A River Runs Through It (1992)
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Two brothers grow up in the Montana wilderness, bonded by their father's love for fly fishing.
The story
Set in and around Missoula, Montana, the film follows two sons of a Presbyterian minister as they grow up and come of age in the Rocky Mountain region. The story spans a period of time from the World War I era to the early days of the Great Depression. The brothers, Norman and Paul, are raised under the strict moral and academic code of their father, from whom they learn a love of fly fishing for trout in the Blackfoot River. As they reach adulthood, their paths begin to diverge, yet they remain connected by the river and the traditions of their upbringing.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
An elderly Norman Maclean narrates the story of his family, beginning in the early 1900s in Missoula, Montana. He and his brother Paul are raised by their father, a Presbyterian minister, who teaches them the art of fly fishing in the Blackfoot River. Norman eventually leaves for college at Dartmouth. During the Prohibition era, he returns to find Paul has become a skilled fisherman and a hard-drinking journalist. Norman falls in love with Jessie Burns, a local woman. The brothers' lives are intertwined by their shared passion for fishing and the complexities of their personal lives. Norman eventually accepts a teaching position in Chicago, while Paul remains in Montana. Shortly before Norman's departure, Paul is tragically beaten to death. The film concludes with a sermon by their father regarding the difficulty of helping those who are self-destructive, and ends with an elderly Norman fishing alone in the river.
- First release year
- 1992
- Runtime (minutes)
- 123
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Robert Redford
- Writers
- Richard Friedenberg · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Craig Sheffer · Norman Maclean; Brad Pitt · Paul Maclean; Tom Skerritt · not specified; Brenda Blethyn · not specified; Emily Lloyd · not specified
- Genres
- drama; period drama
- Themes
- brotherhood; tradition; self-destruction; nature
- Tone and mood
- stately; poignant
- Premise and plot tags
- coming-of-age; biographical; fishing
- Source material / true-story basis
- Norman Maclean's 1976 semi-autobiographical novella of the same name.
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews and was noted for its stately, beautifully filmed work and Brad Pitt's career-making performance.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 80% · scale: approval rating · review count: 45; Metacritic · score: 68 · scale: 100 · review count: 21; The Chicago Sun-Times · score: 3.5 · scale: 4
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Cinematography · won; Golden Globe Award · Best Director · nominated
- Production trivia
- The film had a profound impact on the fly fishing industry, which more than doubled in size in the two years following its release.; The film's score was originally intended to be composed by Elmer Bernstein before being replaced by Mark Isham.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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