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A River Runs Through It Customer Reviews (7 - 9 of 32 Reviews)

Beautiful
I've heard naysayers badmouth this movie, but I've never understood it. They use descriptors such as "preachy", "overly dramatic", "self-important", and so on. Good grief! What are you, bait fishers (not that there's anything wrong with that)? This is the story of this man's family, and it is truly beautiful.

I guide trout fishing trips in Missouri, so, of course, I love this movie partly for the fishing. This film explained my fly-fishing passion to my wife more effectively than my words and dragging her along on a few fishing trips ever could. The scenes are filmed magnificantly and are done in such a way that you can follow the logic and instinct that each fisherman uses to catch each fish. However, the story is so much more than this.

The story begins with Norman making note that there was never a clear line between religion and fly-fishing in his family, and that parallel continues throughout the story and his life. Success as a fly-fisherman is based on knowledge, physical skill, intuition, and emotion, but balance is also required. That balance only comes through spirituality, whether you are stiving to be a Godly person, or whether you simply commune with nature in a spiritual fashion. Without balance, a tangled line can cause you to pull your hair out. With balance, even the most unsuccessful fishing trip brings joy. And so Norman stuggles with understanding his younger brother Paul, who has attained such miraculous balance on the river, but whose life away from the river is rapidly spinning out of control. In the end, the observant viewer should recognize that it is Paul's pride that eventually leads to his downfall, and it is the family's failure at their attempts to rescue Paul that they continue to struggle with the remainder of their lives as well.

Norman spends his life trying to tap into God's balance through fly-fishing in the hopes that he will someday understand what happened to his family and why. Perhaps finally writing his book helped him to answer a few of those questions.

Walt Fulps
http://www.MissouriTroutHunter.com

Eventually All Things Merge Into One, And A River Runs Through It...
A River Runs Through It is a haunting, powerful, nostalgic, drama directed by Robert Redford and based upon the autobiographical novella by Norman McLean. The film follows the McLean family growing up in rural Missoula Montana, raised on a steady diet of fly fishing and strict religious conservatism. The film embodies strong messages about the human condition and man's struggle against himself and his external reality. Showcasing the incredible acting abilities of a young Brad Pitt, breathtaking cinematography, and a lush sweeping score by Mark Isham, A River Runs Through It is simply one of the finest coming of age family dramas ever created. Won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography.

The film opens with a shot of the river, and then a montage of sepia tone photographs of Missoula Montana in the 1930's. Redford memorably recreates the period, in an ode to early America. Norman McLean is (voice over narration by Robert Redford) recalling the memories of his life since past. We learn that he and his brother Paul (Brad Pitt) were brought up by his strict Presbyterian preacher father (Tom Skerrit), in an extremely conservative environment, their father introducing them to fly fishing, and yet making no clear distinction between the two. Although it will come to serve as a counter point to their religious grounding (Freedom versus Restraint). Fly fishing serves as a metaphor for the way that each son will approach life, literally and symbolically. The River (Water) is a constant motif in the film that also serves as the never-ending physical and emotional challenge that will eventually shape their destinies. We learn that Paul (Brad Pitt) is the rebellious younger brother, who "toughness came from somewhere deep inside of him", while Norman (Craig Sheffer) is the more conservative brother. In an early scene, Paul further rebels and refuses to eat his food. We watch the boys grow up. Paul comes up with an idea to steal a rowboat and "shoot the chutes", (ride the boat down the huge waterfall) everyone else chickens out when they finally reach the river, except Paul and Craig. Craig reluctantly goes along with his brother's impulsive urges, for fear of looking afraid. Back at home, the boys are confronted by their distraught parents, who found out from another one of the boys parents. Their father tells them that they will go to church and pray for forgiveness. The next morning during lunch, Norman and Paul engage in a brawl that is a result of their two personalities clashing. We hear that was the only time they ever fought. Norman is accepted into Dartmouth College on the east coast, while Paul stays in Montana. This begins to foreshadow Paul's inability to change his situation, while Norman has the means to seek his own path. Four years later, Norman returns home, Paul has taken a job as a Helena reporter, and developing as a fly fisherman. In their first fishing trip together, we learn that Paul has broken free from the structure of his father's "four count rhythm" and developed a more improvisational technique called "shadow casting". We begin to see how fly fishing will symbolize the course of Paul's life. Norman meets a pretty girl named Jessie Burns (Emily Lloyd) at the local fourth of July dance in an awkward encounter. He makes arrangements to see her again, and they meet Paul and his Indian girlfriend one night. Paul, has brought his Native American partner along, (a statement to the rebellion of his character) and causes some commotion at the bar. We meet Jessie's brother Neal, who is visiting from California, an arrogant, self flattering drunk, who is the heart of the Burn's family. Norman agrees to take Jessie's brother Neal fishing one day, and they return to find Neal and his friend passed out in the sun among a couple of empty beer bottles. In a mirrorlike situation, Jessie and her brother are symbolic of Paul and Norman. Jessie as Norman, and Neal as Paul. (note the similarity in name) Jessie asks Norman "How come the people who need the most help, won't take it." Norman is not able to answer her, and it is through their relationship that we begin to see the McLean's more clearly. The film slowly unfolds itself, letting the viewer appreciate it's subtle yet powerful storylines. Perhaps it is so effective because it appears matter of factly. It does not come across heavy handedly. Norman is called by the police station to pick his brother up one day, having gotten into a fight over his girlfriend. Paul becomes increasingly in debt at the local gambling house, and has also become an alcoholic. As his life slowly spirals into oblivion, he is unaware of the consequences of his actions. Norman immediately recognizes the destructive path that his brother is heading towards and offers to help. Paul stubbornly refuses to take the money and help that his brother has offered to him. Norman has been accepted to teach at the University of Chicago and urges Paul to come with him. Paul realizes that he will never leave Montana, and so does Norman. In the family's final fly fishing trip together, Paul has seemingly transcended the art of fly fishing, having mastered his method of "shadow casting", and makes an incredible catch. Paul has ironically found freedom from his father's religious upbringing through fly fishing, although he is simultaneously being destroyed by his own rebellion. We are presented with the duality of man and his conflicting inner desires to find equilibrium on many levels. Although Paul has found peace with nature, he is struggling to resolve inner demons that plague him. The inner demons that will eventually destroy him.

Redford's commentary on the healing power of nature and the stubbornness of the human spirit is a a testament to man's universal struggle against himself. Indirectly, we recognize that there is only so much a family or person can do to protect someone. We realize that love is simply not enough, and that eventually a person will take their own path that they were meant to take. The River ultimately symbolizes the destinations that are unstoppable as much as nature itself is unstoppable. Everyone's course is their own. In its ambiguity and power, it is at once haunting and beautiful.

*The rerelease A River Runs Through It contains a brand new Anamorphic widescreen presentation, the image is stunning, although "Deluxe Edition" is misleading. Aside from trailers, text only filmographies, and a collectible scrapbook, there are no additional special features*

Spellbinding! Big Sky is calling...
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.'

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