Themes: Generation Gap, Sibling Relationships, Fathers and Sons
Main Cast: Craig Sheffer, Brad Pitt, Tom Skerritt, Brenda Blethyn, Emily Lloyd, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Release Year: 1992
Country: US
Run Time: 123 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
Robert Redford's lyrical direction sets the tone for this evocative adaptation of author Norman MacLean's memoir of his idyllic Montana youth. The MacLean family is presided over by the strict but encouraging Rev. MacLean (Tom Skerritt) and his loving wife (Brenda Blethyn). Craig Sheffer stars as the young Norman, the older son in his family, who takes his school work and writing a bit too seriously for Paul (Brad Pitt), the impetuous younger son, to take much stock in. Paul would rather have a good time, drink and play cards than get involved with academic study. Where Norman wants to be a college literature professor, Paul would prefer to stay in Montana all his life and wrangle some kind of job writing for a local newspaper. But, ironically, Paul is the better fly fisherman and in this way attains a sense of perfection. The film also details the MacLean boys' involvement with a colorful group of town's people -- including a young Indian woman Paul decides to date and the defiant Jessie (Emily Lloyd), whom Norman later marries. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
Review
The sure hand of director Robert Redford, his images beautifully rendered by cinematographer Philippe Rousselot, did more than play it safe with the material provided by Norman Maclean's best-selling autobiographical novel about fly-fishing and the connection between father and sons. Set in Montana in the early 20th century, the film is a typical coming-of-age story featuring two sons, one conventional (Craig Sheffer) and one wild (Brad Pitt), and their relationships with their minister dad (Tom Skerritt). In his third directorial effort, Redford showed that he understood mood, pace, and setting like few other contemporary American filmmakers. A River Runs Through It is a mature, contemplative film that put Redford back on track as a director, leading him, a few years later, to the equally adept and perhaps more substantial Quiz Show. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
Edie McClurg - Mrs. Burns; Stephen Shellen - Neal Burns; Nicole Burdette - Mabel; Susan Traylor - Rawhide; Vann Gravage - Young Paul; Chuck Adamson - Harry the Editor; Philip A. Braun - Dealer at Lolo; Rob Cox - Conroy; David Creamer - Ken Burns; Michael Cudlitz - Chub; Byron Dingman - Speakeasy Patron; MacIntyre Dixon - Police Sergeant; Jim Dunkin - Speakeasy Bartender; Hawk Forssell - Bouncer at Speakeasy; D. Gorton - Pavilion Announcer; William Hootkins - Murphy; Don Jeffery - Black Jack; Cecily Johnson - Speakeasy Patron; Prudence Johnson - Pavilion Singer; Rex Kendall - Reporter; Margot Kiser - Sal; Martina Kreidl - Secretary at Newspaper; Jack Kroll - Reporter; Tracy Mayfield - Bouncer at Lolo; Anne Merrem - Hooker at Lolo; Fred Oakland - Mr. Burns; Lincoln Quesenberry - Drunk in Alley; Madonna Reubens - Aunt Sally; Arnold Richardson - Old Norman; Kathy Scharler - Waitress at Speakeasy; Jess Schwidde - Mrs. Sweeney; Caleb Shiff - Young John; Buck Simmonds - Humph; Jacob Snyder - Piano Player; Noah Snyder - Copy Boy at Newspaper; Chuck Tweed - Drunk in Jail; Robert Redford - Narration
Credit
Walter Paul Martishius - Art Director, Elisabeth Leustig - Casting, Barbara Maltby - Co-producer, Bernie Pollack - Costume Designer, Kathy O'Rear - Costume Designer, Robert Redford - Director, Robert L. Estrin - Editor, Lynzee Klingman - Editor, Jake Eberts - Executive Producer, Mark Isham - Composer (Music Score), Jon Hutman - Production Designer, Philippe Rousselot - Cinematographer, Patrick Markey - Producer, Robert Redford - Producer, Gretchen Rau - Set Designer, Richard Friedenberg - Screenwriter, William Hjortsberg - Screenwriter, Anne Gordon - Animal Trainer/Wrangler, Norman Maclean - Short Story Author
Set in and around the city of Missoula in western Montana, the story follows two sons of a Presbyterian minister—one studious and the other rebellious—as they grow up and come of age in a time that roughly spans the Prohibition era (1919-33) in the United States: from World War I (1917-18) to the early days of the Great Depression (1929-41).
The film won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography in 1993; it was also nominated for two other oscars, including the Academy Award for Best Cinematography and the Academy Award for the Best Music and Original Score; the film had also won the Readers' Choice Award for the Best Foreign Language Film.The film grossed $43,440,294 in US domestic returns.[1]
The film tells the autobiographical story about two young men, Norman (Craig Sheffer) and Paul (Brad Pitt), growing up in 1920s Missoula, Montana under the watchful eye of their father, a Presbyterian minister. Their mornings are spent in school and religious study, while their afternoons are devoted to fly fishing in the nearby Blackfoot River. At home, however, the family's stoic emotions hint that trouble is to come. Norman goes to the east coast for college and lives there for six years, without returning home until then. In the meantime, Paul gets a job as a prolific journalist and makes a name for himself back home. The movie is about Norman's return home and his and Paul's summer together.
As adults, Paul is a rebellious journalist and his brother, Norman, a level-headed, grounded teacher. Norman matures and channels his rebellion through his writing while dating Jessie Burns, while his reckless brother Paul turns to gambling and liquor. The film chronicles their intertwining and often conflicting lives, focusing on Norman's point of view, as they grow up in the shadow of their minister father. A great deal of the film surrounds the men's love of fly fishing for trout in Montana's rivers, and their shared experiences through it while growing up.
Craig Sheffer, Brad Pitt, and Tom Skerrit fishing.
Released on October 9, 1992, A River Runs Through It grossed $43,440,294 in US domestic returns.[1] The film achieved a 78% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.com based on all polled critical reviews.[6]
Awards
A River Runs Through It was nominated for three Academy Awards for 1992, including Best Cinematography (Philippe Rousselot); Best Music, Original Score (Mark Isham); and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium (Richard Friedenberg). Rousselot won for Best Cinematography. Robert Redford was also nominated for Best Director - Motion Picture at the Golden Globes, but did not win.
Discussion of artistic license taken
An article published in the Helena Independent Record in July, 2000 and based on recollections of people who knew both brothers noted a number specifics about the Macleans — notably various chronological and educational details about Paul Maclean's adult life — that differ somewhat from their portrayal in the film and novella.[7]
