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A River Runs Through It (1992)

 -  Drama  -  9 October 1992 (USA)
7.1
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Ratings: 7.1/10 from 29,168 users   Metascore: 68/100
Reviews: 113 user | 40 critic | 21 from Metacritic.com

Two fly-fishing sons of a Presbyterian minister--one reserved, one rebellious--grow up in rural Montana.

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Title: A River Runs Through It (1992)

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Won 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 6 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

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Nicole Burdette ...
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Buck Simmonds ...
Fred Oakland ...
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Storyline

A true story about two boys, Norman and Paul, growing up in Montana. One is rebellious of his father, Rev. Maclean, while the other has his feet on the ground. The one love they both have is fly fishing. Written by Kale Whorton <nikko11@mind.net>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

The Story of an American Family.

Genres:

Drama

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for momentary nudity, and some language in a family drama | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

9 October 1992 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Nada es para siempre  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Gross:

$43,440,294 (USA)
 »

Company Credits

Production Co:

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

'William Hurt' wanted to play the role of Paul Maclean and once went fishing with Norman Maclean in Montana. When Hurt asked if he'd fished well enough to portray his brother, Maclean replied: "Well, Bill, you're a pretty good fisherman but not good enough to be my brother." See more »

Goofs

While on the library steps, Norman speaks of meeting boxer John L. Sullivan while at Dartmouth. Norman's departure for college was 1919, yet Sullivan died in 1918. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Norman: [narrating] Long ago, when I was a young man, my father said to me, "Norman, you like to write stories." And I said "Yes, I do." Then he said, "Someday, when you're ready you might tell our family story. Only then will you understand what happened and why."
See more »

Crazy Credits

No fish were killed or injured during the making of A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT. The producers would like to point out that, although the Macleans kept their catch as was common earlier in this century, enlightened fisherman today endorse a "catch and release" policy to assure that this priceless resource swims free to fight another day. Good fishing. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Shirtless: Hollywood's Sexiest Men (2002) See more »

Soundtracks

"The Sheik of 'Araby'"
Written by Harry B. Smith, Ted Snyder and Francis Wheeler
Used by Permission of
Mills Music Corp, Inc. / Jerry Vogel Music Co.
Ted Snyder Music Co. / Bienstock Publishing Co., on behalf of Redwood Music Ltd.
See more »

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User Reviews

 
Picturesque and Literary: An Ode to the American Wilderness
22 May 2004 | by (United States) – See all my reviews

I have seen all the films directed by Robert Redford and appreciated his love of the American people and the land. In A River Runs Through It, Redford displays the lyric romanticism and visual splendor of the high Rocky Mountains of Montana as if he were a 19th century landscape painter of the ilk of Thomas Moran or Albert Bierstadt. This film makes love to the visual and the word with text by author Norman Maclean, and stunning camera work by Phillippe Rousselot (Serpent's Kiss, Reigne Margot).

Redford's cast is perfect. Tom Skerritt is the Rev. MacLean, a man whose methods of education include fly fishing as well as the Bible, Brenda Blythen, the mother, and his sons, Craig Schaffer and Brad Pitt create a family whose interactions reflect the same problems all encounter with growing teenage sons, and later, complex young men. Both Schaffer and Pitt are totally believable as the brothers whose love of fly fishing and each other will tie them together forever. It is the relationships between men, father and sons, brothers, and their women to the outside world that grounds A River Runs Through It to a vein of storytelling that is missing in so many of Hollywood films produced in recent years.

What makes these relationships special however, is the attention Redford gives to the language as spoken in dialogue. This is a literate script, beautiful to hear and unforgettable when coupled with the stunning Montana rivers and mountains. The words and setting are equal to performances by a cast that rises to their material. While the idea of fly fishing may seem an odd device to center a story, it is not so implausible in Redford's directorial hands. Given the material, Redford's ode to a simpler time and life is worth revisiting again and again.


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