Deliverance Blu-ray offers solid video and mediocre audio in this excellent Blu-ray release
Four friends whose canoeing weekend turns into a horrifying test of survival. Boorman's taut direction builds the tension and fear to a raging climax, as the men travel way beyond their comfort zone and are forced to face more than they could have ever imagined.
Chances are that even if you have never seen
Deliverance, or even if you have never heard
of Deliverance, you are probably familiar with the famous "Dueling Banjos" scene, or at
least its music. It's
classic, to be sure, and brings a smile to my face every time I hear the music or watch this film.
Deliverance has a whole lot more to offer than some banjo picking, however.
This a grade-A classic film with a great cast who turn in four memorable and mesmerizing
performances. It's a movie that has held up remarkably well after 35 years, and I have no doubt it
will continue to be hailed as classic for years to come.
Their lives will never be the same.
Deliverance is based on a book of the same name by James Dickey. Originally published
in 1970, the book became a smash hit only after the film adaptation was released in 1972. This
is the story of four friends from Atlanta on a canoeing trip down the Cahulawassee River before it
is
flooded and destroyed to generate additional electricity for Atlanta. As the story progresses, the
foursome is thrust into a horrific situation and the trip down river turns from one of relaxation,
self-discovery, and fun into a race for survival against both man and nature. The turning point in
the film comes as a shock to the first time viewer and remains one of the most disturbing
sequences in film history.
What more can be said of the performances in this film
other than "mesmerizing?" Ned Beatty
(in his first film role) is astounding as Bobby. His performance after the "incident" is terrific. He
doesn't say a word for some time, but his mannerisms and facial expressions convey every
emotion that goes unspoken. His performance is acting at its finest. Burt Reynolds is at his very
best as Lewis, the outdoorsman who has coordinated the trip. He's an expert at living off the
land and is a terrific shot with the bow and arrow. Ronny Cox (also in his first film role) plays
Drew, the by-the-book, guitar-strumming
member of the party. Jon Voight (one of the better actors of recent times in my opinion) is Ed,
the most levelheaded of the group, a man who wants to be like Lewis but isn't. He's thrust into
the
role of Lewis partway through the film, and he delivers a tour de force performance.
This is a different kind of movie than we are used to seeing today. There are some long shots
that linger
for quite a while, giving the action time to sink in and allowing the actors to really delve into their
characters. I much prefer this style to the frenetic Michael Bay style of 1 and 2 second shots,
leaving the audience never quite sure of what is really happening. Boorman's is a very effective
technique that draws the
audience into the middle of the story, making us feel a part of the party as they forge on
downriver both before and after the incident.
Deliverance was nominated for three Oscars in 1973, including best film editing, best
director, and best picture. I feel Jon Voight and Ned Beatty were deserving of a nomination as
well. John Boorman's direction was phenomenal and his nomination was well-deserved. This is a
great picture all around. It accomplishes what so many films today seemingly
cannot--it's genuinely horrifying and intense from start to finish, but it doesn't rely on shadows,
loud musical cues, and gore to be scary. It instead relies on putting normal people into an
unthinkably horrifying situation and uses mood, nature, dialogue, and top notch acting to relay
the terror
to the viewer. We see everything up close and personal, and it's scary and very effective. I can
only hope future filmmakers will once again create movies in the spirit of Deliverance
that rely more on pace, tension, strong acting and writing, and beautiful direction to tell a tale
such as this rather than CGI and gore. This is truly filmmaking at its finest.
Warner Home Video presents Deliverance in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio, in 1080p, for
this Blu-ray presentation. Director John Boorman discusses his filming technique for this film
extensively in the commentary track, and what we get here is an accurate representation of his
original vision for the film. Still, there are some distracting issues present. There is some
shimmering at the beginning on top of a slightly blurred image, but the image cleans up
considerably after the opening credits. Colors appear dull and flat throughout, but this is due to
director intent and not a poor transfer. Many scenes have been desaturated and muted
intentionally. There is some fine detail on faces and clothing I haven't noticed in previous home
video versions of this film. Blacks are a little bright and washed out resulting in an overly bright
image during night scenes. Some of the day for night sequences look especially bad, making Jon
Voight look ghostly at times, but this all director's intent. I am convinced this is the best
Deliverance is ever likely to look.
Warner Brothers has forgone a lossless audio track for Deliverance, providing only a Dolby
Digital 5.1 track. This is a rather flat, lifeless track that is very front heavy. To be fair, this mix is
derived from the original monaural track, so not having a track here that blows you away sonically
comes as no surprise. Dialogue sounds natural for the most part. The front sound stage is often
permeated with the sound of the rapids and for a 35 year old film, it sounds fine. There is some
nice ambience emanating from the surround speakers, however. In the quieter scenes the chirping
of birds and the flow of the river in the background can be heard coming from behind the viewer.
It's a very pleasing ambience. This track compliments the film nicely and once you get immersed
in the film, you'll be too caught up in the story to notice the lack of a heavy, pulsating, modern
surround track.
The primary features on this disc are a commentary track by director John Boorman and a four
piece documentary. In his commentary track, Boorman discusses the budget constraints placed
on
him (he
could
only make the film by getting two unknown actors to play the parts ultimately filled by Ronny
Cox and Ned Beatty). He also
discusses the now famous soundtrack and how it went from a big-budget orchestra down to a
banjo
player and guitar picker in a 2 hour session in a recording studio. He also reveals some secrets
behind the filming of the movie, including a revelation (to me, anyway) regarding the truth
behind
the banjo playing boy at the beginning of the film. Boorman also shares his thoughts on stunts
and
stuntmen, costuming, and CGI. This a refreshing commentary track. Boorman
never really falls into the trap of simply discussing the goings-on on screen. There is some dead
air,
but Boorman more than makes up for it. He's a natural with a wonderful grasp of language. Add
this to watching a wonderful film while listening to him, and it makes for one of the better
commentary tracks I have ever heard.
The first of the four documentaries is entitled
Deliverance: The Beginning (480p. 16:44). This is a look at the history of the novel, its
author James Dickey, the background and inspiration for the characters, and its adaptation to
film.
Deliverance: The Journey (480p, 13:04) is the second part of the documentary on the
disc. It features a look at
Billy Joe Redden (the banjo playing youngster from the beginning of the film) and the famous
"Dueling Banjos" scene, the choosing of the river and filming locations, and canoeing down the
river.
Deliverance: Betraying the River (480p, 14:37) is a look at the making of the rape scene
in the movie. This movie was filmed sequentially, and the filmmakers and actors explain the
tension leading up the filming of this crucial scene.
Deliverance: Delivered (480p, 10:37), the fourth part of the documentary, is a look at
the filming of the final moments of the
movie. This includes the wrapping up of the film and the controversies it engendered even before
hitting
theaters, themes and messages behind some of the final shots, and
the
origins of the idea for the unnerving final shot of the film.
The Dangerous World of Deliverance (480p, 10:13) is a short, campy look into the
making of the film on location in north Georgia and the dangers, trials, and tribulations involved
in the moviemaking process.
Rounding out the special features is a 480p trailer for
the movie.
Deliverance is one of the best films to come out of the 1970s, a decade that produced such
classics as Star Wars, The Godfather (parts I & II), Close Encounters of the
Third Kind, and The Deer Hunter. It can stand toe-to-toe with the best of any
decade, and is a film every movie lover needs to have in their collection. Warner Brothers has
released a quality presentation, and this is undoubtedly the best this film is ever likely to look and
sound.
A great commentary by director John Boorman and a solid documentary make this a must-have
disc.
Deliverance delivers. Highly recommended.
