The River (1984)

Director:

Mark Rydell

Writers:

Robert Dillon (story)
Robert Dillon (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

19 December 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

He might be able to hold back the river. But could he hold back the greed of man? [Theatrical Australia]

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.

Plot Keywords:

Farm | Factory Worker | Farmer | Auction | Thunderstorm

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

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)

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

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:

Alabama, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

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.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Mae Garvey: Watch out, Tom! Beth, get in the truck! Tom! Are you hurt?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Castle of Fu-Manchu (#4.23)" (1992)

Soundtrack:

The Fireman

Maltin's summary is off base

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.