Enjoyed this film produced by Robert Redford which deals with a Presbyterian Minister who has two sons, one is reserved and the other is a hell raiser. This film takes place in Montana and the beauty of their rivers and wonderful land and its beautiful mountains. Tom Skeritt, (Rev. MacLean) plays the role of a very loving parent of Norman MacLean, (Craig Sheffer) who is basically a very straight arrow and also his brother Paul MacLean, (Brad Pitt) who is a newspaper reporter and has a very wild way living especially with drinking and plenty of women. There is a sweet romance between Norman MacLean and Jessie Burns, (Emily Lloyd) who fall in love with each other and these two people try to guide Paul MacLean into a better way of living but he just cannot seem to settle down. Great film about what life is really about in many families. Enjoy
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whpratt117 February 2008
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perfectbond23 January 2004In The Legend of Bagger Vance, Redford showed the purity and tranquility of purpose to be found in golf. Here he does it with fly fishing. And just as he captured the period so well in that film, so, too, does he here; not only the look (notably the beautiful Montana landscape) and sound but the cultural (especially religious) folkways as well. The stars, Pitt, Skerritt, and Sheffer, are all perfectly cast and they are backed by a strong supporting cast. This movie is an excellent exposé of a rural American's journey through his formative years. Recommended, 7/10.
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rbverhoef25 June 2003In a little town in Montana two brothers grow up. One of them is Norman (Craig Sheffer), the other is Paul (Brad Pitt). Their father is Reverend Maclean and they grow up with his lessons that has to do with religion, and the lessons of fly-fishing. In this movie fly-fishing represents life, a little.
The story is good and keeps your attention although there are some moments you need a little action. Probably the movie has this moments because it is not really about the events that happen, but about the message. Some things do happen though. Norman goes to Dartmouth to study. After six years he returns and gets involved with a nice girl named Jessie (Emily Lloyd) and he is invited to teach in Chicago. Paul has become a reporter and is known as the "fishing reporter". He is famous and it seems he has a nice life, but he drinks a little too much and gambles too much.
The movie is very well directed, it has a nice score and all of the actors are good. The most beautiful thing in this movie is the cinematography. The mountains, the woods and the river all look very beautiful. If the movie was only made for these things it was good enough to watch. Fortunately there is more. -
briansp30 January 2004When I saw previews for this film, I thought "Its a movie about fishing, why would I want to see that?" This is as much of a fishing movie as Hoosiers is about basketball, or Field of Dreams is about baseball.
The story is elegant, the narrative beautiful, the characters deftly drawn. The relationship between the father and two sons is really interesting, and I love the interplay between them. There is great sadness, and also great humour. While nostalgic, I don't think the film ever becomes maudlin, and by the time the film draws to its inevitable close, I feel the same sense of loss and regret every time.
This movie does what films are supposed to do - touch one's heart and mind.
The closing lines, taken from a short story by McLean, are as haunting as they are beautiful:
"But when I am alone in the half light of the canyon all existence seems to fade to a being with my soul and memories. And the sounds of the Big Black Foot River and a four count rhythm and the hope that a fish will rise. Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters." -
AlsExGal2 March 2019Well, TCM doesn't get to show many Brad Pitt movies, so I'm sure they're glad they can get their hands on this one. While the two romantic leads, Craig Sheffer and cute-as-a-button 22-year-old Emily Lloyd, have been forgotten, you can just see Pitt's white-hot ascent to stardom taking place in this movie, along with his other early performances.
And what a part for him. It runs the gamut - his character is always the most dashing, charming guy in the room but also vulnerable, fiercely proud and deeply troubled. This movie is very watchable and re-watchable; I've probably seen it close to a dozen times. But I'm still not sure I get what the message is supposed to be. Tom Skerritt's preacher tries to teach his sons to find grace and to reconnect with their inner selves after dealing with the chaos of the material world by losing themselves in the rhythms of fly fishing. And Pitt's younger son absorbs the lesson and surpasses the teacher, becoming a transcendent genius of the art. But he doesn't learn any of the reverend's other lessons and is doomed for tragedy, partially bringing that doom upon himself by refusing offers of financial help or the chance to relocate to another city where his enemies would probably never find him.
Sheffer's older son, on the other hand, is only an okay fly fisherman but is more in tune with his father's plan for navigating life otherwise, and he ends up with a beautiful wife and children and a fulfilling job and happiness. So, how important is fly fishing to all this exactly?
Everyone in the cast is great, especially Skerritt and Brenda Blethyn as the parents. I would like to give special attention to Nicole Burdette, who plays the small but moving role of Mabel. She could have practically had her own movie, but instead has to show in just a couple of scenes what it was like to be Native American in Missoula in the 1920s, not much different than what it was like to be black in the Deep South at the same time. Mabel has no patience for intolerance, and she's rowdy and out of control, but she also wants to sublimate her identity with an Anglicized name and considers bobbing her hair to look more like the white flappers. We sense she's had a hard life, but she also beams like a little girl when Lloyd's Jessie tells her how pretty her hair is. This actress' imdb biography is whisper-thin. I don't even know if she's actually Native American. You still saw white people getting parts like that sometimes even as late as the early '90s. But she does a great job. -
wes-connors2 October 2007Craig Sheffer (as Norman) and Brad Pitt (as Paul) are Montana sons-of-a-preacher man Tom Skerritt (as Reverend Maclean). You will immediately notice the breathtaking Montana scenery - photography by Philippe Rousselot, direction by Robert Redford, with an obviously adept cast and crew. The kids playing the younger Macleans were quite an asset; I did recognize Joseph Gordon-Levitt in an impressive debut (though not his first). As I was watching, I thought: well, it looks all nice, but what's happening? I was unsure about the film's focus. The film is often slow and confusing, even if you are familiar with the Norman MacLean story; and, this is a somewhat alternate version/vision of the original written work.
And, I realized what I was watching. It happened twenty minutes (or so) after the kids "grew up" - this is the story of Norman Maclean's remembrances the touching stones of his life. They may not be the things you'd believe an old man remembers; but, by the end of the film, you know. You'll understand the focus on his brother, with that magical quality that just slipped away Perhaps, there was no perfection there; but, you'll know why Norman sees it. You'll know why that memory of the perfect fly fisherman is there.
Just a few other thoughts: At the risk of over-analyzing, I felt the characters of Norman, Paul, their father, and Redford merging into ONE character at the end of the film; I wonder if Redford intended it that way? His direction, narration, and lead performances seemed blend together Directing, Preaching, Fishing, the River - it all runs together; and, we're all water. The end of the film is very powerful.
********* A River Runs Through It (1992) Robert Redford ~ Brad Pitt, Craig Sheffer, Tom Skerritt, Brenda Blethyn -
Paranoid_Indifference22 June 2020This is probably one of the most fishing movies I've ever seen. The main character and his brother are brought together by fishing. The movie (motion picture) is set in Montana.
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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 elegant ode to a simpler time and life is worth revisiting again and again. -
lotus0721 June 2008SYNOPSIS: The story of two brothers is told in narrative flashback. The film is set in Montana at the turn of the century. It explores the bonds that tie their family together and the differences that drive them apart against the backdrop of a beautiful landscape.
CONCEPT IN RELATION TO THE VIEWER Understanding what binds us to one another and understanding how seemingly simple things are the glue that cement our relationships to one another even as we chart different courses in our lives.
PROS AND CONS This is a film that I had seen before and I wanted to watch it again to see if it was still as good as I remembered it. It is a good film, although it is very subtle and introspective. This was one of Robert Redford's first attempts at movie making from behind the camera. He does not appear on screen but does lend his voice as the narrator.
Without giving too much away, this is a film about fly fishing. Not the art of fishing itself, but how a common, shared experience brings people together regardless of how much they grow apart. In this film, the two brothers grow into men of different temperaments and ideals. However, both of them share the same life long passion that was taught to them by their father.
This passion is the unseen thread that holds the family together. Many families have this type of thread but it can take different forms. The mother driving her daughter to figure-skating practice week after week which eventually stretches into years. The father and son that tinker on their 57 Chevy for decades in the garage. The things that seem meaningless at first, but when looked back upon, create a continuity that makes us who we are at our core.
This film is exceptional in many ways. As a period piece, it makes the viewer long to live in rural Montana before World War I. Tom Skerritt as the father and the young Brad Pitt as his younger son give exceptional performances. I found the older son played by Craig Sheffer to be a bit emotionless and repressed. His love affair with the home town girl appears a bit forced at times and does not appear to move the plot forward much.
In the end, the eldest son stands along in the river where so much was learned and you can sense his anguish at what he has lost during the course of his life. The final lines of the film pretty much sum it up. "In the end, all things run together into one, and a river runs through it. And if you listen to the waters you can hear their voices.......I am haunted by waters." All in all, a beautiful film that makes us pause at the end and think about what is really important. -
mattmatthew80831 December 2005as a habit i always like to read through the 'hated it' reviews of any given movie. especially one that i'd want to comment on. and it's not so much a point-counterpoint sorta deal; i just like to see what people say on the flipside.
however, i do want to address one thing. many people that hated it called it, to paraphrase, 'beautiful, but shallow,' some even going so far as to say that norm's desire yet inability to help his brother was a mundane plot, at best.
i'd like to disagree.
as a brother of a sibling who has a similar dysfunction, i can relate. daily, you see them abuse themselves, knowing only that their current path will inevitably lead them to self-destruction. and it's not about the specifics of what they did when; how or why paul decided to take up gambling and associating with questionable folks; it's really more how they are wired. on one hand, they are veritable geniuses, and on the other, painfully self-destructive (it's a lot like people like howard hughes the same forces which drive them are the same forces which tear them apart) and all the while you see this, you know this, and what's worse, you realize you can't do a damn thing about it.
for norman maclean, a river runs through it was probably a way to find an answer to why the tragedy had to occur, and who was to blame. in the end, no one is, and often, there is no why. but it takes a great deal of personal anguish to truly come to this realization. sometimes it takes a lifetime. and sometimes it never comes at all. -
Based on Norman Maclean's memoir, Norman (Craig Sheffer, Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is the older brother to Paul (Brad Pitt) under their strict Presbyterian minister father (Tom Skerritt). They get their love of fly fishing under the regimented teaching of their father. It's the early part of 20th century in Missoula, Montana. While Norman goes away to Dartmouth for 6 years, Paul stays closer to home for college and then writes for a Helena newspaper. Paul works on his writing, hard drinking, gambling, and fly fishing. It's the spring of 1926 when Norman returns home. He is unsure of his future and starts courting Jessie Burns (Emily Lloyd).
With the Robert Redford narration and the long sweeping story, this feels like a novel turned into a movie. The good aspect is that it has the appearance of weight. The less good aspect is that it is meditative. I guess it's fitting for a fly fishing movie. Redford keeps casting the lines but rarely gets a good bite. It is in the casting of the lines where this movie exists. It's not particularly interested in having an exciting time catching fish. Even the big climax is left off screen. There is some beautiful cinematography especially with the photogenic Brad Pitt. It's a long slow beautiful movie. -
I have read the short story by Norman Maclean, and the movie did justice to Norman Maclean's writing. My husband tends to reread it occasionally, and I myself have read it over and scenes of the movie keeps coming to mind. We have videos of many of Redford s movies and we have watched "A River runs through it" many times. Redford is part of the "famdamily" as he is always around. We never get tired of Redford's perception of Norman Maclean writings, and the beauty of Montana. The script reminds me very much of my own upbringing as my father had the same calling as Mr. Maclean's father. According to "A River Runs Through It," "Methodists are Baptists who can read," a line which by the way is not in the short story, but I think that is a funny line! My husband and I are well-read Baptists!
I have heard a movie critic state that the pace of this movie is too slow. I disagree. As one search for inner peace, this is the type of movie that will make you contemplate the beauty of nature in three/four rhythm of the metronome. The photography is outstanding! The acting is great. I love the scene where Norman and Paul as boys talked and wondered whether one could be a fly fisher or a boxer! Then as adult Paul played by Brad Pitt (Se7ven) is the "perfect guy" who needs help with his alcoholism but will not accept it. The same applies to Neal Burns, who uses worms as bait, he also needed help but would not accept the fact that he needed help. The scene where Paul refuses to eat oatmeal and the entire family has to wait an eternity to say grace! Finally after hours, they all kneel around the table to say: "Grace!" and they all leave. But the oatmeal stayed on the plate! That scene where the two love birds and their tattoos on their posteriors! That is funny! The sunburn! The drive back home where Jessie Burns (Emily Lloyd) decides to go via the train line! Beautiful dialogue when Norman proposes to Jessie because he wants her to come to Chicago with him!
Redford himself does a superb job as a narrator. I could not stop myself from comparing Brad to the young Redford (Barefoot in the Park). The nominated Director, Producer, Actor, is a visionary who deserves to be praised for his advancement not only in the cinema in the US but around the world. I am glad to live in nineteen hundred because I have seen the beginning of the black and white television, the movies and all the technology and special effects, to be able to watch videos at home and to live in the same century as Redford because I have had the chance to see his works. Redford needs no special effects to show us the beauty of Montana in this masterpiece. The river to me means that line that separates life from death, memories and realities. Redford shows the hands of the Creator so magnificently and a river runs through it. -
aymanrizk5 February 2005Great acting from Craig Sheffer, Tom Skerritt and especially Brad Pitt who portrays the role of the brother who is outgoing, loves life and enjoys it to the fullest as nobody else can in my opinion.
The movie, though, sometimes appears to drag on for no apparent purpose. It is very slow and although I gave it a 7 for a first viewing, I would never want to sit through it again.
As an example of what I mean, how does Jessie's brother fit in? and what is the purpose of including this part of the story in the movie? Beautiful scenery, no doubt about that. Worth a watch if you haven't seen it yet. -
I don't remember the book very well, apart from feeling that it was wildly overwritten--the author's sense of lyrical self-importance almost overwhelmed everything else. But the basic elements seemed like they'd adapt well to film. However, when this came out I heard very mixed things about it, mostly that it was very pretty to look at but not very compelling otherwise. So it's taken me a long time to get to it.
Indeed, it's a very good-looking movie, maybe more genteel than the story needed. You don't get much sense of conflict except in isolated scenes, and the dynamic between the brothers seemed less intense than what I remembered from the book--maybe because Brad Pitt is at the height of his "I don't need to act, just stand around and look pretty" early phase, his charaacter never seems much of a troubled soul, let alone a doomed one. The much more briefly seen figure of the romantic lead's brother is far vivid as someone who's his own worst enemy. Craig Sheffer's character is better defined, but on the other hand you can see why that actor's career didn't really take off--he's perfectly fine, but there's no memorable personality or particular charisma behind the competence. The supporting performances are decent enough.
It's an OK movie, but all its expensive craftsmanship can't substitute for the real inspiration this story really needed to come alive onscreen. Redford is usually a solid director, but he's very literal-minded, and has no particular flair for action or tension. He's good at elevating dialogue- and issue-driven material like "Ordinary People," but this film needed a poet's sensibility, and Redford is more like a dutiful transcriptionist. Then again, plenty of people think the book is a great work of art, because it acts the part of being one. Similarly, this movie may strike some as a classic because it looks and sounds as if stuffed with gravitas. I just wish I actually FELT that gravitas, rather than feeling the movie's earnest self-importance without being particularly moved by the characters, the story or even the picture-postcard photography. -
gavin694211 June 2015The story about two sons of a stern minister (Tom Skerritt) -- one reserved, one rebellious -- growing up in rural Montana while devoted to fly fishing.
This is one of those films that catapulted Brad Pitt to stardom. In fact, it may be the very film that did, since it was not "Thelma and Louise" and he was fairly established by the time "Interview with the Vampire" came out. So, good job, Brad! This is just a nice drama about two brothers in Montana. You know, nothing too exciting, but just a nicely scripted, well-acted story. And having Robert Redford narrate and direct is a nice touch. He really knows how to craft a story, making even the mundane worth watching. -
defdewd10 February 2006Have you seen The Graduate? It was hailed as the movie of its generation. But A River Runs Through It is the story about all generations. Long before Dustin Hoffman's character got all wrapped up in the traps of modern suburbia, Norman Maclean and his brother Paul were facing the same crushing pressures of growing up as they tried to find their place in the world. But how could a place like post WW1 Montana be a showcase for the American family, at a time when the Wild West still was not completely gone? Just what has Maclean tapped into that strikes so deeply at who we all are and what we have to go through to find ourselves? As the movie opens, Norman is an old man, flyfishing beside a rushing river, trying to understand the course his own life has taken. The movie is literally a journey up through his own stream of consciousness, against time's current and back to when he was a boy. He and his younger brother Paul were the sons of a Presbyterian minister and devoted mother. The parents fit snugly into their roles. Mom takes care of house and home. Dad does the work of the Lord. The boys ponder what they will be when they grow up. Norm has it narrowed down to a boxer or a minister like his dad. Given the choice, little Paul would be the boxer, since he's told his first choice of pro flyfisherman doesn't even exist. The boys grow up and get into trouble with their pranks, fight to see who is tougher and do the things brothers do, all the while attending church and taking part in all other spiritual matters like flyfishing. They are at similar points in their lives before college. But when Norm returns from his six years at Dartmouth, things are very different. Paul is at the top of his game. Master flyfisherman. Grad of a nearby college and newspaper reporter who knows every cop on the beat and every judge on the bench. Norman is stunningly well educated for his day but has little idea what to do with his life, even as his father grills him about what he intends to do. You're left feeling that at least to Pops, God will call you to your life's work. But you have to stay open and ready to receive it -- all your life. Father has always taken his boys to reflect by the side of the river and contemplate God's eternal words. "Listen," their father urges. It's both Zen and Quakerly. Pretty radical for a stoic clergyman. But with all the beauty and contemplation, and even though the Macleans are truly a God-fearing, scripture-heeding household, how is it that Rev. Maclean's family is unraveling? Paul is true perfection as he fishes the river, but he's feeling the pull of gambling and boozing, while his family doesn't know how to keep him from winding up where he seems to be headed. Mom, Dad and Brother all seem to have the same quiet desperation of not knowing what they should be doing and why they can't seem to help. Pauly just waves it all off with a grin and his irresistible charm. But the junior brother is losing his grip. Norman starts getting his life on track, finding love and career, but Paul continues to slide. The family that loves him watches helplessly. Mother, Father, Brother flounder in their own ways trying to help, but none very effectively. How can a family that loves each other so much be so ill-equipped to handle this? How can someone be so artful and full of grace when out in God's nature, yet be somehow unfit or unwilling to fit into the constructs of society that God's peoples have made for themselves? These are all questions Norman will ponder his entire life. The eternal words beneath the smooth stones of the river forever haunt him, yet keep their secrets. The movie is beautiful to watch. This is certainly God's country, and filming it won an Oscar. Director Robert Redford plays with the story from the book and teases the narration a bit to follow the emotional pattern he's presenting, and it works well. But do go back and read the book, too. You'll see Norman made connections with his old man even deeper than the movie can suggest -- and you'll see the places where the storyteller's very words gurgle and sing right off the page with an exuberance of a river running through it, leading into the unknown.
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Coxer9916 April 1999Cinematography is sharp, capturing the beauty of nature and all its creations. The story is well kept and moves swiftly. The cast works well together. The piece is a fine study in editing, sound, camera operation.
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Although this film is shot beautifully and has great potential, it somehow doesn't seem to live up to that potential for me. I was always waiting for something to happen - and although I know this is not a necessary attribute for every film out there, it just felt like the film was consistently building up to something, wanting us to feel as though what was happening was direly important, but never quite delivering.
The acting was decent, although I believe the actors had more potential and were likely hampered by poor direction; Robert Redford isn't exactly the best actor, and at times it feels to me like Brad Pitt had been overly influenced by Redford's style of acting, as though Redford were trying to mold Pitt in his image.
The film does succeed in some respects. Although the plot never quite seems to get anywhere, the mood and atmosphere of the film are worth experiencing. It's just a shame it didn't feel more substantial to me. It wanted to take us somewhere... but somehow it just didn't take me. -
DrewAlexanderR11 February 2009When I first saw this movie I was with my dad. He encouraged me to watch this movie because it was one of his favorites. After watching the movie it instantly became one of mine.
A River Runs Through It is about two brothers who each take a different path in life. Norman Maclean (Craig Sheffer) is the older of the two brothers and sets out on the path of education. Paul Maclean (Brad Pitt) is the rebellious younger brother who travels on a path full of obstacles.
The story follows these characters as the each walk their own path. There is no downside to this film. You will be entertained the whole way through. The acting, directing, and script are all perfect. The two things that are exceptional are the cinematography and the score. Both bring you into the world Robert Redford creates.
This is an all around great film that is destined to be a classic. It sure is in my book. If you haven't seen it definitely watch it as soon as you can, because it will stay with you forever. -
Mhethcoat1 October 2013Suspense abound! Not quite, but this adaption of Norman Maclean's short story drama certainly has plenty of emotion to it. Sticking closely enough to the source novel, the film doesn't seem to sacrifice much from the novel for a more entertaining film. Instead, being able to see in the film what the novel vaguely describes helps much in getting everything out of the story.
It's clear the novel meant something for someone, as there weren't many times where the movie strayed from the book, only at a few points it adds new things to the story. The changes it does make generally aren't very important, in one such case, Norm having already known Jesse in the book is turned into a brief subplot where he meets and builds a relationship with her. It's not as in other films, where they take the name, and make an entirely unrelated story out of it.
The film looks exactly how the book described. The setting of the story feels looks how it was described in the novel, feeling like that Montana the characters talked about. There isn't excessive special effects, everything for the most part looks natural, and convincing. It's not as if it's a film needed many effects, but it's nice to see how the film wasn't covered in unneeded effects just to make it look more interesting, at the expense of story, like other films.
Perhaps the most important thing the movie has going for it is the acting. Starring Craig Scheffer as Norm, and Brad Pitt as his brother Paul, these actors portray the two biggest characters rather accurately. Along with Tom Skerritt as their reverend father, the actors look the part, and make convincing enough brothers. Together, they make the film more compelling, being able to pull off Norm's concerned, wiser personality, and Paul's tough guy personality pretty well.
Overall, the film is well acted, fairly well paced, and good looking. It doesn't make us suffer through the long descriptions of fly fishing that the novel did, instead maintaining fly fishing's importance to the story without doing that. The most unusual thing about this film is that it's superior to the source novel. Any film accomplishing such a feat deserves much respect. -
Anonymous_Maxine2 April 2001(spoilers) A River Runs Through It is an excellent story of the lives of one family, from the time the two sons were young boys to the time when one of them is an old man, and everyone else has died. Brad Pitt delivers yet another great performance as the younger and wilder son Paul, and the unappealing looking Craig Sheffer stars as Paul's older brother Norman, from whose point of view the entire film is told.
The early 20th century is beautifully and accurately presented, and there is even a reference to former President Calvin Coolidge. When Paul grows up, he becomes a reporter, and gets an interview with the President as he is fly fishing in Montana, the state where the film takes place. Not only is this historically accurate as far as the time period, but we also all remember Calvin Coolidge as the president who seemed to be more interested in fishing than working in the White House. Maybe he had the same opinion that George W. Bush has, that `presidenting is hard.' At any rate, it was never a secret that Coolidge wanted to be the `least president possible.'
A River Runs Through It is a very thorough and meaningful drama that presents a long period of time in a thoughtful and clear way. The film as a whole is structured in a way that is very similar to the way that Saving Private Ryan is structured, by being told from the point of view of one of the characters when he is a very old man. The theme of the whole film can be summarized in one of Norman's lines near the end of the film `Life is not a work of art.' The film suggests that even though life is not perfect, even in the most beautiful surroundings, you can, and should, find something that makes you happy and do that as much as possible. For the Maclean family, that activity was fishing, and Norman continues that activity until he is an old man.
It's true that the end of the film may have gotten a little too philosophical and ended up sounding a little bit like gibberish (such as the closing line, `I am haunted by waters.'), but the film as a whole is both entertaining and heartwarming. Everyone involved delivered excellent performances that were appropriate for the subject matter, and the character development was intelligent and thorough. This is one of those rare films that, even though it doesn't have the happiest ending, it just makes you feel good. -
Slarkshark1 December 2021The beauty of big sky Montana and it's many mountains and rivers are truly breathtaking. Brad Pitt even stuck around for 'Legends of the Fall' two years later.
There's nothing quite like the tranquility of fly flishing. No doubt that's the best thing of this movie.
The story itself is nothing spectacular, just a family with two brothers who love each other dearly, but are so very different. They choose different paths in life, but it's the river that connects them.
"My favorite state has not yet been invented. It will be called Montana, and it will be perfect." - Abraham Lincoln. -
leliorisen1 November 2002I am a film buff and I must say that out of all the movies I have seen over the years, "A River Runs Through It" is #1 on my list of great films. It ranks as my all time favorite.
I recently bought the DVD and was amazed that, despite having seen this film for the umpteenth time, I am still incredibly moved, often to tears.
The final narrative, to me, is the ultimate motion picture experience and delivers the promise of what certain movies can do if they set their sights high enough...and that is elevate the viewer and give them an experience that transcends beyond the mere act of watching, but gives lessons in life that one will remember and use for years to come.
More than anything, "A River Runs Through It" is about family and how the choices we individually make may take us down different paths, but can never dilute our bonds and love. Watching it, I am constantly reminded of the paths my own brother and I have made and how differently our lives have turned out.
But back to the film. It is understated, and yet blissfully exquisite in expressing its passion for life.
I actually learned flyfishing after seeing this for the first time a decade ago. In this movie flyfishing is a spiritual experience and represents a total communion with nature. It is during flyfishing that, despite the paths the characters have chosen, they can toss everything else aside and be bound to each other for all time.
There are many movies I love, but this is the only one that causes me to get chills over and over again.
This movie is sheer perfection. I continue to be haunted by waters. -
ivorhighley-128257 January 2022Enjoyable film with the relaxation of fishing as its theme.
Relatable story with beautiful cinematography to be admired!
Plot is strong and the pace is nice and even. -
Analog_Devotee30 November 2021Beautiful cinematography and filming locations, as well as some stellar acting performances, make this a watchable film... But the story, however true it may be, is quite honestly one of the most boring and unengaging I've ever encountered.