John Boorman's Oscar-nominated 1972 film based on James Dickey's bestselling novel—a relentlessly unnerving tale of four adventuresome Atlanta businessmen who take a weekend canoe trip down a raging river that not only pits them against both nature and man in a battle of survival, but also forces each to grapple with serious ethical issues—remains a high-water-mark film from the cinematically daring ‘70s. The ensemble cast of Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, Ned Beatty, and Ronny Cox (author Dickey appears briefly as a sheriff) turn in outstanding performances in a beautifully-lensed film (thanks to legendary cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond) that features scenes which have become indelibly impressed on the memories of movie fans (including the transcendent dueling banjos sequence between Cox and a young boy, as well as Beatty's horrific “squeal like a pig” scene in which he's raped). Presented with an excellent widescreen transfer, DVD extras here include audio commentary by Boorman, a vintage behind-the-scenes featurette, and an excellent four-part 35th anniversary “making-of”—featuring Boorman, Christopher Dickey (the author's son), Zsigmond, and all four principal actors—that is full of fascinating anecdotes (for instance, most of the rapids-riding on the river was performed by the actors not stunt men—which is why no insurance company would touch the film). Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (R. Pitman)[Blu-ray Review—July 3, 2012—Warner, 109 min., R, $34.99—Making its second appearance on Blu-ray, 1972's Deliverance boasts a great transfer and features a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack. Carried over from the previous release is audio commentary by director John Boorman, a four-part retrospective (55 min.), a vintage featurette (10 min.), and trailers. New to this release are a “Deliverance: The Cast Remembers” retrospective featurette (30 min.), and a 48-page digi-book. Bottom line: if you own the initial Blu-ray release, this one is optional—although the improved sound and new retrospective featurette make this the preferred version of this contemporary classic.]
Deliverance
Warner, 109 min, R, DVD: $19.98 Volume 23, Issue 1
Deliverance
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