Deliverance

[Lino]

Surprised to see that a thread on this classic has not yet been created.

And if you're wondering about that promised SE, here are some news:

From an interview with Laurent Bouzereau on mi6.co.uk -

"Can you tell us what project you are currently working on?

I will tell you what is coming out, in October I believe my DVD on Warren Beatty's ‘Reds' is coming out and that is an amazing experience and a DVD people will like. Aside from being involved with the documentary on that, I was involved with the Special Edition of Body Heat that is also out in October. I've also done a Stephen King collection for ‘Pet Semetery' and ‘Dead Zone' and I believe that is also coming out in October. So October is going to be a big month for me. I'm completing the ‘The Black Dahlia' for Brian De Palma and ‘Deliverance' for John Boorman. And there are fifteen others that either I'm pitching, filming, or working on that will be coming soon."

[Gordon]

Great to hear that this SE is nearing closer. This is one of the films that deserved a SE years ago; the author, his source poem and the film production are fascinating and there are many tales to tell. Boorman recorded his commentary last year at the time of the Point Blank DVD, so I guess that there was a delay due to getting Reynolds, Voight, Beatty and Boorman to sit for video interviews - Vilmos Zsigmond may have been interviewed during the Black Dahlia. Banjoist and arranger Eric Weissberg is alive, though I'm not sure about Steve Mandel. "Duelling Banjos" was composed by Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith and Don Reno in 1955 and had to sue for royalties; Reno died in 1984, but I believe that Arthur Smith is still alive at 85. A featurette on the music has to be a part of the DVD, surely.

[Floyd]

The first time I watched this film I was about 16 or so and didn't really get the big deal over it. I watched it later at about 19 and I just became completely enamored with the way of filming the water rapid scenes in the film. It was engrossing to say the least and I developed a fondness over how they were filmed. Some reason I never looked up who the DP was on this film and I see it is Zsigmond from your comments Gordon. I suppose that explains it somewhat.

Boorman is one of my favorite directors now after my worship of Point Blank when I saw it on TCM some years ago then getting the DVD. Deliverance as a film is truly an experience. I really look forward to an SE.

[HerrSchreck]

Great to hear that this SE is nearing closer. This is one of the films that deserved a SE years ago; the author, his source poem and the film production are fascinating and there are many tales to tell.[/quote]
Gord, I read & own Dickey's (who also played the low-keyed, potbellied sherrif in the flick) novel DELIVERANCE, which I've always understood to be the source of this film. What poem do you mean?

The underrated GENERAL is an amazing film, almost on a par with DELIV, and fascinating as both a true story and a reuinion between Voigt & Boorman.

[Gordon]

Schreck, I haven't read the source book, but I read years ago that it was a poem or was a combination of poetry and prose. Is it written with a standard prose narrative? On the current DVD, there is a 1971/72 featurette on Dickey, on the set of the film and reading a poem at a university (South Carolina?) and it's very interesting; I hope that it is retained for the new DVD.

David Webb Peoples - one of my favourite writers - adapted Dickey's 1993 novel, To the White Sea, which was never developed, but was used by Ethan and Joel Coen when they themselves adapted the novel. I haven't read the novel, but as it is written without dialogue, only internal monologue and subjective description, it would seem that it is unfilmable as not only is it a single character story, but it is narrated purely subjectively, thus it would be unfaithful to the source if we saw objective views of the character and his situations.

[HerrSchreck]

The novel is pretty much a straight up prose narrative written along the lines of what Boorman wound up adapting onscreen, i e soft city folk being forced to adapt to The Unatamed Natural World during a camping/river trip gone awry.

[Gordon]

Perhaps it was that Dickey is known mainly as a great poet that confused the reviewer of Deliverance that misled me. That's my excuse, anyway.

[Gigi M.]

From DVDTIMES:

Warner Home Video have announced the Region 1 DVD release of Deliverance (35th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) on 18th September 2007 priced at $19.97 SRP. Directed by John Boorman (Excalibur, Hope and Glory) and adapted by James Dickey from his novel, Deliverance was nominated for three Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director. Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty and Ronny Cox star as the four friends whose canoeing weekend turns into a horrifying test of survival.

Newly remastered the film now boasts a host of special features which include:

* Commentary by John Boorman - Director Boorman takes a journey down the river and discusses the adventures, the team, the controversy and what it took to make Deliverance a classic film.

* Deliverance: The Beginning - Take a historical look at the novel and its adaptation to the screen.

* Deliverance: The Journey - along from the early stages of filming to the creation of classic moments, such as the Dueling Banjos scene.

* Deliverance: Betraying the River - The making of one of the most controversial and ground-breaking sequences in film history.

* Deliverance: Delivered - A reflective look back on the completion of the film, its impact and how the idea for the shocking ending came to be.

* The Dangerous World of Deliverance - The original behind-the-scenes documentary on the difficult conditions and challenges of making this film

* Theatrical Trailer

[domino harvey]

thank you God for the studio not calling this the "Squeal Like a Pig Edition."

[Lino]

thank you God for the studio not calling this the "Squeal Like a Pig Edition."

That was both hilarious and revolting (as soon as I started remembering the actual scene in the movie...).

Been waiting for this news forever. September can't come soon enough.

[exte]

Huge news!

[pemmican]

The novel, as I recall - I've read it twice, but not for years - foregrounds the homoerotic elements of the story, or at least has them stronger than in the film. Ed is attracted to Lewis, as well as admiring him and being intimidated by him. This makes the homosexual rape and the almost ritualized burial of the rapist even more troubling - the novel becomes a sort of rite of passage into heterosexual manhood which involves "burying" any homosexual tendencies. Boorman really underplays this, though there is one scene of Ed looking drunkenly up at Lewis with something like love glowing in his eyes...

P.

[Gigi M.]

Some artwork

[Highway 61]

What the hell is that? Being Warner, I was hoping for the fantastic original poster, but instead we get this photoshop nightmare.

[Nadsat]

Some artwork

WTF? #-o

[domino harvey]

?

[foggy eyes]

SE coming to R2 in September as well.

Special features:

2.40:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
English DD5.1 Surround
Commentary by John Boorman: Director Boorman takes a journey down the river and discusses the adventures, the team, the controversy and what it took to make Deliverance a classic film.
Deliverance: The Beginning: Take a historical look at the novel and its adaptation to the screen.
Deliverance: The Journey: From the early stages of filming to the creation of classic moments, such as the Dueling Banjos scene.
Deliverance: Betraying the River: The making of one of the most controversial and ground-breaking sequences in film history.
Deliverance: Delivered: A reflective look back on the completion of the film, its impact and how the idea for the shocking ending came to be.
The Dangerous World of Deliverance: The original behind-the-scenes documentary on the difficult conditions and challenges of making this film
Theatrical Trailer

[Highway 61]

Fantastic. That shit cover made me think this would be a rip-off two-disc set like Prince of the City, but those extras sound very promising. Too bad Sodebergh couldn't sit down for another commentary with Boorman.

[Mr Sausage]

Deliverance: Betraying the River: The making of one of the most controversial and ground-breaking sequences in film history.

Sodomy gets its own documentary.

[lord_clyde]

Deliverance: Betraying the River: The making of one of the most controversial and ground-breaking sequences in film history.

Sodomy gets its own documentary.

Good, because the Sodomy chapter in Woody Allen's "Everything you always wanted to know about sex. . ." didn't tell me anything.

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

Deliverance: Betraying the River: The making of one of the most controversial and ground-breaking sequences in film history.

Sodomy gets its own documentary.

That's the American way.

[domino harvey]

I thought that was what I was getting when I rented Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

[Person]

DVD Talk review

55-minute retro doc featuring Boorman, the four stars and Dickey's son! Good work, Warner.

[Person]

DVD Beaver comparison review

I recieved my Deliverance SE today. Though, the new transfer has beautifully rich colors, it seems to have less fine detail than the previous DVD transfer. Also, the opening credits has the title, DELIVERANCE in full capitals, whereas the previous transfer was in lower, case: Deliverance.

This film was flashed by Vilmos Zsigmond, who used the process on many of the films he shot in the 70s and this new transfer looks more like a flashed film than the previous transfer did. Warner seem to have used a different 35mm element for this new transfer than they used for their circa 2000 transfer. Don't get me wrong - I think that it looks great, but I am so used to the subtle lowercase titling on the opening credits, that I was taken aback. BTW, the original release of the film were mono, but also 70mm 6-track stereo, so the 5.1 Dolby Digital mixes are not "boosted" as Gary Tooze states; they approoximate the 6-track mix and frankly, I would listen to the mono mix, as the music and sound effects in this film are superb.

As for the film, I have always felt that it would just as disturbing and powerful had the rape scene not been graphic, though that adds to verisimilitude.