This
movie is set in Montana in the teens and twenties of the 20th Century,
based on a book that was a series of memories by the author who
experienced the same. Perhaps because of that, or perhaps because it
was filmed by Robert Redford who lives in the West and who has a good
feel for Western topics, it's a good look at the northern plains, and
Montana in particular, in that era.
Or
even later eras. The close association the protagonists have with the
land and rural activities strongly reminds me of my youth in the 1970s.
The way people were part of rural activities, and they were part of
them, is really accurately portrayed. It also does an excellent job of
capturing the northern plains of the teens and twenties, at which point
they were fully part of American life and distinct at the same time.
Material details of this film are excellent. The film well depicts the early automobile era and shows why vehicles were adopted so rapidly. The tightness of communities in the era is well depicted. Clothing and style of dress, even haircuts, are correct. About my only complaint is that the fly fishing style isn't the one that I'm familiar with, and given as I was taught by people who had learned in the 1930s and 1940s, I wonder if the local style I see here, used by locals, more accurately reflects fishing of this era than that in the film.
August 2, 2014
Addendum.
One of the things I've been surprised about, when I occasionally look at my own reviews, is how short they were, the longer ago they were written. I don't know if that's good or bad, but its the truth. Anyhow, I finally got around to reading the novella this film was based on, and I just noted that in another thread here:
September 5, 2019
A River Runs Through It and Other Stories
Norman Maclean
Most people are familiar with the really excellent movie based on this semi autobiographical novella by Norman Maclean which was made into an excellent movie by Robert Redford. I just started reading it a few days ago and I'm already well into it. I'll give, of course, a review of it when I've completed reading it.
_________________________________________________________________________________
September 8, 2019
I finished A River Runs Through It and Other Stories yesterday.
The novella A River Runs Through It has achieved almost mystical status in certain quarters, with it being particularly highly regarded among those who like "western" literature, or perhaps I should say literature of the modern west, although all of these stories are set in the period prior to World War Two. The reputation is well deserved.
Various reviews attempt to compare the work to other well known authors who wrote in the same genera, with Hemingway being noted. Well, it's much better than any work of Hemingway's, even if we consider that the Hemingway outdoor works set in the West actually are good, as compared to the rest of his writing which is not all that great, frankly. A River Runs Through it, the longest of the novellas, is truly a masterpiece.
Maclean describes the West of the 1910s through the 1930s in a way that would be highly recognizable to anyone whose grown up in the real West even today. The novella is hugely interior, and for that reason the task of putting it on film must have been really difficult to say the least. To anyone wanting a real grasp of how Westerners see the West and themselves, this novella is the work to read.
One question that a person whose seen the excellent movie may have is how much does the novella depart from the film? Not much, but it does some, and the film adds some elements that are lacking in the novella. The novella does not deal with how Norman meets Jessie, his wife, in any fashion. Jessie Maclean really was from Wolf Point Montana, but the story of their early relationship is completely omitted. Indeed, throughout much of the novella Norman is already married, including those parts dealing with Jessie's brother.
It's hard to describe the writing of a novel, although this is barely a novel and close to a memoir and that also raises the question here on how much of the story is fiction and how much is fact. I'm not familiar with Maclean's life enough to know how much of the story is fictionalized, but I suspect its not all that much. By way of a plot spoiler, one thing that's definitely true, but somewhat fictionalized, is that Paul Davidson (Paul Maclean's actual nom de plum) did indeed die from being beat up in an alley in the late 1930s, just as described, and the murder remains an unsolved murder. It was a Chicago murder, however, as Norman Maclean had convinced Paul to come to Chicago where he worked as a reporter and for the press office of the University of Chicago. This wouldn't really fit the Montana centric story line however, as would the fact that Paul was a Dartmouth graduate.
The novella is, I feel, a must read.
As noted, this book contains three stories, not one, although A River Runs Through It is the longest and best known.
The second one is Logging and Pimping and You're Pal, Jim.
Maclean worked as a logger while attending college. The precise details of that I don't know, but it was for at least two seasons. This novella deals with that and I suspect, and indeed I'm certain, that it's much more fictionalized than A River Runs Through It. It's also of uneven quality.
In this novella Maclean sought to describe loggers but I suspect that he ended up, as is so often done, by fairly grossly exaggerating his depiction as he went on, which is unfortunate. Some elements of the description, in particular his description of clothing, are really excellent. But it decays as it the novella goes on and this one may be said to have almost no real point, other than being an odd character study.
The third one is USFS 1919, which deals as with Norman's work on a Forest Service crew in 1919.
This one is excellent, and again not only is the story worthwhile, but the descriptions of life at the time, and particularly a very distinct rural occupation of the time, are superb. Descriptions of horses, packing and Forest Service work in a now bygone era are extremely well done. This story is also probably mostly fiction, but his work for the Forest Service at a very young age (Norman is 17 when this story takes place, and he'd already worked for the Forest Service for two years) is not. This novella is well worth reading.
On a couple of other observations, knowing that the movie was from a novella, I've wondered if the plot details of the film were filled out from the other novellas in the book. They are not. As noted, the film includes story lines, such as Norman meeting Jessie, that aren't in the book at all. About the only added details provided is that Norman worked as a logger and for the Forest Service, and his work as a logger is mentioned in the film.
Anyhow, the stories included in A River Runs Through It and Other Stories are first rate stories in the modern Western genre and much better than many, maybe most. The stories due have an earthy element to them, and all three have some references to illicit unions of one kind or another, but they aren't graphic and they don't get down in the mud as much as later works of Larry McMurtry.
I don't have a great deal to add to my earlier movie review that the current novella review doesn't touch on, so my main point here, in adding this addenda, was just to note what was noted. The film follows the novella pretty closely, but it does add a major story line, the romance between Norman and Jessie, which Norman doesn't touch on in these works at all. She was actually from Montana, as the film portrays, however. He really did take a teaching position at the University of Chicago. There are some departures, although they are really minor. The minor character Mabel, Paul's Indian girlfriend, is much more richly described in the novella than the film, and is a much rougher character as well. But all in all, it's pretty close. Indeed, the film is amazingly well done.
One minor thing I'd note is that its surprising how this film seems to be the high water mark (no pun intended) for some of the actors in it, but not others. Brad Pitt went on to fame, but frankly nothing he's done since this film has been as good. Craig Sheffer continues to act, but he's not anywhere nearly as well known as Pitt and his portrayal of Norman does seem likely to stand as the role he'll be remembered for. The same will be true for Emily Lloyd's portrayal of Jessie Maclean. Tom Skerritt, on the other hand, will recalled for having a large number of excellent roles as a character actor, his role as the father of Paul and Norman being one of them. Nicole Burdette, who portrayed the Indian girlfriend Mabel, has done very little film acting since this movie and the suspicion must be that she doesn't want to.
September 8, 2019.
Material details of this film are excellent. The film well depicts the early automobile era and shows why vehicles were adopted so rapidly. The tightness of communities in the era is well depicted. Clothing and style of dress, even haircuts, are correct. About my only complaint is that the fly fishing style isn't the one that I'm familiar with, and given as I was taught by people who had learned in the 1930s and 1940s, I wonder if the local style I see here, used by locals, more accurately reflects fishing of this era than that in the film.
August 2, 2014
Addendum.
One of the things I've been surprised about, when I occasionally look at my own reviews, is how short they were, the longer ago they were written. I don't know if that's good or bad, but its the truth. Anyhow, I finally got around to reading the novella this film was based on, and I just noted that in another thread here:
September 5, 2019
A River Runs Through It and Other Stories
Norman Maclean
Most people are familiar with the really excellent movie based on this semi autobiographical novella by Norman Maclean which was made into an excellent movie by Robert Redford. I just started reading it a few days ago and I'm already well into it. I'll give, of course, a review of it when I've completed reading it.
_________________________________________________________________________________
September 8, 2019
I finished A River Runs Through It and Other Stories yesterday.
The novella A River Runs Through It has achieved almost mystical status in certain quarters, with it being particularly highly regarded among those who like "western" literature, or perhaps I should say literature of the modern west, although all of these stories are set in the period prior to World War Two. The reputation is well deserved.
Various reviews attempt to compare the work to other well known authors who wrote in the same genera, with Hemingway being noted. Well, it's much better than any work of Hemingway's, even if we consider that the Hemingway outdoor works set in the West actually are good, as compared to the rest of his writing which is not all that great, frankly. A River Runs Through it, the longest of the novellas, is truly a masterpiece.
Maclean describes the West of the 1910s through the 1930s in a way that would be highly recognizable to anyone whose grown up in the real West even today. The novella is hugely interior, and for that reason the task of putting it on film must have been really difficult to say the least. To anyone wanting a real grasp of how Westerners see the West and themselves, this novella is the work to read.
One question that a person whose seen the excellent movie may have is how much does the novella depart from the film? Not much, but it does some, and the film adds some elements that are lacking in the novella. The novella does not deal with how Norman meets Jessie, his wife, in any fashion. Jessie Maclean really was from Wolf Point Montana, but the story of their early relationship is completely omitted. Indeed, throughout much of the novella Norman is already married, including those parts dealing with Jessie's brother.
It's hard to describe the writing of a novel, although this is barely a novel and close to a memoir and that also raises the question here on how much of the story is fiction and how much is fact. I'm not familiar with Maclean's life enough to know how much of the story is fictionalized, but I suspect its not all that much. By way of a plot spoiler, one thing that's definitely true, but somewhat fictionalized, is that Paul Davidson (Paul Maclean's actual nom de plum) did indeed die from being beat up in an alley in the late 1930s, just as described, and the murder remains an unsolved murder. It was a Chicago murder, however, as Norman Maclean had convinced Paul to come to Chicago where he worked as a reporter and for the press office of the University of Chicago. This wouldn't really fit the Montana centric story line however, as would the fact that Paul was a Dartmouth graduate.
The novella is, I feel, a must read.
As noted, this book contains three stories, not one, although A River Runs Through It is the longest and best known.
The second one is Logging and Pimping and You're Pal, Jim.
Maclean worked as a logger while attending college. The precise details of that I don't know, but it was for at least two seasons. This novella deals with that and I suspect, and indeed I'm certain, that it's much more fictionalized than A River Runs Through It. It's also of uneven quality.
In this novella Maclean sought to describe loggers but I suspect that he ended up, as is so often done, by fairly grossly exaggerating his depiction as he went on, which is unfortunate. Some elements of the description, in particular his description of clothing, are really excellent. But it decays as it the novella goes on and this one may be said to have almost no real point, other than being an odd character study.
The third one is USFS 1919, which deals as with Norman's work on a Forest Service crew in 1919.
This one is excellent, and again not only is the story worthwhile, but the descriptions of life at the time, and particularly a very distinct rural occupation of the time, are superb. Descriptions of horses, packing and Forest Service work in a now bygone era are extremely well done. This story is also probably mostly fiction, but his work for the Forest Service at a very young age (Norman is 17 when this story takes place, and he'd already worked for the Forest Service for two years) is not. This novella is well worth reading.
On a couple of other observations, knowing that the movie was from a novella, I've wondered if the plot details of the film were filled out from the other novellas in the book. They are not. As noted, the film includes story lines, such as Norman meeting Jessie, that aren't in the book at all. About the only added details provided is that Norman worked as a logger and for the Forest Service, and his work as a logger is mentioned in the film.
Anyhow, the stories included in A River Runs Through It and Other Stories are first rate stories in the modern Western genre and much better than many, maybe most. The stories due have an earthy element to them, and all three have some references to illicit unions of one kind or another, but they aren't graphic and they don't get down in the mud as much as later works of Larry McMurtry.
I don't have a great deal to add to my earlier movie review that the current novella review doesn't touch on, so my main point here, in adding this addenda, was just to note what was noted. The film follows the novella pretty closely, but it does add a major story line, the romance between Norman and Jessie, which Norman doesn't touch on in these works at all. She was actually from Montana, as the film portrays, however. He really did take a teaching position at the University of Chicago. There are some departures, although they are really minor. The minor character Mabel, Paul's Indian girlfriend, is much more richly described in the novella than the film, and is a much rougher character as well. But all in all, it's pretty close. Indeed, the film is amazingly well done.
One minor thing I'd note is that its surprising how this film seems to be the high water mark (no pun intended) for some of the actors in it, but not others. Brad Pitt went on to fame, but frankly nothing he's done since this film has been as good. Craig Sheffer continues to act, but he's not anywhere nearly as well known as Pitt and his portrayal of Norman does seem likely to stand as the role he'll be remembered for. The same will be true for Emily Lloyd's portrayal of Jessie Maclean. Tom Skerritt, on the other hand, will recalled for having a large number of excellent roles as a character actor, his role as the father of Paul and Norman being one of them. Nicole Burdette, who portrayed the Indian girlfriend Mabel, has done very little film acting since this movie and the suspicion must be that she doesn't want to.
September 8, 2019.
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