IMDb > The River (1938)

The River (1938) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
6.7/10   199 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 29% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer:
Pare Lorentz (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for The River on IMDbPro.
Plot:
This short Depression-era documentary describes the importance of the Mississippi River to the United States... more | add synopsis
Awards:
2 wins more
User Comments:
Extraordinary documentary which seemingly does not age more (5 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
Thomas Chalmers ... Narrator (voice)
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Additional Details

Runtime:
31 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)
Certification:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
This film was selected to the National Film Registry, Libary of Congress, in 1990. more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Lifestyles U.S.A. Vol. 6 (2000) (V) more
Soundtrack:
A Hot Time in the Old Town more

FAQ

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7 out of 7 people found the following comment useful.
Extraordinary documentary which seemingly does not age, 16 May 2003
10/10
Author: drmike99 from New Hampshire

I first saw THE RIVER in the 1950's in school, in the days when watching a movie in class didn't mean turning on the TV and popping in a VHS tape, it meant rolling in the old Bell and Howell Filmosound, putting up the screen, and watching a real 16mm projected MOVIE. I saw it two more times during my school career because it had so much to say at different levels about different things. It is the story of the Mississippi River, what it means to the land, and what we have done to it. It is, let's admit, a New Deal tract, an ecology drama, and moderately political. It is an unabashed apology for the entire Tennessee Valley Authority construction project. But that out of the way, it is a poetic and almost hypnotic (due to repetitive images)narrative, well-written and dramatically read. And it doesn't hurt that the musical score, by Virgil Thompson, is arguably the greatest musical score written for any movie (it is in its orchestral suite format a concert standard and has had many recordings, and is also available as the complete score on at least one recording). You can rent this disk from Netflix and it is worth it just for The River. I also watched its predecessor, THE PLOW THAT BROKE THE PLAINS, which I didn't like as much. I passed on the other offerings. But just for THE RIVER it is worth it. My only argument with it is that the ending loses the hypnotic poetry and simply sums up the rest of the story. That aside, it is as great a documentary as has been made.

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