DELIVERANCE (1972, USA, 109m, 18) ****
Adventure, Drama, Thriller
dist. Warner Bros. (USA), Columbia-Warner Distributors (UK); pr co. Warner Bros.; d. John Boorman; w. James Dickey, John Boorman (based on the novel by James Dickey); pr. John Boorman; ph. Vilmos Zsigmond (Technicolor | 2.35:1); ed. Tom Priestley; ad. Fred Harpman.
cast: Jon Voight (Ed), Burt Reynolds (Lewis), Ned Beatty (Bobby), Ronny Cox (Drew), Ed Ramey (Old Man), Billy Redden (Lonnie), Seamon Glass (First Griner), Randall Deal (Second Griner), Bill McKinney (Mountain Man), Herbert ‘Cowboy’ Coward (Toothless Man), Lewis Crone (First Deputy), Ken Keener (Second Deputy), Johnny Popwell (Ambulance Driver), John Fowler (Doctor), Kathy Rickman (Nurse), Louise Coldren (Mrs. Biddiford), Peter Ware (Taxi Driver), James Dickey (Sheriff Bullard), Macon McCalman (Deputy Queen), Hoyt Pollard (Boy at Gas Station).
Four friends encounter hostility amongst the locals when they undertake a canoeing trip in the Appalachian Mountains. A shocking and tense adventure thriller, with great physical performances from Voight, Reynolds, Beatty and Cox – who performed their own stunts. Boorman shoots with authenticity and a real sense of place, eschewing a music score and letting the performances carry the drama. Social commentary on the encroachment of our natural environment is at the forefront of the story. The memorable opening sequence features the duelling banjos between Cox and Redden.
