the painful knowledge that he must forever live in the shadow of his younger brother, Paul (Pitt). Though, Norman (Sheffer) is the reliable touchstone, Paul has a remarkable brightness of light that encompasses him.
Paul is the opposite of Norman emotionally, but they share a common familial bond and a love of fly fishing in the Missoula River. They are able to work out their differences while they fish. Theirs is a relationship that doesn't depend on words, but rather on understanding.
A River Runs Through It is not unlike the story of the prodigal child, nor is it too far removed to be able to be compared to Elia Kazan's "East of Eden". It, too, was an intelligent film that didn't spell everything out for the viewer.
The story revolves around Norman and Paul as they grow up in Montana with their minister father and loving mother in the 1920's. Montana, itself, is a character in this film, as Redford shows us its majesty and grandeur without making it feel like a travelogue.
At once, funny and poignant and heart rending, A River Runs Through It tells us the quiet story of the two brothers growing into manhood and getting on with their lives. It doesn't have car crashes and there's no gratuitous nudity. The script doesn't rely on the screenwriter having a hampered vocabulary, thus forcing him to use expletives instead of true dialogue.
No, A River Runs Through It depends on talent. Talent from the book it was based on - talent from the screenwriter - talent from the director - and finally, talent from the fine cast of actors.
After watching this film, I doubt you'll be able to understand why it didn't take every award that Hollywood doles out.
It doesn't get much better than this.
Movie Review: Stunning Scenery, Wonderful Story...and Brad Pitt too!
Summary: 5 Stars
This review refers to the Columbia/Tristar DVD edition of "A River Runs Through It"...
Even with Brad Pitt co-starring in this film, it was the awesome cinematography that kept me mesmerized. Filmed in the lush mountains and rivers of Montana, director Robert Redford and Director of Photography Phillipe Rousselot(who won an Oscar for his work on this film)capture the beauty of this land and the story.
Based on a autobiographical novella by Norman Maclean, we are swept back to the earlier part of the 20th century with the Maclean family. Family, church and Fly fishing came above all else. Norman, played at the younger age by newcomer Joseph Gordon-Levitt(who was honored with the Young Artists award in 1993 for his performance), and his younger brother Paul are close and come from a loving but highly disciplined household, run by their stern father(Tom Skerritt) the Reverend of the small town church. The Rev. is strict when it comes to their education, but a big part of that education is the freedom to fly-fish, enjoyed by all the Maclean men.
We watch as Norman and Paul grow into men(Craig Scheffer/Brad Pitt) and how differently their lives turn out. Norman grows into a fine scholar, but Paul takes a different path. His is one of a rebel, who finds trouble at every turn. But always they have their love for each other, their family, and their love of fly-fishing. Paul turns it into an art that is a sight to behold in that beautiful Montana scenery.
Other fine performances are turned in by Brenda Blethyn as Mrs. Maclean, Emily Lloyd as Jessie Burns, the girl Norman loses his heart to and Vann Gravage who plays the young Paul. A beautiful music score by Mark Isham adds greatly to the view without being obtrusive to the story. A fine screenplay by Richard Freidenberg will draw you in and keep you there. It's a great break from action movies without getting overly dramatic.
It is rated PG, but probably not appropiate for the younger viewers, there are some adult themes as well as brief nudity.
Columbia has done justice to this beautifully filmed movie in it's transfer to DVD. Just Gorgeous! Remastered in anamorphic widescreen(if you prefer full screen, that is on side B)with excellent clarity of the colors as well as the picture. The sound remastered in Dolby 2.0 Surround was very good, but I would have loved to hear it in 5.1. It may be viewed in French, Spanish(also stereo),or Portuguese(mono), and has subtitles in these languages as well as English. There are theatrical trailers and Talent files, but no other special features.
If your in the mood for a great action thriller, this is NOT it! This is a film to just sit back and savor.....Oh and I really did enjoy Brad Pitt's performance(almost as much as the scenery)...enjoy....Laurie
also recommended:
Meet Joe Black
The Color Purple
Studs Lonigan (1960)
Movie Review: Spellbinding! Big Sky is calling...
Summary: 5 Stars
The narrative of Robert Redford is captivating, uplifting, and graceful. 'On the banks of the Big Blackfoot River....' a place I've been, and long to return. Nothing, el zippo, tops the splendor and majesty of Montana, nothing even comes close! It's timeless valleys, raging aqua-tinted torrents, and green alpine towns and villages dispersed all throughout its western landscapes define 'National Treasure.' Missoula, Montana, home to the Maclean family, is a good old fashioned town of turmoil and unsetteldness squaring off against an unmistakable serenity with nature's works and ways. 'To the beat of a four count rhythm....' might not be the most instructive of flyfishing casting approaches (I've lost many a woolybugger in willow trees climbable only by the most inane of flytiers), but it makes for undulating cinema. 'Oh I could never leave Montana brother...' is a line beckoning truth; after visiting Montana on several occasions (first was an Amtrack train ride in '94... ok a person could easily get up and go from Havre, MT) getting to catch sights of Glacier to the north, the Bitterroot range in the south, and all that lies in between (e.g. Flathead Lake)....there are no fleeting instincts. A geologist could be lost in paradise in, say, Yellowstone for ages, not even taking into consideration the abundance of mountain ranges lining Montana's western front - stretching north to south, from Great Falls to Anaconda. Redford's directing brings along the viewer through every imaginable trace of landmark - riverbanks, pubs, train stations, backyard fields with forest and mountain top afar, and even a couple sunburned rawhides! Not a favorite still shot. Boats are stolen, category 'forget about it' white waters are paddled through, unpaid gambling wagers bring conflict wrought with misunderstanding, dinner table discussions of Calvin Coolidge's fishing secret '...what are they bitin on?....The end of my line!' and job satisfaction are brought up, shortcuts winding their way through train tunnels are taken, and in the end, reflection and memories are revealed in honest fashion. Verdant pastures and picueresque backdrops steal the film's premise, offering more than just basic storyline. But the moment of closure is why I adore Robert Redford's film set in Missoula....in addition to the melancholic violin intermezzos.
'On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters.'
Anyone ever visiting Montana will register in their sights and other senses this inescapable impression. Don't forget, if you're going to fish these pristine waters (i.e. Yellowstone, Clearwater Creek, Madison, Bighorn, Big Hole, Gallatin, Beaverhead, Kootenai Rivers), catch-and-release is the only real keeper! A River Runs Through It is a Montana dreamscape. Once more, if going there, remember to 'Enjoy the Silence.'