The Good

A great movie gets yet another big release.

The Bad

I would have loved a commentary track with the actors that made the trek down the river.

By all accounts it might be hard to wonder why when you mention the movie Deliverance people often give you a very stern look and then reply, "That's a great movie."

So what is it about this tale of four men who take a trek down a dying river, are accosted by some backwoods people, then have to fight for their lives in order to survive, and then after surviving have to live with the fact that they committed murder (even if it was in the form of self defense) that attracts people? Also, a big reason why they have to lie about their situation is because they are very far from home and there's no way they could get a fair trial in the area of America that they are in.

So why is this movie given so much reverence when something like Wrong Turn 2: Dead End is merely seen as a straight-to-DVD bloodfest?

Well, I think that the answer lies in the fact that Deliverance n't pander to its audience. It doesn't sensationalize (much) the people who wish to do our river travelers harm. It doesn't become self-parodying or ironic in it's telling of the story. It just presents a very visceral, primal tale of men trying to survive against the violence of other men.

That is why Deliverance is a great film.

Features

Commentary Track

Director John Boorman does the commentary track here and I found it fascinating. I was reading in Entertainment Weekly that they thought he sounded like he was just rehashing old stories, but I didn't find that to be the case at all. Boorman says that the movie is a story about a river that is about to be drained and killed. Apparently, the studio originally said that they'd make the movie if he could find two stars, then they said it was too much money, so then he had to find two unknowns who weren't stars. After this, Boorman discussed the whole topic of inbreeding and how it began with white people who were the product of relations with Indians. They were shunned by their own people so they began to procreate amongst themselves. Now, if this doesn't sound informative and insightful to you than I don't know what will.

Vintage Featurette

4-Part 35th Anniversary Retrospective

This piece is broken up into 4 parts. They have titles like The Beginning, The Journey and Betraying the River. These feature John Boorman and other creative people behind this movie as they talk about its impact, why it was and continues to be successful with viewers, and the overall power of the movie. However, what most people will want to screen is the section featuring the scene of Ned Beatty being sodomized where the popular line, "Squeal like a pig" was born. All in all this was good stuff, but I much preferred the intimacy of the Commentary Track.

Video

Widescreen Version. Presented in a "Letterbox" format preserving the "scope" aspect ratio of its original, theatrical exhibition. Enhanced for Widescreen TVs. Everytime I watch this movie I am always amazed that it came off mainly because of where they were shooting. I know this movie was shot on 35mm but it has a desaturated, documentary quality that really aids its presentation. Also, Boorman uses metaphorical shots very sparingly so for the most part this story is told very traditionally.

Audio

Dolby Digital. English: Dolby Digital 5.1. French: Mono. A lot of this movie has been overdubbed but I don't that that really hurts this film. I think by having the voices somewhat disassociated from the characters it plays very well for this film. First of all, the clean audio adds an interrogative, documentary feel. Second of all, it makes the actors seem even more out of their element somehow. Overall, I must admit that I am a fan of the way the audio was done for this movie.

Package

John Voight and Burt Reynolds take centerstage on this front cover with shot of the main cast paddling down the river behind them. The back portion of this release gives us three shots from this movie, a quotes laden description of what this film is about, a Special Features listing, a credits list and system specs.

Final Word

I am always amazed at how easily I am drawn into this movie. I always wondered what was so great about it before I saw it and in so many ways it rises above the main scene that it's known for. The scene in question would be the one where Ned Beatty gets something of a comeuppance from one of the backwoods people. This movie is a nicely paced, 109 minute look at nature and the elements that corrupt it. Even though our main characters are the heroes, a strong argument could be made against their taking the trip that has forever altered their lives.

If Deliverance was made today it would no doubt sequelized. Heck, I could even think up a few scenarious where some of the main characters return to the scene of the crime with a revenge scheme that goes very awry. Yet, I think it's nice that this movie stands alone as its own cautionary tale of what happens when humans encroach too much on other humans.