Director John Boorman's 1972 classic Deliverance gets a deluxe release from Warner Brothers, and it's sure to please patient fans who have had to subside on the skimpy standard edition that has been on the market. The film is based on poet James Dickey's first novel, a harrowing tale of four buddies from Atlanta who decide to take a weekend canoe trip down a remote Georgia river that is being diverted and will flood nearby towns into extinction. They're a disparate group: Ed (Jon Voight) is the down-to-earth, practical guy who is everyone's best friend; Lewis (Burt Reynolds) is an egotistical survivalist who constantly thrives on being physically superior to his friends; Drew (Ronny Cox) is a quiet, deep thinker and Bobby (Ned Beatty) is the complete fish-out-of-water - a timid, overweight man trying desperately to be accepted as one of the boys. The "fun" weekend starts off on an ominous note as the men witness the sad sight of entire communities about to be disrupted and physically moved. They also begin to carp among each other as Lewis continues to pick on those he feels are not his equals. The plot takes an unexpected and terrifying turn, however, when Ed and Bobby encounter two red neck mountain men who have sex and murder on their minds. This development leads to consequences that are both physically and mentally devastating to everyone involved.
Deliverance was a great film in 1972 and if anything, it seems to have gotten better with age. One realizes the little touches that Boorman and cameraman Vilmos Zsigmond bring to the film. Note the way the famous dueling banjos contest between Drew and a strange, silent in-bred hillbilly boy is shot - it's amusing and exhilarating , but somehow ominous at the same time. When the canoe leaves the small trading post, and the last link to "civilization", they ride under a low hanging bridge on which the young man stands silently, swinging his banjo and looking as though he's guarding the gates of hell. I was reminded of a similarly-themed scene in Apocalypse Now when Captain Willard leaves the last U.S outpost before heading into Cambodia. "Beyond this, there was only Kurtz" he says with tredpidation. In both films, the protagonist's last link with civilization is a place that is so undesirable they can't wait to leave. Yet, it will seem like a paradise, given what awaits them. The film also perfectly captures the unique byplay that exists among men on these pleasure outings. Affection is showed by "ranking on" each other, mercilessly picking apart everyone's shortcomings and generally engaging in obnoxious behavior. Yet, for some reason, most of us wouldn't have it any other way, leaving me to reluctantly conclude that women must indeed be the superior sex. In Deliverance, however, the friendships are fragile when the trip begins - and continue to deteriorate as the group must face life-threatening decisions every step of the way.
The acting is superb throughout, with Voight giving one of the best performances of his career as the indecisive man who is suddenly thrust into a position of leadership. This was the film that launched Burt Reynolds from B movie player to superstardom. The mind reels at what he could have accomplished as an actor if he hadn't been been lured into drive-in movie fare. Amazingly, this was the first film role for both Ronny Cox and Ned Beatty, both of whom were regional stage actors at the time. Both are terrific, but it's Beatty who gives the most daring performance of the film. Yes, he's had to live with those "squeal like a pig" jokes for decades, but if you watch him during the terrifying male rape scene, you will appreciate why he became one of American's most respected character actors. He should have been nominated for an Oscar but had the misfortune of having to be in a film the same year The Godfather and Cabaret had a lock on the nominations.
Deliverance is a genuinely upsetting film. You won't feel good after watching it, but like all true art, you'll be glad you experienced it.
EXTRAS: Warners has loaded the disc with mini featurettes, each of which tell a different aspect of bringing the novel to the screen. Boorman and his four actors are onboard, but sadly they are interviewed separately. They offer far more insights than the generally bland, back-slapping that usually takes place in these documentaries. Boorman relates how James Dickey, a physically imposing man, proved to be such a pain in the arse on the set that he literally "fired" him from the production. To atone for this action, he asked Dickey to play the sheriff in the final scenes - and the tempermental novelist acquitted himself with a very fine performance. There is also excellent, insightful discussion of the difficulties filming the rape scene as well as other little nuggets you might not suspect (the boy in the dueling banjo scene couldn't play the instrument and the music had to be dubbed.). Boorman also contributes a commentary track and there is a vintage featurette as well as an original trailer.
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