Deliverance

Inspector Lynley - A Great Deliverance
$19.95
I saw this series by chance on PBS. The characters are great and I like how they developed throughout the series. I like British detectives and Inspector Lynley is certainly an attractive one! I enjoyed the spirited interactions with his female partner.

The Deer Hunter
$14.98
A classic with many stars. Paints a picture of survival after the war and is a real eye opener.

Deliverance [Blu-ray]
$28.99
Deliverance (1972) is inspired from a book from James Dickey, that
is well regarded, concerning events imagined in a North Georgia
rural and isolated community.

The action occurs in particular, among outcasts of already small
rural communities, for various reasons, perhaps the main one being
the operation of stills outside the reach of the law.

Many will watch this DVD on the prospect of seeing city-slickers
caught in dire straights in the boonies, with the only help
accessible being that of impoverished, illiterate, introverted,
isolated and suffering locals, in between the aforementioned
moonshining hired hands who wreck havoc on the 5 men embarcked on a
fun weekend. Not having read the book, the movie seems light on
substance and doesn't deliver on that aspect.

At the same time, the filming is absolutely unique, at least for
the year it was filmed, in terms of crystal clear shots of a canoe
following the water currents along dangerous rocks, and cliffs,
surrounded by nothing but trees and forest. The wide-screen
presentation underlines the success of the visuals, as viewers
journey well outside their time, space and dimension into this one.

Secondly, there is a commercial aspect that isn't lost, perhaps
operating on the subconscious level, as the self-admitted big city
men feel the need to go back to the wilderness, to basic survival
comprised of hunting, and canoeing inspired from the founding
explorers of America, hiking, rock climbing, sleeping in the
outdoors, lacking a proper map or light. To this end, they need to
load up on equipment, such as an aluminum and wooden canoe,
floating vests, bow-and-arrow, rope and pulleys for climbing,
provisions for sustenance, etc.

Thirdly, the acting is well accomplished in face of the light
script, mainly from Jon Voight's character, who has to dig deep
within himself to pull his party through, both in rescuing the
wounded, and against the rogue elements bearing shotguns, and more.

However, Burt Reynolds, playing the more eager one of the gang,
sports a rubber muscle shirt, which seems out of place considering
the attire of the other individuals. Ned Beatty, as Bobby, shows
how some individuals tend to be completely underestimated, being
intimately abused in the forest, not only survives his ordeal, and
but helps maintain the lifeline of the group vs. being shellshocked
and self-pitying, for example.

The music is appropriate, with some banjo rhythms that tend to be
associated with hillbillies.

Despite a 2 hour feature length, the time passes quickly, mainly
from the soundtrack, relaxing atmosphere, and cinematography.

An intriguing aspect, (touching upon entertainment) was the need
for the Director to expend a kind of voyeurism on the most humble
in society, such as the very elderly in this imagined isolated
community, and the very young (Down's Syndrome), lack of dental
treatment and care, substandard housing in this generally abandoned
community, left to itself. This movie doesn't dispel notions about
Georgia or small towns, or even, stereotypes of anyone who is NOT
born and bred in a megacity, which was perhaps unnecessary.

"Dueling Banjos" From The Original Soundtrack: Deliverance
$7.98
That kid's face is burnt into my memory forever. Along with other things from the film, but one scene in particular is seemingly ALL people wanna talk about. You know the one. It isn't that funny. But often not discussed enough by a public that is too busy laughing and wigged out by the freaky nature of the film is the beautiful music. This is truly one of the great movie soundtracks of all time. It is top notch music made with the banjo. "Dueling Banjos" blows me away to this day. Must-have if you enjoy traditional bluegrass music, or just love the banjo. Did you know the banjo originally came from Africa? Everybody loves music.