Deliverance

This is one of those films I remember watching as a kid and being genuinely scared! It centres around a bunch of city folks who decide to canoe down the Cahulawassee river before it is dammed to make a giant reservoir. The four men arrive at the backwater town where they are to start their journey, and meet a population that progress has largely skipped and where the gene-pool is sadly nowhere as deep as the river. "Drew" (Ronny Cox) plucks his guitar and gets a response from local lad "Lonnie" (Billy Redden) and for the next four minutes or so, "Duelling Banjos" offers quite an astonishing degree of synchronisation as the two improvise a toe-tapper that is instantly recognisable. Then off they go, and a perilous game of brutal cat-and-mouse with the locals ensues. They become the hunted, and "Ed" (Jon Voight), "Lewis" (Burt Reynolds) and especially "Bobby" (Ned Beatty) are ill-prepared for the "welcome" they are to get from a cunningly violent community that sees them as sport. With the river running fast and the terrain very much playing into the hands of their antagonists, it's a real battle for survival - and just what will these men have to do. It's a story of resilience, this one, and this quartet of actors each bring quite different aptitudes as their characters' worst fears are realised. The photography is perfect and coupled with the sparse, increasingly earthy and panic-stricken, dialogue helps keep the potency of the menace of their situation effective without the slightest certainty as to the outcome. Even now, over fifty years later, this is still a disturbing watch - but well worth it.

**It would certainly have been more interesting at the time it was released.** When this film came out in 1972, there was something interesting about themes linked to nature and the environment. Not that environmentalism was in vogue, but it was the golden age of the hippie movement that advocated, among other things, a more harmonious connection between Man and Nature. And in fact, what we have here is a group of four men from the big city who seek to find fun, emotions and beauty in the natural environment, in a wild river full of rapids that will disappear in a few months due to the construction of a dam. However, as they begin their descent down the river, things begin to go terribly wrong after an encounter with two men. Fitting into that type of nature thrillers where man faces the dangers of Nature or hostile people, it is one of those films that I cannot understand how it was nominated for three Oscars (Best Film, Best Director and Best Editing). It's not memorable at all, and the proof is that, outside the USA, no one remembers it. John Boorman, who directs, gives us a work full of tension and brutality, which takes away all our comfort and makes us grit our teeth. That is great! However, the director did not overcome the difficulties caused by the low budget in the best way and the film always has a cheap and “second-rate” look, whether in terms of props, sets and costumes, or in the unpleasant cinematography, with washed out colors and without glare, lack of contrast and shadows. Even the celebrated banjo soundtrack seemed ugly and tiring to me. If there is a saving value that makes this film worthy of attention, it is the quality that we observe in the work of the main actors. Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, Ned Beatty and Ronny Cox are excellent in their respective roles and give their all to this project. I especially liked Voight, who exudes charisma and energy. And although I can eventually talk a little about the good work of Bill McKinney and Herbert Coward, the fact is that the film completely lacks a quality secondary cast to support the four main actors. Before finishing, a note about the film's title: I was truly taken aback by the original title, in English. “Deliverance” could be the title of the original literary work on which the film is based, however, if we consider that this film never explains it and that we never clearly understand the title, perhaps it would have been a good idea to come up with a clearer title.

The Banjo scene still haunts me today! Never mind the New Beaty scene. Great movie.