Stay out of the Woods (Deliverance (DVD))

Member Name: sandrabarber

Product:	Deliverance (DVD)
Date:	04/07/03 (809 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: thrilling, disturbing, brilliantly acted

Disadvantages: none

Deliverance tells the cautionary tale of 4 Atlanta suburbanites who take a canoeing trip down the Cahulawassee River before it disappears due to the building of an industrial development. Happy with their comfortable middle class lives in the city, their trip is merely a two day diversion in which they will get back to nature and have some fun. Except the river, and those who live around its banks, have in store for them much more than they bargained for.

The film centres around four main characters:

Lewis Medlock (Burt Reynolds), a daring adventurer
Ed Gentry (Jon Voight), a sensitive family man
Bobby Tripp (Ned Beatty), an overweight salesman
Drew Ballinger (Ronny Cox), a guitar playing sales supervisor

We first see the men as they attempt to hire some locals to drive their car down to their destination for them while they go by boat. The reception they get is unnerving and humiliating, and the people they encounter - uneducated, unwashed, fifty years behind the times, some suffering genetic defects as the result of generations of inbreeding - are blatantly hostile. With typical urban superiority, the men laugh at and disparage the locals.

The river turns out to be equally menacing, full of twists and turns, falls, rapids and treacherous rocks.

Soon the men are under siege from both the river and the locals they have insulted, and the movie becomes a tense, disturbing, action-packed fight for survival.

This is no vacuous thrills-and-spills blockbuster, however. The four main characters are satisfyingly three-dimensional, and their personalities and relationships are explored whilst being tested to their limits.

All four stars give superb performances, especially Jon Voight whose character undergoes the biggest challenges. His transformation from follower of Lewis to enforced, frightened leader of the pack is beautifully crafted and completely believable. Ned Beatty in his first mo

vie role is brilliant too, eliciting at first our dislike and later our utter sympathy.

All actors did their own stunts in the film (without insurance - no insurer would take them on) and this adds to their performances greatly. You sense their fear on the river as real and feel their adrenaline as they master each terrifying challenge.

There is a fifth star of the film too, and that is the river. Director John Boorman does a masterful job at conveying the beauty of the water and also its danger, eeriness and power. Boorman utilises the natural landscape to create a very claustrophobic atmosphere which at times heightens the tension to almost unbearable proportions. He also uses the hidden depths of the surrounding woods and hills to their full effect in the film's most tense and disturbing scenes.

Boorman also uses symbolism to raise the intellectual level of the film, appealing to all tastes.

Deliverance can be watched purely as an action thriller, but can also be read on other levels. It works brilliantly as a representation of the early pioneers battle with nature as they traveled the land of America and attempted to tame it. It also reminds me of the battles between the old and the new that exist in so much Steinbeck.

There are many memorable scenes in the movie, the dueling banjos being probably the most famous, and many memorable images that stay in the mind long after the film is over. One particular scene - which I will refer to as 'squeal like a pig' but will say no more for fear of spoilers - is unforgettable.

Deliverance is a thrilling, disturbing action thriller, a great ensemble character piece and a multi-layered allegory all rolled into one. Made in 1972, it stands the test of time with no trouble whatsoever and is as compelling and affecting today as it was back then.

Widescreen. DVD extras on the one I bought second-hand comprised only scene access, so you buy
it for
the film not the add-ons.

Movies of this quality are rarely produced nowadays. Very, very highly recommended.

Summary: