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Deliverance

year 1972decade 70sdirector John Boormangenre Thriller / Adventure

109 minutes

Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Jon Voight Ed Gentry
Burt Reynolds Lewis Medlock
Ned Beatty Bobby Trippe
Ronny Cox Drew Ballinger
Bill McKinney Mountain Man
Herbert "Cowboy" Coward Toothless Man
James Dickey Sheriff Bullard
Billy Redden Lonnie
Macon McCalman Deputy Queen

Deliverance | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Chris Ryanhost Ryen Russilloproducer Craig Horlbeck theme One Word Movie Month
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Half-Assed Internet Research

The actors reportedly performed dangerous canoe stunts without insurance; Reynolds broke his tailbone. The book-to-film turnaround was two years.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:09:07Read transcript
  • The actors reportedly performed dangerous canoe stunts without insurance; Reynolds broke his tailbone. The book-to-film turnaround was two years.
  • Reynolds’s pre-breakthrough television work is contrasted with subsequent hits and Carson appearances; Beatty and Cox were new to movies.

Top Ten List

Ten films listed in reported 1972 box-office order; no independent revenue verification.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:12:57Read transcript
  • The stated 1972 box-office sequence is The Godfather, The Poseidon Adventure, What’s Up Doc?, Deliverance, Deep Throat, Jeremiah Johnson, Cabaret, The Get Away, Last Tango in Paris, and Lady Sings the Blues.
  • Deep Throat’s high placing prompts surprise and discussion of theatrical demand.

Roger Ebert's review

Ebert gave two and a half stars and objected to exploitative sensationalism rather than a meaningful confrontation with wilderness.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:20:06Read transcript
  • Ebert gave two and a half stars and objected to exploitative sensationalism rather than a meaningful confrontation with wilderness.
  • The hosts argue he misses the leveling effect of wilderness; the film connects with 1970s exploitation and Pulp Fiction.

Half-Assed Internet Research

The banjo child was reportedly cast for his appearance; a hidden player supplied the hands, and later interviews show the child never learned banjo.

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 00:25:47Read transcript
  • The banjo child was reportedly cast for his appearance; a hidden player supplied the hands, and later interviews show the child never learned banjo.
  • Ned Beatty reportedly had the most canoe experience despite playing the novice.
  • Reynolds reportedly volunteered to replace a conspicuous dummy; accounts of the resulting injury differ.
  • Beatty reportedly nearly drowned and Voight performed the cliff climb because they could not fake it.

Picking Nits

Throwing away the captured firearms is criticized when more attackers may be nearby.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 00:53:22Read transcript
  • Throwing away the captured firearms is criticized when more attackers may be nearby.

Casting What-Ifs

Dickey reportedly wanted a director observed as “Sam Peck and Potter” (candidate Sam Peckinpah, externally unverified) and Hackman as Ed; Boorman wanted Marvin and Brando, then Nicholson tied participation to Brando. Sutherland and Heston were next possibilities.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:01:55Read transcript
  • Dickey reportedly wanted a director observed as “Sam Peck and Potter” (candidate Sam Peckinpah, externally unverified) and Hackman as Ed; Boorman wanted Marvin and Brando, then Nicholson tied participation to Brando. Sutherland and Heston were next possibilities.
  • Fonda and Stewart reports are rejected as implausible; Sutherland reportedly declined over violence and later regretted it.

Recasting Couch

Sutherland is endorsed as a great Ed and as a possible Drew, distinct from the historical casting-offer account.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:02:42Read transcript
  • Sutherland is endorsed as a great Ed and as a possible Drew, distinct from the historical casting-offer account.

Recasting Couch

John Cazale is suggested for Drew and Dennis Hopper for a mountain man; unfamiliar attackers are defended as more effective.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:09:10Read transcript
  • John Cazale is suggested for Drew and Dennis Hopper for a mountain man; unfamiliar attackers are defended as more effective.

Half-Assed Internet Research

The film was shot in northeast Georgia; the fictional river draws on one dammed in the 1970s.

In the discussion (9)
Approx. transcript time · 01:09:39Read transcript
  • The film was shot in northeast Georgia; the fictional river draws on one dammed in the 1970s.
  • Dickey allegedly fought Boorman, broke his nose and teeth, was banned, then returned as sheriff.
  • Reynolds’s injury and Beatty’s near drowning are recounted with dark jokes about completing the film.
  • Credit for squeal like a pig is disputed among Beatty, Boorman and a crew member; Reynolds reportedly ended the long scene by entering.
  • Accounts depict Boorman mistreating locals and the cast enjoying the summer; Dueling Banjos led to a copyright dispute.
  • Martin Cahill reportedly stole Boorman’s gold record, and the incident was recreated in The General.
  • The film reportedly encouraged Jimmy Carter’s Georgia film commission.
  • Book occupations are listed; Bobby moves to Hawaii and Ed has hostile fantasies about him, unlike most of the film.
  • An unused explicit threat and Dickey claiming the story happened to him are recounted; Boorman doubted the claim after seeing his poor canoeing.

Picking Nits

The long debate over the body is criticized as wasting escape time, though the jury concern is defended; keeping the weapons is urged.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:19:06Read transcript
  • The long debate over the body is criticized as wasting escape time, though the jury concern is defended; keeping the weapons is urged.

Picking Nits

Climbing the cliff is debated against continuing downstream; a suspected shooter and Lewis’s injury justify it for some, but another participant wants a different plan.

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:19:41Read transcript
  • Climbing the cliff is debated against continuing downstream; a suspected shooter and Lewis’s injury justify it for some, but another participant wants a different plan.
  • The plan to hand car keys to insulted strangers is reiterated as a major flaw.
  • The canoe appears precut for its break; a bar’s supposed original canoe and a later prop sale are recalled with authenticity uncertainty.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Asked whether Drew was shot, one answer says no based on the director and another says it ultimately does not matter.

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:25:37Read transcript
  • Asked whether Drew was shot, one answer says no based on the director and another says it ultimately does not matter.
  • The football game is uncertain: Georgia is offered, then a possible 1971 Niners-Falcons opener is hypothesized.
  • Whether hillbilly horror needed Deliverance is debated; Texas Chainsaw Massacre is thought likely to exist regardless.
  • A late question imagines four Boston men making the trip, with escape by shooting suggested.

Producer review

The producer nearly watched with his girlfriend and future mother-in-law and reveals a forthcoming canoe bachelor trip.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:35:28Read transcript
  • The producer nearly watched with his girlfriend and future mother-in-law and reveals a forthcoming canoe bachelor trip.
  • He liked the film but expected sustained pursuit by mountain men; he found the actual pace awkward and the climax lacking.