Saturday, February 23, 2019

A River Runs Through It 1992


     This film is based on a semi-autobiographical story collection by Norman Maclean.  Paul and Norman Maclean are brothers and they live in rural Montana.  They spend a LOT of time fly-fishing.  Their father is a minister.  When Norman moves east to attend college, it’s the first time they have been apart.  Paul is the rebellious brother and he manages to find plenty of trouble back home.  In the summer, Norman comes back home and they resume their fishing.  Now, there are older and they talk about where they’ve been and where they’re going.
     Many times out on the river and catching fish can be very soothing and solve all your problems.  The pressures of the world and divisions among families become unimportant.  This film draws you in and it’s not just the Maclean family but the history of the community and the period also unfold.  This is one of my favorite films and I could watch it many times!!  5* (I really liked this movie)       
    
123 min, Drama directed by Robert Redford with Craig Sheffer, Brad Pitt, Tom Skerritt, Brenda Blethyn, Emily Lloyd, Edie McClurg, Stephen Shellen, Vann Gravage, Nicole Burdette, Susan Traylor, Michael Cudlitz. 

Note:  Imdb 7.3 out of 10, 80% critic 83% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3 ½*, Metacritic 68 out of 100 with 21 critics 7.3 out of 10 with 31 reviews, Amazon 4.7* out of 5* with 759 reviews.
Special Note:  The book has 4.6* out of 5* on Amazon.  Filmed in Livingston, Bozeman and Big Timber, Montana and Granite Falls, Wyoming.  Pitt trained himself to fly-fish for a month prior to shooting.  He wasn’t near a river in Los Angeles so he trained on top of a building?  Redford courted Maclean for years to gain the rights to his novella.  Trout used in the movie were pond-raised in Montana and they were kept in a specially aerated and cooled tank truck until their turn in front of the cameras.  No hooks were used and a line was tied to each fish’s lower jaw under observance of the Montana Humane Society.     

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