A River Runs Through It (1992)

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The film, "A River runs Through It" says so much to me about things I think on often speaking to the eternal question we all have trying to give answer to the rationale for life despite the almost incomprehensible vicissitudes of it and the the incredulity of man's inhumanity to his fellow man's contribution to it.It tells the story set in the early 20th century of a Montana family composed of two brothers different in every way but, though different and incomprehensible one to the other, loving each other nonetheless despite those differences. I urge you to watch it if you can. In my opinion it is a beautiful film worthy of thought.There is a poem within the film that is quoted. "Ode, Imitations of Immortality" written by William Wordsworth (1779-1850) which speaks to the drama of the film. It happens to be one of my favorite poems that gives credence and reality to life.Norman Maclean the writer of the semi-autobiographical book "A River Runs Through It" writes two of the most revelatory soliloquies of the father Reverend Maclean in one of his sermons after the death of his youngest son and one of the surviving son Norman's summary at the end of the film pictured as an aged man fishing in the river both he and his sons had experienced in their youth. They say:Reverend: "Each one of us here today will at one time in our lives look upon a loved one who is in need and ask the same question: We are willing to help, Lord, but what, if anything, is needed? For it is true we can seldom help those closest to us. Either we don't know what part of ourselves to give or, more often than not, the part we have to give is not wanted. And so it is those we live with and should know who elude us. But we can still love them - we can love completely without complete understanding." Norman: "Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs --his father and brother --. I am haunted by waters." We, as I understand the film, go through life only to see at the end, if we live long enough, most those whom we knew and loved die. How do we give credence to this if all that we ever knew and loved leaves us and in time we, too, leave the earth? Our works, who we are, and who we loved, I think the film says, still live as eventually every living thing passes out of this earth but the reality of one's existence lives on as Norman says "in the basement of time" and a river runs through it carrying the words spoken indelible in the sands of time.Ode, Intimations of Immortality (in pertinent part)Then sing, ye birds, sing, sing a joyous song! And let the young lambs bound As to the tabor's sound! 175We in thought will join your throng, Ye that pipe and ye that play, Ye that through your hearts to-day Feel the gladness of the May! What though the radiance which was once so bright 180Be now for ever taken from my sight, Though nothing can bring back the hour Of splendor in the grass, of glory in the flower; We will grieve not, rather find Strength in what remains behind; 185 In the primal sympathy Which having been must ever be; In the soothing thoughts that spring Out of human suffering; In the faith that looks through death, 190In years that bring the philosophic mind.

I was introduced to this title by a friend who knew I really would enjoy this movie. He is an expert fisherman. I wasn't sure I would like the movie not being a fisherman myself, but I found it was about so much more. This movie touches the heart and speaks volumes about life. It speaks about choices and the people we love. Though we love the dearly we cannot live their lives or change the direction of their lives. We can love them for who they are and what roles they may play in our lives. I enjoyed this movie and have watched it repeatedly for it reminds me of my parents and the hopes they had for all of us. The things they taught us and the stories we continued to tell when we get together. They are not with us anymore, but their memories and legacy lives on in us.

I loved this movie. Beautiful shots of the wilderness, well acted and Robert Redford really showed the elegance and essence of fly fishing. Not a big Brad Pitt fan but was totally rooting for him. Tom Skerritt as the stern minister really suits him well. Overall a great story and picturesque of how American cinema should be. 8 out of 10 It also won a Oscar for cinematography. I also thought Montana in the 1920's was a good depiction and great part of the story telling. Two performances really stick out well Skerritt's and Pitt's. The heavy smoking and drinking was a bit obsessive but other than that this is a well directed movie. By far one of Redford's best. Would suggest this movie to anyone looking for great scenes and a lot of energy coming from Brad Pitt's roll as Paul Maclean. GREAT MOVIE. Blueprint for good movie making.

Cinematography is great, but that a great movie does not make -- there is nothing at all special about this indulgent autobiographical exercise in nostalgia and sentimentality. A trite, mundane, trivial story with no dramatic tension and dull dialogue. Take away the period costumes and the simpering strings score, set it in today's world, and you'd say, "this is a story worthy of a feature film?" I'll sum it up:My brother and I grew up in Missoula, had some rowdy times (like millions of other brothers), I went off to college, he stayed home, I came back to Missoula and met a girl, then brother was killed in a barroom brawl (which is not depicted). And we went fly fishing a lot. End of story.And how do you make a film spanning several decades in Montana without a single winter scene? It might as well be Florida, with mountains. The attempt to make fly fishing some sort of poetic symbol of life in general falls is just dumb and doesn't salvage this quotidian story at all.