A River Runs Through It (1992)

I am haunted by waters. 

            In the vein of any coming of age film, A River Runs Through It is about two brothers growing up and trying to find their place in the world. The film takes place in the time period between the end of World War I and the stock market crash of 1929, it is set in idyllic Missoula, Montana, amid lush forests and flowing rivers.

The two brothers at the heart of the story are Norman and Paul MacLean, portrayed by Craig Scheffer and Brad Pitt, respectively. They grow up under the watchful eye of their father, a Presbyterian minister, played by Tom Skerritt. Like most brothers, they disagree, they bicker, and, on occasion, they fight. Also, like most brothers, there are the ties of family that bind them together.  In this case, fly fishing.

The story begins with an Elderly Norman standing in a river, fly fishing, and trying to understand the journey his life has taken.

“Long ago, when I was a young man, my father said to me, ‘Norman, you like to write stories.’ And I said ‘Yes, I do.’ Then he said, ‘Someday, when you’re ready you might tell our family story. Only then will you understand what happened and why.’”

And that is the heart of the film; Norman recounting his early life, and narrating it to the viewer. He and Paul grow up like anyone does, slowly but surely, on a learn-from-experience basis.

Fly fishing in this movie stands in for life. As Roger Ebert described it, “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.”

Norman and Paul’s separate styles of life can be read in their fly fishing. Paul is the gutsy one. He knows what he wants, he jumps in without thinking, and, when he succeeds, he is at the top of the game. Norman is much more conservative. He knows he wants an education, but even after returning home from Dartmouth, he is unsure of where he wants out of life.

While Norman was away, Paul’s life took a dramatic turn for the worse. He tried to keep it hidden, but a lifestyle of boozing and gambling will eventually catch up to you, and his family does not realize until it is too late. Norman recalls, “It is those we live with and love and should know who elude us.”

The Robert Redford directed film is based on the memoirs semi-autobiographical memoirs of the real Norman Maclean, and it is masterfully directed. Shot on location in Montana, the scenery is gorgeous, and I highly recommend the Blu-Ray.

The Blackfoot River

Also worthy of note is Mark Isham’s score that seems to capture the very heart of Montana. Elmer Bernstein also wrote a rejected score, and while the little that is available does not strike me the way Isham’s  does, I am sure it would have spectacular as well. It is, after all, Elmer Bernstein.

The film excels on every level. On the surface, there is a charming, well-written, well-acted coming of age tale. As you dig deeper, you find a heartfelt drama that tackles the very meaning of our existence and purpose in life.

Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it.