Movies & TV

The Film

Journalism paved the way for John Boorman to make documentaries for the BBC, which in turn paved the way for him to make feature films. His first was a vehicle for the band Dave Clark Five called Catch us if You Can, meant to emulate the success of the Beatles' A Hard Day's Night. It was only mildly successful, but it got his foot in the door and allowed him to move on to Hollywood. His first feature in America was the startlingly visual Point Blank in 1967 with Lee Marvin. After two more features he would make Deliverance, adapted by James Dickey from his own novel. Mr. Boorman has made quality films in the decades since (including Hope and Glory and The General) and continues to work, with two projects currently in pre-production.

During the opening we meet four men going on a canoe trip down a river which will cease to be after it is dammed to make a large lake. The talk amongst the men conveys their excitement for the trip and to be away from their daily routines in Atlanta. The experienced outdoorsman of the group is Lewis (Burt Reynolds), who much prefers the natural world over modern city life. Ed (Jon Voight) has been on trips with him before, but Bobby (Ned Beatty) and Drew (Ronny Cox) are new to this sort of outing. Before the trip begins the group finds some locals to drive their cars down river where they will finish their trip. Those they encounter are not especially accepting of them and in turn, the city guys are somewhat condescending. The only connection made with the hillbillies is when Drew and an inbred albino boy play a bluegrass tune together.  But as soon as it ends, the boy turns away and won't except his handshake.

After squaring away the arrangements, the four men head down the river in two canoes. The first day of the trip is enjoyable even though the rookies feel out of their element. They camp beside the river for the night. Bobby and Lewis don't exactly hit it off, so the following day they change canoe partners so Bobby rides with Ed. At one point the boats become separated. When Bobby and Ed stop and take a break, they are alone when two mountain men emerge from the woods. Almost immediately, the situation goes very badly and the men from Atlanta must decide on how they will proceed down this river. It will not be a pleasant ride.

The movie is an excellent thriller. The danger and tension continue to mount as it deals with the themes of masculinity, modernity and justice. The characters are forced to act in ways they've never had to before merely to survive. Each of the four main actors does a great job conveying the characters' differing personalities. The cinematography of the river is beautiful. Other than one strange use of banjo later in the film, I think Deliverance translates wonderfully to a contemporary audience. 

The DVD

There is a 2004 disc, but a deluxe edition was released in 2007. The visuals are widescreen and the audio is Dolby Digital 5.1. My fellow movie blogger Phil and I watched this film here at Klipsch in our Palladium listening room and it was fantastic. The extras include a 4-part retrospective, a vintage featurette and a commentary track by Mr. Boorman.

Film Connections

The most disturbing scene in Pulp Fiction pays homage to the most disturbing scene in Deliverance and is how I first heard of the movie. The 2004 film Mean Creek references it and has some similar plot points. The use of "Dueling Banjos" in Zombieland, now in theaters, is a clear reference as well. Nods to this movie have permeated popular culture, so these are just a few examples.