| | | The Story Of An American Family.
Features: Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 1.85:1, Dolby Digital (5.1), English, Subtitled, French, Spanish, Dubbed & Subtitled
Academy Award-winner Robert Redford (Best Director, Ordinary People, 1980) captures the majesty of the Montana wilderness and the strength of the American family in this acclaimed adaptation of Norman Maclean's classic memoir. Craig Sheffer stars as the young Norman and Brad Pitt stars as his brother Paul, an irresistible daredevil driven to challenge the world. Growing up, both boys rebel against their stern minister father. While Norman channels his rebelion into writing, Paul descends a slippery path to self-destruction. Co-starring Tom Skerritt as the Reverend Maclean and Emily Lloyd as wild-hearted Jessie Burns.
"...destined to become a classic. It's a knockout..." Bob Healy, Satellite News Network
"Robert Redford has fashioned a masterpiece." Jim Svejda, CBS Radio
Editor's Note
Fly-fishing figures prominently in this poignant tale of two brothers growing up in Montana in the early 20th century under the stern rule of their minister father. While both boys rebel, Norman (Craig Sheffer) channels his rebellion into writing, but Paul (Brad Pitt) descends onto a slippery path of self-destruction. The beautiful scenery of Montana is used to full effect with the awesome cinematography of Philippe Rousselot. Directed by Robert Redford, this adaptation of Norman Maclean's classic autobiography also features Tom Skerritt and Brenda Blethyn as the Reverend and Mrs. Maclean.
Plot Summary
An adaptation of Norman Maclean's much-loved autobiographical novella about fly-fishing and familial relations, A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT is set in the pristine Montana wilderness of the early 20th century. The story traces the relationship between two brothers growing up in an emotionally constricted household headed by a Presbyterian minister. The scholarly Norman (Craig Sheffer) follows in the footsteps of his stern, stoic father, going to college, marrying, and settling down. His brother, Paul (Brad Pitt)--daring, handsome, and athletic--chooses the more glamorous career of newspaper journalist. These two very different brothers are brought together through the years by a mutual love of fly-fishing instilled in them by their unyielding father. As Norman watches his brother's seemingly charmed life dissolve under the influences of gambling and alcohol, the art of fly-fishing becomes a poignant metaphor for the love their father was unable to express in any other way. Robert Redford (ORDINARY PEOPLE, THE HORSE WHISPERER) directs a first-rate cast including Tom Skerritt, Brenda Blethyn, and Emily Lloyd in this subtle yet poignant portrait of a family in the early 1900s.
| Features | Audio: English, French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Audio: Spanish, Portuguese Dolby Digital Stereo | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Sony Pictures |
| Release Date: 7/28/2009 |
| Running Time: 123 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1992 | | Catalog ID: 28635 | | UPC: 00043396286351 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Oscar (1993) | | | Mark Isham, Nominee, Best Music, Original Score |  | Philippe Rousselot, Winner, Best Cinematography | | | Richard Friedenberg, Nominee, Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material From Another Medium | |
Golden Globe (1993) | | | Robert Redford, Nominee, Best Director - Motion Picture |
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| | Professional Reviews | New York Times
"...A mesmerizing family memoir fueled by sense of place, force of memory and love of nature....[Pitt] makes himself so like the young Robert Redford that the effect is astonishing..." 10/09/1992 p.C1USA Today
"...It's the best movie ever whose raison d'etre is the spiritual glorification of fly-fishing..." 10/09/1992 p.8D Chicago Sun-Times
"...Poetic, elegiac....The movie was shot on locations that suggest the bounty of the Western states in those days..." 10/09/1992 p.41 Chicago Sun-Times 7 of 10
Fly-fishing stands for life in this movie. If you can learn to do it correctly, to read the river and the fish and yourself, and to do what needs to be done without one wasted motion, you will have attained some of the grace and economy needed to live a good life. If you can do it and understand that the river, the fish and the whole world are God's gifts to use wisely, you will have gone the rest of the way...This memory of a Western childhood was first told in a book published some 20 years ago by Norman Maclean, after he retired as a professor of English at the University of Chicago. It was a story his father told him he should some day try to write. The book was published to little fanfare by the university press, and immediately found an audience. Many printings later it is one of the sacred books in the libraries of many people - one of the books that actually taught them something, like Walden or Huckleberry Finn...This must have been a very difficult movie to write. It is not really about the events that happen in it. They are only illustrations for underlying principles. Leave out the principles, and all you have left are some interesting people who are born, grow up, and take various directions in life...Redford and his writer, Richard Friedenberg, understand that most of the events in any life are accidential or arbitrary, especially the crucial ones, and we can exercise little conscious control over our destinies. Instead, they understand that the Reverend Maclean's lessons were about how to behave no matter what life brings; about how to wade into the unpredictable stream and deal with whatever happens with grace, courage and honesty. It is the film's best achievement that it communicates that message with such feeling. - Roger Ebert
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