Deliverance is a film about the end of innocence. Four Atlanta businessmen set out on a river-rafting trip down the Cahulawassee River, but what starts as a simple adventure turns into a fight for survival against the wilderness and the people who live in it. The film, directed by John Boorman and written by James Dickey from his own novel, is a brutal, unflinching look at fear, violence and the limits of civilization. It remains a landmark of 1970s cinema, and it holds up as one of the most unsettling films ever made.
Trailer, via Warner Bros. Worldwide.
The Cahulawassee River
The Cahulawassee River runs through the remote northern Georgia wilderness, and the film opens with Lewis Medlock, an outdoorsman and survivalist played by Burt Reynolds, convincing his friends to join him before the river is dammed. Ed Gentry, played by Jon Voight, has been on several trips but lacks Lewis’s self-confidence. Bobby Trippe and Drew Ballinger are novices. They travel in two canoes, and the film’s first hour builds tension slowly, with the river growing rougher and the forest growing thicker around them.
The river is not a backdrop. It is a character. The rapids are dangerous, and the film shows the canoes tipping, the water swallowing paddles, and the men fighting to keep their footing. This is a film about physical struggle, and the river is the arena where that struggle plays out.
The Mountain Man Attack
The turning point comes when Ed and Bobby encounter a pair of mountain men. One of them, played by Bill McKinney, carries a shotgun and is missing his two front teeth. The encounter is a confrontation between the city and the countryside, and it ends in violence. Bobby is forced to undress, and the mountain man rapes him, demanding that he “squeal like a pig.” Ed tries to help, despite being tied to a tree and held at gunpoint.
The scene is brutal, and it is the film’s central horror. Lewis sneaks up and kills the rapist with his bow and arrow while Ed snatches the shotgun from the other mountain man, who flees into the woods. The film does not soften this moment. It is a rape, and the film presents it without romanticizing the perpetrators or excusing the violence.
The Dueling Banjos Scene
The film is also remembered for a lighter moment, a musical duel between Drew’s guitar and a young banjo-playing boy, played by Billy Redden. The scene is joyful, with some of the locals breaking into dance. But the joy is hollow. The boy does not acknowledge Drew when offered a friendly handshake, and the scene ends on a note of unease.
“What did happen on the Cahulawassee River?”
That tagline captures the film’s essential question. What happens when the civilized world meets the wild? The answer is not pretty, and the film does not pretend otherwise.
The Argument Over the Body
After the mountain man attack, the four friends argue about what to do. Lewis proposes burying the body and continuing on as if nothing had happened. Ed and Bobby side with him, while Drew resists. The argument is tense, and it sets up the final stretch of the film, where the canoes reach a dangerous stretch of rapids.
Drew falls into the water without his life jacket, and the scene is a frantic race against the current. The film holds its breath until Drew is pulled from the water, exhausted and alive. The final shot shows the men returning to Atlanta, changed by what they have seen and done.
The Legacy of Deliverance
Deliverance was a critical and commercial success. It earned three Academy Award nominations and five Golden Globe Award nominations, and grossed $46.1 million on a budget of $2 million. It became a cultural landmark for the “Dueling Banjos” scene and the mountain man attack, and it was preserved in the United States National Film Registry in 2008 as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
The film has also faced criticism. Journalists, historians, and citizens of Rabun County, Georgia, where the film was shot, have criticized its portrayal of the people and culture of Appalachia. They see it as promoting Appalachian stereotypes and labeling it an anti-working class and anti-rural film.
These criticisms are valid, but they do not diminish the power of the film. Deliverance is a work of art, and art is not beholden to political correctness. The film’s brutality is a statement about the nature of violence, not a commentary on the people who commit it.
The Cast
The cast is excellent across the board. Voight is the emotional center of the film, playing Ed as a man who is forced to become stronger than he believed he could be. Reynolds is commanding as Lewis, a man who knows the wilderness better than anyone else. Beatty is memorable as Bobby, a businessman who is out of his depth. Cox is terrifying as Drew, a man who is pushed to the edge of sanity.
The film also features a brief appearance by James Dickey as Sheriff Bullard, and the supporting cast includes Herbert “Cowboy” Coward as the Toothless Man, Macon McCalman as Deputy Queen, and Bill McKinney as the mountain man. The casting choices were deliberate, and they paid off.
The film’s production history is worth noting. Dickey had initially wanted Sam Peckinpah to direct, and he wanted Gene Hackman to play Ed. Boorman wanted Lee Marvin for the role. He also wanted Marlon Brando to play Lewis. Jack Nicholson was considered for Ed, while Donald Sutherland and Charlton Heston turned down Lewis. Robert Redford, Henry Fonda, George C. Scott and Warren Beatty were also considered.
The film’s legacy is secure. It is a masterpiece of tension and release, a film that stays with you long after the credits roll. It is a difficult watch, but it is a rewarding one.
Key Facts Box
– Runtime: 109 minutes
– Budget: $2 million
– Gross: $46.1 million
– Academy Award nominations: 3
– Golden Globe nominations: 5
– National Film Registry: 2008
Deliverance is a film about the limits of the human spirit. It is a film about the things we are willing to do to survive. It is a film about the darkness that lives inside us all. It is a great film, and it deserves its place in the pantheon of American cinema.
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