Deliverance (1972)

Director:

John Boorman

Writers:

James Dickey (screenplay)
James Dickey (novel)
(more)

Release Date:

30 July 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Deliverance from evil

Plot:

Intent on seeing the Cahulawassee River before it's turned into one huge lake, outdoor fanatic Lewis Medlock takes his friends on a river-rafting trip they'll never forget into the dangerous American back-country.

Plot Keywords:

Trip | River | Nightmare | Canoeing | Redneck

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Jon Voight	...	Ed
Burt Reynolds	...	Lewis
Ned Beatty	...	Bobby
Ronny Cox	...	Drew
Ed Ramey	...	Old Man
Billy Redden	...	Lonnie
Seamon Glass	...	First Griner
Randall Deal	...	Second Griner
Bill McKinney	...	Mountain Man
Herbert 'Cowboy' Coward	...	Toothless Man
Lewis Crone	...	First Deputy
Ken Keener	...	Second Deputy
Johnny Popwell	...	Ambulance Driver
John Fowler	...	Doctor
Kathy Rickman	...	Nurse
Louise Coldren	...	Mrs. Biddiford
Peter Ware	...	Taxi Driver
James Dickey	...	Sheriff Bullard
Macon McCalman	...	Deputy Queen
Hoyt Pollard	...	Boy at Gas Station
Belinda Beatty	...	Martha Gentry (as Belinha Beatty)
Charley Boorman	...	Ed's Boy (as Charlie Boorman)

Directed by
John Boorman

Writing credits
James Dickey		(screenplay)
James Dickey		(novel)
John Boorman		additional dialogue (uncredited)

Produced by
John Boorman	....	producer
Charles Orme	....	associate producer (uncredited)

Cinematography by
Vilmos Zsigmond		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Tom Priestley

Casting by
Lynn Stalmaster

Art Direction by
Fred Harpman

Set Decoration by
Morris Hoffman		(uncredited)

Makeup Department
Michael Hancock	....	makeup artist
Donoene McKay	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Wallace Worsley Jr.	....	production supervisor (as Wallace Worsley)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Al Jennings	....	assistant director
Miles Middough	....	assistant director
Skip Cosper	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Charles Ziarko	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Sidney H. Greenwood	....	property master (as Syd Greenwood)
Jerry Kobold	....	prop assistant (uncredited)
Don Pringle	....	greensman (uncredited)
H. John Ramos	....	props (uncredited)
James Van de Vort	....	painter (uncredited)

Sound Department
Jim Atkinson	....	sound editor
Walter Goss	....	sound mixer
Doug E. Turner	....	dubbing mixer (as Doug Turner)
Jerry Smith	....	boom man (uncredited)
Gary Stahl	....	cable man (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Marcel Vercoutere	....	special effects
Joe Day	....	special effects assistant (uncredited)

Stunts
Bill Couch	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ralph Garrett	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gene Witham	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
James O. Blair	....	electrical supervisor (as Jim Blair)
Arthur Brooker	....	key grip (as Art Brooker)
Bill Butler	....	photography: second unit
Earl L. Clark	....	assistant camera (as Earl Clark)
Sven Walnum	....	camera operator
George Boulette	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Paul Caven	....	electrician (uncredited)
James Coe	....	still photographer (uncredited)
John J. Connor	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Bob Farnsworth	....	grip best boy (uncredited)
Alan Heather	....	electrician (uncredited)
Daniel R. Jordan	....	grip (uncredited)
Alexander Klein	....	camera mechanic (uncredited)
George Kohut	....	camera operator: second unit (uncredited)
Robert Moore	....	grip (uncredited)
Aaron Pazanti	....	electrical best boy (uncredited)
Donald Schmitz	....	grip (uncredited)
James O. Schori	....	generator operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Bucky Rous	....	wardrobe master
Pat Kelly	....	wardrobe assistant (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Ian Rakoff	....	assistant editor
William Neel	....	assistant film editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Michael Addiss	....	banjo playing: Billy Redden (uncredited)

Transportation Department
James Cross	....	driver (uncredited)
Pat Desmond	....	driver: studio van (uncredited)
Ed Dutton	....	transportation gaffer (uncredited)
Pat Miller	....	transportation captain (uncredited)

Other crew
Sue Dwiggins	....	production secretary
E. Lewis King	....	technical advisor
Rospo Pallenberg	....	creative associate
Ray Quiroz	....	script supervisor
Charles Wiggin	....	technical advisor
Tony Adams	....	tutor (uncredited)
Frank J. Ayre	....	craft service (uncredited)
Hershey Cohen	....	timekeeper (uncredited)
John Fowler	....	company doctor (uncredited)
George C. King	....	location doctor (uncredited)
Janey Lampros	....	first aid (uncredited)
Barbara Pallenberg	....	secretary to director (uncredited)
Ken Ryan	....	location auditor (uncredited)
Vernon White	....	publicist (uncredited)
Harry Williams	....	production accountant (uncredited)

Thanks
Earl 'Preach' Parsons	....	thanks
Frank Rickman	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Pictures
• Elmer Enterprises (in association with)

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1972) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Film (1972) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Filmverleih (1972) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• DiscoVision (1980) (USA) (VHS) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (1990) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Vídeo (1990) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1992) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (1998) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Argentina Video Home (2000) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2000) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Sandrews (2000) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Warner Bros. (2000) (Argentina) (all media) (re-release)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (USA) (DVD) (supplementary material included)
• Varus Video (????) (Russia) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Canada) (DVD) (deluxe edition)
• Warner-Columbia Film (1972) (France) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Combine Music Corporation  copyright owner: "Feudin' Banjos"
• Rabun County, Georgia  thanks
• U.S. Forest Service  thanks
• Georgia Power Company  thanks

Also Known As:

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Mono (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Iceland:16 | UK:18 (video rating) (1987) (uncut) | UK:X (original rating) (cut) | Finland:K-16 (1987) | Finland:K-18 (1972) | Singapore:M18 | West Germany:16 (f) | New Zealand:R16 | Brazil:14 | Italy:VM18 | Peru:18 | Australia:MA (cable TV rating) | Australia:R | Canada:18A | France:-12 | Ireland:18 | Netherlands:12 (video rating) | Norway:18 (1973) | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Beaufort, South Carolina, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Credited with the first recording of "Dueling Banjos" (its most common title, also known as "Feudin' Banjos" and "The Battle Of The Banjos") is Don Wayne Reno and Arthur Smith. Prior to "Deliverance" both parts were played with banjos, and it is the same speed all the way through. Almost all modern bluegrass bands play the "Deliverance" version in the key of G. In the movie both the guitarist and banjo players have capos on the second fret, denoting it is in the key of A.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: A hair can be seen at the bottom of the screen when the canoes capsize and Ed tumbles down the rapids.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Lewis:You w- you wanna... you wanna talk about the vanishing wilderness?
Bobby:Lewis, listen - what are you so anxious about this?
Lewis:Because they're buildin' a dam across the Cahulawassee River; they're gonna flood a whole valley, Bobby, that's why. Dammit, they're drownin' a river; they're drownin' a river, man.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Cleveland Show: BFFs (#3.1)" (2011)

Soundtrack:

Duelling Banjos

One of the most disturbing films of all time

Unlike many other films, which are disturbing either by dint of their naked unpleasantness (Man Bites Dog) or their sheer violence (most Peckinpah films), Deliverance shocks by its plausibility. Certainly, the buggery scene is pretty straightforward in its unpleasantness, but the film's effect derives far more from its slow build-up and the tangible sense of isolation surrounding the four leads, both before and after everything starts to go wrong. The moment when the canoes pass under the child on the bridge, who does not even acknowledge the men he had earlier played music with, let alone show any sign of human affection towards them, is among the most sinister in modern film. The tension increases steadily throughout the canoe trip, and perseveres even after the final credits - the ending makes the significance of the characters' ordeals horrifically real. The movie's plausibility is greatly aided by the playing of the leads, particularly Ned Beatty and Jon Voight as the victim and reluctant hero respectively. Burt Reynolds, too, has never been better. The film's cultural influence is demonstrable by the number of people who will understand a reference to 'banjo territory' - perhaps only Get Carter has done such an effective hatchet-job on a region's tourist industry. I can think of only a handful of movies which put me into such a serious depression after they had finished - the oppressive atmosphere of Se7en is the best comparison I can think of. Although so much of it is excellent of itself, Deliverance is a classic above all because there are no adequate points of comparison with it - it is unique.