Based on James Dickey’s novel of the same name, Deliverance was one of the most contentious and unsettling films of the 1970s.
The film features four family men, portrayed by acting greats Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, Ned Beatty, and Ronny Cox, who decide to escape their hectic city lives and venture into the remote wilderness to canoe down a river before it is transformed into a dam.
However, their adventure takes a sinister turn when they find themselves in a survival nightmare, confronting the raw power of nature and some savage local residents. Fans of this classic hail it as a ‘masterpiece’ of cinematography with ‘terrific’ performances from the star-studded cast.
The quartet of friends from Atlanta choose to leave the city behind and head for the Georgia wilderness where a river and forest area are soon to be flooded to create a dam. The outdoorsy Lewis (Reynolds) leads the group, Ed (Voight) admires him, while the inexperienced Bobby (Beatty) and Drew (Cox) are novices to the great outdoors.
Before embarking on their journey, they encounter a group of locals at a petrol station and display hostility towards them. However, this encounter sets the stage for one of the most iconic scenes from the film as Drew engages in a musical duel with a banjo-playing boy, to which some of the rural mountain folk dance, reports <a href=”https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/masterpiece-thriller-stellar-performances-list-36271304″ rel=”Follow” target=”_self”>the Mirror</a>.
The film is perhaps most notorious for a harrowing scene of male sexual assault, which occurs when the group splits into two to navigate the rapids by canoe. During this disturbing sequence, Bobby is commanded to “squeal like a pig”.
Reynolds later confessed he and some of the crew found the scene excessively distressing, leading him to intervene during filming as he felt it had been prolonged excessively.
Directed by John Boorman, Deliverance was launched in 1972 and proved to be a box office hit. Despite its budget being slashed to $2million (£1.5million), it raked in $46.1million (£35million).
The film received critical acclaim upon release, but in subsequent years has faced criticism for its ‘stereotypical’ depiction of mountain folk as primitive and uncultured. Nonetheless, its commentary on environmental destruction and its implications for humanity remain strikingly pertinent.
Devotees of the film praise the cast and consider it a must-see classic. One fan who awarded it a five-star rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where it boasts a 90% approval rating, said: “Still a masterpiece, great performances from Burt Reynolds and Ned Beatty. All the performances are terrific.”
Others shared memories of their initial viewing experience.
One viewer added: “I saw this movie when I was about 12 and was absolutely in suspense the whole time they are on the river. Ned Beatty and Burt Reynolds were outstanding. I’m 62 now and that squeal like a pig boy scene still haunts me.”
Another wrote: “This was such a compelling, intense movie. It was so controversial 50 yrs ago when it premiered. it’s definitely worth the watch.”
This fan lauded the film’s craftsmanship: “John Boorman’s classic made a huge impact when I first saw it. I’m not sure when that was – whenever it was, the sexual assault scene lodged itself in my brain with disturbing effect,” they wrote.
“Revisiting it, the technical mastery of the film is more apparent to me now – the muted colour tones, the brilliant cinematography, Boorman’s never-better direction, and the star-making performances.”
Deliverance airs on BBC2at 11pm tonight, Friday 21 November.
