Deliverance - a Philosophical Deconstruction

Deliveranceis a film that set standards and stereotypes. There are several quotes from this film that live on even without the quoter's knowledge of the origin. "Squeal like a piggy."and "He's sure got a pretty mouth" are quotes that people often mock and joke about without knowing the context. This is a dark, strange film about men being reconnected with the worst side of their innate animal instinct.

Starring Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, Ned Beatty, Ronny Cox, and some of the creepiest looking "hillbillies" to ever grace the silver screen, this film does not do much to enhance the image of the southern culture but it does deliver some of the most effective scenes in film history. Unfortunately none of these stars deliver any of the before mention quotes.

The screen play for the film is based on the novel, both of which were written by James Dickey. Produced and directed by John Boorman, this film is right up his alley. The actors are very far from their usual space, but the director is right at home in this oddity. The director of Exorcist 2, he was very familiar with the particulars of horrifying scenes. One of the best moments to send a chill down your spine is an unspoken scene between Drew, Ronny Cox, and the young boy he played Dueling Banjos with in the opening.

When they first arrive and are fueling up, a boy starts playing along with Drew. The song dueling banjos that they play with a guitar and a banjo is an interesting way of foreshadowing. The city boy verses the southern hick. Playing a song that's from his turf so to speak. The boy plays along and gives a strange grin. This builds to the end of the song were they seemingly come out as equals, however this seems to have an uncomfortable end as well as the boy turns and rejects to play again or shake hands. The final chill is sent down your spine in their final scene together. The boy quietly looks on and swings his banjo in a sort of wave good-bye as the men pass under the bridge from which he stands. Slowly moving down river Drew tries to get a reaction, but fails.

The ensemble of actors is really stranger than anything. Jon Voight is well known. He's been in Mission Impossible, Heat, and Anaconda. Burt Reynolds, who needs no introduction. His media life exceeds his work and his work is legendary. Ned Beatty whom you may remember from Supermanand Superman 2. Last but not least is Ronny Cox who was in Captain America, Total Recall, Robocop and Beverly Hills Cop. The guys come together for a very serious film that differs from most their work. After doing this film none of these actors ever really return to do this kind of film again, as their work shows. Many remember these actors from lighter material, no one wants to remember Ned Beatty squealing like a pig.

The Main character Ed, Jon Voight, is faced with a personal affliction that keeps him from firing his bow on living things. His friends and he take a journey down river that leads to more introspective growth than they had planned on. Tax attorneys and real estate men, these four look for a little more than the golf course offers. The river is more treacherous than they wanted and they quickly discover it isn't really the weekend trip they expected. The redneck rape scene isn't really the horror of the film. It creates the horror, which lasts through the film with the characters and the audience. The raw vulnerability created by that scene and primal instincts that are alert through out the rest of the film is what lasts. That's what scares people about this film.

There is no way to describe the fear that lasts with them from the moment when they first become vulnerable, in the rape scene. However, there is a tune that does sum it up well. Through out the film, The Dueling Banjos is a creepy theme that plays in your head for days after you've seen the picture. This song may be the most spoofed part of this film; therefore it is probably the most misunderstood. If people really knew its context they might be horrified, or maybe they would laugh harder. The point is that this film perfectly created an experience for four men that they would never want to remember or think of in its full context. It also takes the audience along for this ride so well that the audience reacts the same way; spoofing the film and laughing at it, uncomfortably, and thinking of it in half its context.

The everlasting affect this film has had is apparent. It, like so many other historic films, is remembered by the the spoof's, and not really the audience. For those of you who have made jokes about this film or it's quotes, I hope reading this will inspire you to actually view the film. If it has been a long time since you watched it, maybe it's time to look at it again.