Product Details

• Actors: Richard Jaeckel, Robert Earl Jones, Elizabeth Hubbard, Brad Sullivan, Augusta Dabney
• Directors: Fred G. Sullivan
• Subtitles: English
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Video Treasures
• Run Time: 94 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001BIHDLE
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #360,732 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

In 1923, a brother and sister travel into the wilderness on an Adirondack excursion with their father. When the father suffers a fatal heart attack, the youngsters must continue alone to reach civilization. From the best-selling novel by William Judson, "Cold River" depicts the story of the two children, fourteen year old Liz Allison (Suzanne Weber) and her twelve year old brother Tim (Pat Peterson), and their harrowing struggle to survive. Calling on the skills their father had taught them, the children quickly become hopeful of reaching civilization. Then winter strikes, almost costing them their lives. They are rescued by a strange old hermit (Robert Earl Jones), who grants them the temporary safety of his remote cabin. Their prospects rise until soon after taking them in, the hermit mysteriously disappears. In the final scenes, they are trapped in the remote cabin by an escaped convict who presents a challenge their father had not prepared them for. Their courage and resourcefulness compel you to cheer them on and in the final moments of their quest for survival, you are left enraptured by the tale with a renewed faith in human adaptability.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Pretty butchered, February 1, 2005

By 

T. Gaukel - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cold River (DVD)

I saw this movie about 15 years ago on TV and quite liked it. I'm sorry to say that most of the memorable scenes are cut from this DVD, so it's pretty watered down. And the cut's are made so obviously that even if you haven't seen it before they absolutely interrupt the flow of the movie.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good family style movie, November 18, 2001

By 

Alex P. - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cold River [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I first saw this movie as a teenager and was glad that this movie is still available! This isn't a GREAT movie. It is a very GOOD movie.

The one thing that struck me about this movie when I first saw it was how two young kids struck with a horrible tradegy survive in the wilderness on their own. Sort of a dumbed down version of the "The Edge" with Alec Baldwin and Anthony Hopkins and a much younger cast.

If you're looking for a "safe" movie for your kids and one that deals with overcoming hardship you're picking up the right video.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Heart-Warming Family Adventure Film, July 11, 2008

By 

Martin A Hogan "Marty From SF" (San Francisco, CA. (Hercules)) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cold River (VHS Tape)

This independent film did well in Sundance and started off the (unfortunately) short-lived career of Fred G. Sullivan of Saranac Lake, N.Y. Taken from the novel by William Judson, it contains the mild but rich story of a brother and a sister stranded in the 1920 wilderness of the Adirondacks to survive. On a shoe-string budget, Sullivan manages to capture the heart and spirit of the Adirondack Mountains as well as the characters of the young siblings as they struggle through a winter of turmoil in the mountains. It si no small feat that James Earl Jones plays the kind-hearted hermit who takes the children in for a while and the ending is a surprise for all when the small boy is pitted against a criminally minded convict who will stop at nothing. It is the kind of family film you would see on PBS; it is that rewarding.

Fred G. Sullivan went on to receive accolades at the Sundance Film Festival with his follow-up, "Sullivan's Pavilion", a story of his life and family in Saranac Lake, N.Y. If you can find this rare treasure, it is truly worth the effort.