A River Runs Through It Movie Review

Robert Redford did an excellent job creating the film A River Runs Through It. Even though the film is quite a bit difference from Maclean’s original story, Redford transforms the novella into a great film. He adds helpful background information, captivating action, and tops it off with perfect cinematography.

            Information about Norman Maclean’s life not present in the book is in Redford’s film. This is very helpful for the viewers to understand what and why some of the events took place. For example, Redford adds detail’s of Norman’s education and career that weren’t mentioned in the novella. This way people could understand where Norman came from and why he acted the way he did.

            More action and drama are also added to the story in the film. This keeps the viewers interest while watching the film. One example is Norman and Jessie’s relationship; in the book, Norman and Jessie are married but in the movie they have just met and are dating. Also, there were scenes such as the Maclean brothers riding down a massive waterfall in a wooden row boat that makes the film more exciting.

            Most every scene in the film was perfect. Redford did a wonderful job of producing the feeling of the story and determining which scenes to use. He knew just what to cut and what to add to Maclean’s novella, so that the movie would be good while keeping the story and lessons strait.

            Overall Redford did a great job constructing A River Runs Through It. Unlike most books produced into movies, this film was just as good as the book. I give it two thumbs up.