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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Robert Dillon (story)
Robert Dillon (screenplay) ...
more
Release Date:
19 December 1984 (USA) more
Tagline:
He might be able to hold back the river. But could he hold back the greed of man? [Theatrical Australia] more
Plot:
Farming family battles severe storms, a bank threatening to reposses their farm, and other hard times in a battle to save and hold on to their farm. more | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
Tuesday Top Ten: The Best of 1984
(From FilmExperience. 16 May 2009, 4:13 AM, PDT)
May Flowers, Kathleen Turner
(From FilmExperience. 12 May 2009, 8:24 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Maltin's summary is off base more (6 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Mel Gibson | ... | Tom Garvey | |
| Sissy Spacek | ... | Mae Garvey | |
| Shane Bailey | ... | Lewis Garvey | |
| Becky Jo Lynch | ... | Beth Garvey | |
| Scott Glenn | ... | Joe Wade | |
| Don Hood | ... | Senator Neiswinder | |
| Billy Green Bush | ... | Harve Stanley | |
| James Tolkan | ... | Howard Simpson | |
| Bob W. Douglas | ... | Hal Richardson | |
| Andy Stahl | ... | Dave Birkin | |
| Lisa Sloan | ... | Judy Birkin | |
| Larry D. Ferrell | ... | Rod Tessley | |
| Susie Toomey | ... | Sally Tessley | |
| Kelly Toomey | ... | Lisa Tessley | |
| Frank Hoyt Taylor | ... | Zemke (as Frank Taylor) |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
122 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Australia:M | Iceland:L | Canada:PG (Ontario) | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Norway:16 (1985) | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:12
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Filmed in Gate City, Virginia, and Hawkins County (Church Hill, Surgoinsville and Rogersville) in Northeast Tennessee. Much of the movie was filmed on 440 acres of the Hawkins County land purchased by Universal Studios by the Holston River in Tennessee. It was cleared and turned into working farms in four weeks. The production used a real river regulated for flood scenes with a dam that was slated for repair. The dam was fixed and altered with the help of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Mae Garvey:
Watch out, Tom! Beth, get in the truck! Tom! Are you hurt?
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Castle of Fu-Manchu (#4.23)" (1992) more
Soundtrack:
The Fireman more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (6 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The River (1984)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| 6.1 IMDB rating? | jifedq |
| The Deer | hughes_wayne_m |
| Becky Jo Lynch | escalf |
| Pagans? | avellenor |
| doobies? | Matthew_Foley |
| Book based on screenplay? | FilmAddict611 |
Recommendations
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| The Southerner | A Map of the World | The Good Earth | Ruby Gentry | Hurry Sundown |
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I recently rented this movie because I'm a Mel Gibson fan, but before I did, I read over the review by Leonard Maltin on these pages and found that his comment "but Gibson's character is so coldly stubborn that it's hard to empathize" regarding the character Tom Garvey was pretty harsh.
This is not a man so stubborn you cannot empathize with him in the least. Harrison Ford's character in Mosquito Coast was such a man, but this guy is a good man trying to do what's right for himself and for his family and I didn't see him as cold either. Again, look to Mosquito Coast if you're looking for a father who's cold, TOO stubborn and unloving.
If you want to see a good movie about farmers facing adversity from the weather and from their "neighbors" this is a good one to rent. Justly nominated for cinematography, it's a very pretty movie, although I'd have liked to see it on the big screen to get the full effects of the river shots. Sissy Spacek was of course excellent as well.