weezeralfalfa
Very much reminds me , in it's basic theme and plot, of the much older film "Trail of the Lonesome Pine", shot in pioneer 3 strip Technicolor, in 1936. Both involve the sudden intrusion of the federal government or a large corporation into a primitive backwoods Appalachian community, with promises of much bettering their lives by the exploitation of some local natural resource other than farm land or forests. Both involve a budding romantic relationship between the chief spokesman for the agency and a beautiful young woman in the community. Both include a sacrificial local victim or two, related to the initiation of the project. However, in the earlier film, the community had a choice whether or not to allow this intrusion, whereas in the present film, the government can't take no for an answer...This film also brings up memories of "The Grapes of Wrath", in that the community or extended family is forced to move. As in the present film, this move is much harder on and more resisted by the grandparent generation than the grandchildren generation. The present film involves more introspection than these former films. This is a strength of Montgomery Clift: the male lead. Unlike a few reviewers, I found Monty generally good in his role, if lacking the warmth of his counterpart in the earlier film: Fred McMurray. He appeared to have good romantic chemistry with Lee Remick. However, his character is conflicted about whether it's a good idea for either to marry her, thus he often holds back.There are 2 primary issues to the plot, along with an induced third issue. Issue #1: Can TVA field administrator Chuck(Monte) convince stubborn matriarchal grandma Ella and her loyal entourage to vacate her island kingdom before the Tennessee river behind the new dam begins to rise, to eventually flood this island? Or will she and the others have to be forcibly removed? Issue #2: Whether grandma's beautiful young widowed granddaughter(Lee Remick, as Carol), with her 2 kids, will marry her local middle-aged boyfriend: Walter, or Monte? I'd like to delve into the second issue first.Although Carol initially sides with grandma in her hostility toward Monte, as a TVA rep, she soon begins to warm up to him, as she faced the reality that she will soon have to leave this island. She finds Monte a better romantic prospect than Walter. Also, he promises to provide a ticket to a new kind of life, far from his community. At times, Monte encourages this dream. But when Carol asks for a definite commitment, he balks. We don't understand why. Does he have a girlfriend or wife? Is he 'not the marrying kind'? Is he afraid that Carol would not be accepted socially by his friends, with her backwoods background? But, later that night, he changes his mind, after Carol joins him in trying to beat off an ugly mob that has come to intimidate him into leaving that area for good. Seems like it's usually raining when these 2 are together in a house or car, This helped provide a more intimate atmosphere..The relationship between Walter and Monte is curious. Walter doesn't seem very upset that Monte has suddenly appeared as a new rival. In fact, he and Monte get drunk together, then go to grandma's house to, once again, try to convince her to leave. Later, when Walter arrives with the mob come to chase Monte out of the area, he changes sides, entering the house to help Monte and Carol to beat off the mob. All together, it looks like Walter is more like a friend and protector of Carol than a serious lover, and he accepts that status.I assume the title refers to the river in its destructive flood stage, and also to how grandma wants the river to remain. She states that she believes that nature should be left undisturbed. Yet, she and her husband vastly altered the landscape of her island ,as Monte fails to point out. She's not interested in having access to electricity from the dam. Carol correctly predicts that grandma won't long survive leaving her island. Presumably, she simply wills her death, almost immediately after she moves to her TVA-financed new home.... Monte's boss initially tells him he doesn't want grandma and the others forcibly removed, if possible, But when the flood waters are ready to rise, he changes his mind as he definitely doesn't want grandma or any others to become a martyr by staying and drowning. By then ,nearly all the others had left the island, and accepted the TVA terms. However, Sam, an old African American, refused to leave ahead of grandma, even when she insisted. Earlier, he refused to sell her his old dog at any price. Thus, he represents another old person set in his ways, refusing to act on the reality that his home would soon disappear under water. Clearly, the many African Americans(AA) living on this island were satisfied with their lives. Ditto grandma's several sons on the island. One claims he never has to work here. Presumably, the AAs did all the heavy labor, thus he could spend his time lazing around with his fishing rod.Monte has another group angry with him. He's hiring local AAs to work on TVA projects for $5.00 a day, the same as for white men. The usual wage for AAs here is $2.00/day, less than for whites. Monte refuses to make a difference in payment based on race. Thus, many of the AA hired help of local farmers are leaving for the better paying job, or the land owners are forced to pay them more to keep them. This is the reason for the mob destroying his car and damaging Carol's house they are in.
jartell
I just found this reference on IMDb to this powerful movie that I saw on TV when I was a child. Actually, for a strange reason, after seeing in the news the flooding taking place in the Midwest these days (March 27, 2009) I recalled the images on this movie so vividly. But of course, for a kid's imagination nothing could be more unforgettable than the beauty of Lee Remick. And I loved the chemistry taking place between her and Monty Cliff. Now, however, reading the comments in this page I realize that I had not paid enough attention to the performance of Jo Van Fleet as the matriarch who refuses to comply to the government's request to leave her land. And in addition to this, "Wild River" happens to be an Elia Kazan movie! I've been searching this film for years and I just realized that I couldn't find it simply because there is not a DVD available. Not even a VHS copy! That's outrageous! Please, everyone sensible to good movies should ask the same to the powers that be: We want a DVD of "Wild River"!
pocomarc
This movie features Jo van Fleet, a terrific actress who has been forgotten.As usual, her performance carries the movie.Some should remember her as the mother of the James Dean character in East of Eden, where her scenes with Dean are the most powerful in the film.Elia Kazan, who directed Wild River, also directed East of Eden.Kazan said in an interview he considered van Fleet a "great" actress, and expressed irritation that she had been "forgotten."In Wild River the character she plays so believably is decades older than she actually was.One previous reviewer here is so fixated on politics that he really uses his pretense of reviewing this movie to give his own personal political views, which are of no interest to me, and which do not belong in a forum of this type.
