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Summary: The River
Review: A heart-land tragedy relived annually by the rain and consequential flooding of the family farmland by the adjacent river. Mels' character is sullen and cold. He is the quintessential traditional hardworking farmer. He loves his family and works almost pointlessly to keep them on their doomed property. It's difficult to watch him sulk and suffer inwardly. His character is extremely introverted and stubbornly independent. Sissy Spacek is great as the wife who tries to keep her family's head above water literally. She portrays a strong, willful and faithful person. This is a good rainy night movie. The kids are great actors and contribute a lot to the traditional values and family bonding.The onscreen chemistry between Spacek and Gibson underscores the uncomfortable aura of the marriage in the movie. There's something strange about the couple, something that just doesn't click; a feeling of looming doom regarding their relationship. Scott Glenn's character does not help the uneasy tension.
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Summary: Gibson Again
Review: Another great film from Mel Gibson.....it would have been so easy to blow the characters on this one, but Gibson pulls it off in what is one of his greatest acting demonstrations ever. The River wins on all fronts......acting, plot, historical and cultural significance......it's great to see reviews from social commentators and farmers alike......the film has the ability to stir controversy as well as inspire to more human interaction among us all. Regardless of your personal perspective this one is worth the time and effort to enjoy, then watch again to analyze, and then.....(important last step)....watch again to make sure you remember how much you enjoyed it.
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Summary: Hi
Review: Hallo I think that this movie is one of the best. with admair
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Summary: Creative Destruction And The Farmer Caught In The Middle
Review: I am inclined to blast away at the suspected anti-capitalist bias of the film's originators. This, however, would not be entirely fair of me. This film superbly depicts the crisis many families are forced to endure when caught within the gears of economic "creative destruction." It is therefore morally imperative that we do not turn our head away from this tough to handle subject matter. This beautiful film reminds us that real people often suffer the consequences of our abstract principles. Does this alone invalidate these principles? No, but we should always be cognizant of the flesh and blood dimensions of our decisions. Mel Gibson gives a powerful performance as a proud man who is losing the battle to save the family farm. The wife played by Sissy Spacek desires to be loyal to her husband while still remaining pragmatic on how best to stabilize the family's rapidly deteriorating financial situation. Scott Glenn plays the real hero in this movie. His character is a fair and honorable business man who warns the farmer of impending doom. The river according to all reasonable expectations will eventually destroy the farm. Even the farmer grudgingly concedes this possibility. The Glenn character offers the farmer a way out, but the farmer is bull headed and places his love for the agrarian way of life over common sense. Is Gibson's character idealistic and worthy of praise, or merely stubborn and selfish? Each person viewing "The River" will have to decide this for themselves. The great economist, Joseph Schumpeter, originated the paradoxical term "creative destruction." Throughout history, there are always winners and losers whenever new technology replaces the older methods of earning a living. Tractors, for instance, destroyed the relevancy of horses and ploughs. This more efficient manner of tilling the soil dramatically brought down the cost of growing food. The result is that the typical consumer today spends comparatively little for vegetables at the grocery store. Unfortunately, a severe price has to be paid by those farmers who lack the ability to adjust to these improvements. At the beginning of the previous century, roughly half of the American population earned its income through farming. In the year 2000 the number has dropped to about 3%! An educated guess is that a further drop off will inevitably continue to occur. What should a viable democratic society do to address this issue? Is a Laissez Faire response appropriate, a Socialist micro management of production, or something in between? A neo-conservative such as myself opts for the third choice. The viewer once again is free to arrive at their own conclusions. I strongly, though, urge everyone to view "The River" at least once every few years. It might even behoove high school teachers and university professors to consider making this film a requirement for student credit. 'The River" is among my favorite films of all time. Please do not ignore it.
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Summary: Mixed bag
Review: Sissy Spacek gives a terrific performance in this seldom-seen "social problem" melodrama. The topic is the plight of the independent farmer, who is much more sympathetic than he would ordinarily be because in this film he looks and acts like international superstar Mel Gibson. The genuine item is not half as pretty, of course. Vilmos Zsigmond's cinematography is delicate and attentive; Mark Rydell's direction is ham-fisted and silly. The script is pure agitprop, and laughably bad. If this film can be recommended (and I'm not sure it can), it would be for Spacek's performance.
Rating:
Summary: Mixed bag
Review: Sissy Spacek gives a terrific performance in this seldom-seen "social problem" melodrama. The topic is the plight of the independent farmer, who is much more sympathetic than he would ordinarily be because in this film he looks and acts like international superstar Mel Gibson. The genuine item is not half as pretty, of course. Vilmos Zsigmond's cinematography is delicate and attentive; Mark Rydell's direction is ham-fisted and silly. The script is pure agitprop, and laughably bad. If this film can be recommended (and I'm not sure it can), it would be for Spacek's performance.
Rating:
Summary: Mixed bag
Review: Sissy Spacek gives a terrific performance in this seldom-seen "social problem" melodrama. The topic is the plight of the independent farmer, who is much more sympathetic than he would ordinarily be because in this film he looks and acts like international superstar Mel Gibson. The genuine item is not half as pretty, of course. Vilmos Zsigmond's cinematography is delicate and attentive; Mark Rydell's direction is ham-fisted and silly. The script is pure agitprop, and laughably bad. If this film can be recommended (and I'm not sure it can), it would be for Spacek's performance.
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Summary: remarkable
Review: Take a culture that usually turns out trash and an actor who usually delivers trashy violence and somehow the director, the writers and Mel himself have turned out a truly brilliant movie, reminiscent of Grapes of Wrath, totally different from the usual Hollywood junk that so wounds America's image abroad - and it's aboput ordinary. poor. unglamorous, normal people. Should be compulsory viewing. Slightly frantic in its piling of calamities upon the characters but the real high point is where the steel plant workers do NOT beat up the scab farm workers after the strike. At last, something American where the plot is not about sex, money, violence and fantasy.
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Summary: "The River"
Review: The art of farming is by far the oldest, most time-honored tradition. It is the ideal way to make an honest living, raise your family away from the madness of the city and gain self-satisfaction by doing something that really matters. "The River" effectivly portrays the plight experienced by many American farmers during the 1980's economical recession. Flooding, forclosure and overdue bills were just a part of life for those most discouraging and undeniably frightning of years. Farm-friendly legislation has been passed in recent years so farmers can apply for disaster relief, equipment loans and bankrupcy loans. The goal is to keep the Family Farm as part of American culture. "The River" was shot in Northwestern Tennessee near Kingsport, Bristol and Johnson City and also in Birmingham, Alabama. A 400-acre parcel of land alongside the Holston River, in Tennessee was cleared and turned into a real working farm in just four weeks. The flood scenes were produced in conjunction with the Tennessee Valley Authority using a dam upriver which was slated for repairs. The scenery in the movie is absolutly breathtaking. The mountains, fields and river all seem to blend into one big beautiful picture. "The River" was the third in a trio of farming-based movies that year. The other two are "Country", with Jessica Lange and "Places In the Heart" with Sally Field.
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Summary: a populist statement
Review: The movie is very good, not excellent. Spacek and Gibson are both lovable, in different ways of course. Historically the movie is kind of flimsy. There are things in in it that could be the 1930s, other htings that are more like the 1980s and 1990s, and the blend is not convincing. We are sopposed to see a kind of merging of oppressed factory workers and oppresed rural folk, 'the people' against heartless forces that do not respect their dignity. Dramatically, the film works, especially the epic struggle against floodwaters.
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