Review of Wild River (1960) by Henrik S — 02 Sep 2010
A good movie which went deeper into the subject matters than I expected. The DVD cover read like a cheap romance pulp novel and I was surprised when the movie addressed issues of racism and old age. Unfortunately, Montogomery Clift's downfall is more than apparent in this picture and his performance is wooden and stale and almost grotesque at times. One particular scene comes to mind, when Lee Remick (who does a fantastic job) delivers a powerful monologue and Clift more or less drops off of the screen, that is how bad he is. I have always been fond of him, sincing seeing him in Red River when I was a kid. Here and then, Kazan's talent shines through and some scenes are powerful compositions illustrating the relationship between man and nature and Kazan uses fog, light and the remoteness of Tennesse to great effect. The ending is a bit inconclusive but at least it is not some Hollywood serving of candy-colour cheesecake. All in all, a good movie which could have been great with a better cast, as Lee Remick cannot pull the weight alone.
HX.
This review of Wild River (1960) was written by Henrik S on 02 September 2010.
Wild River has generally received very positive reviews.
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