Customer Reviews

River [VHS]

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The art of farming is by far the oldest, most time-honored tradition. It is the ideal way to make an honest living, raise your family away from the madness of the city and gain self-satisfaction by doing something that really matters. "The River" effectivly portrays the plight experienced by many American farmers during the 1980's economical recession. Flooding, forclosure and overdue bills were just a part of life for those most discouraging and undeniably frightning of years. Farm-friendly legislation has been passed in recent years so farmers can apply for disaster relief, equipment loans and bankrupcy loans. The goal is to keep the Family Farm as part of American culture. "The River" was shot in Northwestern Tennessee near Kingsport, Bristol and Johnson City and also in Birmingham, Alabama. A 400-acre parcel of land alongside the Holston River, in Tennessee was cleared and turned into a real working farm in just four weeks. The flood scenes were produced in conjunction with the Tennessee Valley Authority using a dam upriver which was slated for repairs. The scenery in the movie is absolutly breathtaking. The mountains, fields and river all seem to blend into one big beautiful picture. "The River" was the third in a trio of farming-based movies that year. The other two are "Country", with Jessica Lange and "Places In the Heart" with Sally Field.

A heart-land tragedy relived annually by the rain and consequential flooding of the family farmland by the adjacent river. Mels' character is sullen and cold. He is the quintessential traditional hardworking farmer. He loves his family and works almost pointlessly to keep them on their doomed property. It's difficult to watch him sulk and suffer inwardly. His character is extremely introverted and stubbornly independent. Sissy Spacek is great as the wife who tries to keep her family's head above water literally. She portrays a strong, willful and faithful person. This is a good rainy night movie. The kids are great actors and contribute a lot to the traditional values and family bonding.

The onscreen chemistry between Spacek and Gibson underscores the uncomfortable aura of the marriage in the movie. There's something strange about the couple, something that just doesn't click; a feeling of looming doom regarding their relationship. Scott Glenn's character does not help the uneasy tension.

The movie is top-excellent and of great quality with the acting throughout the entire film. I read the reviews before buying this flick and I was astonished at some of the feedback on this movie. One four-star rating attacks Gibson's character, especially due to his nonreaction to being spat on by a striking worker due to his part as a "scab" at a factory. Did you really expect Mel Gibson to act like his character on "Braveheart" and try to impale the character that spat on him? He's playing a character that obviously has little tolerance to fight back because of it. Obviously, his family is at hard times and he simply saw that there was little difference between himself and the strikers. They're all just trying to keep their families afloat, is all. Mel Gibson played a terrific part in this movie and he was brilliant in every scene.
The movie has a lot to do with the 1980's recession that is plaguing farms throughout the state of Tennessee, not to mention the constant flooding of the river that is threatening to wash away everything that the farmers worked hard for. The movie was very realistic and I could easily watch it a thousand times over. 5 stars all the way!

Farming family battles severe storms, a bank threatening to reposses their farm, and other hard times in a battle to save and hold on to their farm. This is a good, thoughtful movie, not romantic, thrilling or exciting, but one the family can watch together and think what sacrifices they would make to keep a heritage and a way of life preserved.

This movie may not be the best Mel Gibson movie you will ever see, but to me it is special. I was and still am a part of the community where the movie was made. I live not five miles from where most of the movie was shot here in Hawkins County, and within 25 miles of the Tri-Cities area of Northeast Tennessee. If you enjoy movies of this time-frame, then you will enjoy it very much. I think that the acting was good and although not perfect, it makes for a good movie.

I am inclined to blast away at the suspected anti-capitalist bias of the film's originators. This, however, would not be entirely fair of me. This film superbly depicts the crisis many families are forced to endure when caught within the gears of economic "creative destruction." It is therefore morally imperative that we do not turn our head away from this tough to handle subject matter. This beautiful film reminds us that real people often suffer the consequences of our abstract principles. Does this alone invalidate these principles? No, but we should always be cognizant of the flesh and blood dimensions of our decisions. Mel Gibson gives a powerful performance as a proud man who is losing the battle to save the family farm. The wife played by Sissy Spacek desires to be loyal to her husband while still remaining pragmatic on how best to stabilize the family's rapidly deteriorating financial situation.

Scott Glenn plays the real hero in this movie. His character is a fair and honorable business man who warns the farmer of impending doom. The river according to all reasonable expectations will eventually destroy the farm. Even the farmer grudgingly concedes this possibility. The Glenn character offers the farmer a way out, but the farmer is bull headed and places his love for the agrarian way of life over common sense. Is Gibson's character idealistic and worthy of praise, or merely stubborn and selfish? Each person viewing "The River" will have to decide this for themselves.

The great economist, Joseph Schumpeter, originated the paradoxical term "creative destruction." Throughout history, there are always winners and losers whenever new technology replaces the older methods of earning a living. Tractors, for instance, destroyed the relevancy of horses and ploughs. This more efficient manner of tilling the soil dramatically brought down the cost of growing food. The result is that the typical consumer today spends comparatively little for vegetables at the grocery store. Unfortunately, a severe price has to be paid by those farmers who lack the ability to adjust to these improvements. At the beginning of the previous century, roughly half of the American population earned its income through farming. In the year 2000 the number has dropped to about 3%! An educated guess is that a further drop off will inevitably continue to occur. What should a viable democratic society do to address this issue? Is a Laissez Faire response appropriate, a Socialist micro management of production, or something in between? A neo-conservative such as myself opts for the third choice. The viewer once again is free to arrive at their own conclusions. I strongly, though, urge everyone to view "The River" at least once every few years. It might even behoove high school teachers and university professors to consider making this film a requirement for student credit. 'The River" is among my favorite films of all time. Please do not ignore it.

This film is grand in scale with cinematography and special effects that could not be bettered. The river's rage is nothing compared to the characters undergoing their conflict. Sissy Spacek, as usual, turns in another stunning performance (when has she ever been less than excellent in any movie. Definitely, along with Meryl Streep, the finest actress of her generation...I call her my modern "Barbara Stanwyck"). Her portrayal of Mae, the wife, is unflinchingly loyal, yet strong and courageous and feisty. Her determination is what makes this film what it is. No less excellent is Scott Glenn as the antagonist/protaganist who believes in what he is doing totally. Also meriting praise are the two children. They are fantastic! The direction is colorful and nearly flawless. I agree with the previous reviewer though about Mel Gibson. His character, a mite too proud, is a little difficult to take sometimes. He definitely could have shown more bite in the scene where he is attacked by the strikers. The scene where he confronts Scott Glenn in the office is his best scene in this movie. But he definitely could have done a better job with the character. He seems miscast at times. Sissy Spacek makes him look good but his portrayal of the character lacks the nuances necessary to make us believe in what he is doing. It is Spacek that gives us the sympathy for her family. I wish they would have cast Gary Busey in Gibson's role. I think he could have done wonders with it! Other than that, this film is outstanding and I would definitely give it 5 stars if it hadn't been for Gibson's uneven portrayal. Spacek deserved her Oscar nomination for this movie. The DVD contains a theatrical trailer, scene selection and a two page commentary on the highlights of the film. ALso included are Bios of the stars. Other than that, nothing else is included. The sound and video are fine! This is a film worth adding to your collection! A true testament to the American fighting Spirit. It certainly is no "Grapes of Wrath" but then, nothing ever will be!

This is one of Mel Gibson's best movies. It is a movie about an extremely hard-working man who will work at anything he can to save his land. His wife, played by Cissy Spacek, tries to manage the land and take care of her kids, while worrying if they're going to lose everything they have.

A greedy land barron, played by Scott Glenn, wants that land and he wants Cissy, too. She had turned him down years before to marry Gibson, and he has hated Gibson ever since.

When the rains come and the river overruns its banks, the whole town comes together to try and save Gibson's land from flooding. It is a great movie about teamwork, and I would recommend it to everybody who likes Mel Gibson and Cissy Spacek.

Sissy Spacek received her fourth Oscar nomination for her role in 1984's "The River." She plays a farm wife, struggling to keep her family intact while her husband (Mel Gibson) tries to save their farm. The farm abuts a small river, which seems to flood every time it rains. The flooding ruins their crops and puts the family at constant peril of bankruptcy. Add to this mixture Scott Glenn, who plays a scheming developer; he wants to buy up all the land and have the government build a dam to flood the valley. Gibson and Spacek refuse to sell their land, and Gibson even takes work at a local mill to stave off creditors. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to Gibson, he is replacing striking workers and gets branded a scab.

"The River" tackles a very worth topic - the farming crisis of the 1980s, when many small farmers lost their land for a variety of economic reasons. However, it also tries to address unions, scab workers, and several other social issues. By doing so, the message of the film ends up being a bit jumbled. There also are several unbelievable scenes; in particular, there are several scenes where a crowd reacts in unison, all set to swelling music.

Some viewers are likely to find Gibson's character overly stubborn and aloof. I didn't have a negative reaction to him; he's meant to represent, I think, the many quiet men who fight for their families. These kind of men, though, often are very emotionally expressive, which can make watching them onscreen rather frustrating. I found Scott Glenn's character more problematic. He is supposed to be the villain, but he starts off far too nice before taking a nasty (and abrupt) turn very late in the picture. Fortunately, Sissy Spacek's character is much more fully rounded, and she gives a very good performance. Her performance makes the movie (barely) worth a look.

The movie is very good, not excellent. Spacek and Gibson are both lovable, in different ways of course. Historically the movie is kind of flimsy. There are things in it that could be the 1930s, other things that are more like the 1980s and 1990s, and the blend is not convincing. We are supposed to see a kind of merging of oppressed factory workers and oppresed rural folk, 'the people' against heartless forces that do not respect their dignity. Dramatically, the film works, especially the epic struggle against floodwaters.