A River Runs Through It (1992)

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

Director:

Robert Redford

Writers:

Norman Maclean (story), Richard Friedenberg (screenplay)

Stars:

Craig Sheffer, Brad Pitt, Tom Skerritt

Won 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Craig Sheffer	...	Norman Maclean
Brad Pitt	...	Paul Maclean
Tom Skerritt	...	Rev. Maclean
Brenda Blethyn	...	Mrs. Maclean
Emily Lloyd	...	Jessie Burns
Edie McClurg	...	Mrs. Burns
Stephen Shellen	...	Neal Burns
Vann Gravage	...	Young Paul
Nicole Burdette	...	Mabel
Susan Traylor	...	Rawhide
Michael Cudlitz	...	Chub
Rob Cox	...	Conroy
Buck Simmonds	...	Humph
Fred Oakland	...	Mr. Burns
David Creamer	...	Ken Burns

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.

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Plot Keywords:

fly fishing | fishing | voice over narration | bare butt | religion | 

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Taglines:

The Story of an American Family.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for momentary nudity, and some language in a family drama

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 October 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Nada es para siempre

Filming Locations:

Bozeman, Montana, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$43,440,294 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Allied Filmmakers

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

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."

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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.

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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."

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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.

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Connections

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

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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.

User Reviews

Picturesque and Literary: An Ode to the American Wilderness

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.