Wild River

The acting was wonderful, and the story was about the great change that started in this country in the 30s. The government was taking over, and independent mountain people were losing their independence. Montgomery Clift, as always, did a great job, and Lee Remick did, also. The secondary parts were very well played. But it was Jo Van Fleet who put the stamp on the movie. Every scene she was in was perfection. And the romance between Montgomery Clift and Lee Remick works out believably -- the country girl is determined to have him. She has a lot of the intelligence and backbone of her grandmother. As for Montgomery Clift, even after the accident that changed his face, he remained an actor whom you love.

WILD RIVER is a movie that on first viewing you might not realize was an Elia Kazan movie. It has a mellow, intriguing look and feel to it that really does avoid that "dragging, I might soon be bored feeling". Plus, Kazan is rather famous for the documentary black-and-white look.WILD RIVER is a subtle achievement in attractive, genuine Tennessee color.After the documentary footage that opens the movie introduces the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the persistent flooding that invades this area we are quickly introduced to TVA every man, trying to do the right thing employee, played by Montgomery Clift (which is the reason why, way back when, I watched this for the first time...there really was something genuine about Clift's acting; that 'method' thing).Anyways, this is a difficult movie to compliment because it does appear this one is far from most 'modern' tastes. If you don't even like On The Waterfront there is probably little chance you will like this one. If you do like On the Waterfront and East of Eden (that was in color) there is a very good chance you will like this.And for critiquing purposes Lee Remick performs arguably the best female (woman) 'method' performance ever displayed on film. Not kidding in the least, and if you watch her "angst" scenes (there might be one too many) she was not just some pretty face who was trying to gain acting respects (see Marilyn M.). And check her sexually charged "You can't get enough of me scene" in the front seat of pickup truck with Clift. It's well done in a 1960 PG rating sort of way with her stroking - and looking down on - Clift's head as he kisses her neck in complete submission to her charms. She smiles impishly knowing she's gott'em - and in a good way - as the only other thing we see is the back of Clift's head. SHE is in complete control of the city man.And did I mention those Lee Remick eyes? Enough to cause any (deserving) good man to melt.But, WILD RIVER jumped into the top three of my favorite Kazan films. I mentioned the other 2 already. Yes, ahead of A Streetcar Named Desire. "Streetcar" loses points for the fairly obvious Tennessee Williams "stage play" adaptation.WILD RIVER is all real, complete with location footage. And some of the "locals" (who's an actor, who might be an actual local? Kazan was always good at installing non actors for 'realism' effect) get a little wild and agitated before all is said and done so the movie is not entirely void of bullying turned into action-menace.And Jo Van Fleet adds one of her legendary, dressed as old lady matriarch performances when she was (actually) 30 years younger or so.WILD RIVER is a well done piece of old school, nuanced film-making on multiple fronts.Director of photography Ellsworth Fredricks.Music (nice horns compositions) composed and conducted by Kenyon Hopkins.There is also some good history and movie commentary added by Richard Schickel (he does alot of these).

Wild River (20th Century Fox, 1960) was director Elia Kazan's fourteenth film.Chuck Glover (Montgomery Clift), a Tenessee Valley Authority bureaucrat, arrives in a small town with the mission of removing the last remaining property owner holdout but eighty-year-old Ella Garth (Jo Van Fleet) has no intention of selling her soon-to-be-flooded river island. Her widowed granddaughter, Carol Baldwin (Lee Remick), is attracted to Glover and the two quickly form a relationship. Glover persuades Ella's Black workers to leave the island along with their families but she remains adamant. In the meantime, resentment simmers among the locals towards Glover's policy of paying Blacks the same wages as Whites. Carol aggressively pursues the ambivalent Glover, asking him to marry her, just as a mob arrives at her house to send Glover packing. He can only admire Carol's defiance of the rednecks and asks her to elope. A federal marshal is finally called in to evict Ella from the island. She is provided a small house but dies shortly after. On their way to Washington D.C. via airplane, Glover, Carol, and her two children view the river and the only portion of Ella's island still above water; the family cemetery containing her grave.Kazan filmed Wild River on location in Charleston, Tennessee and nearby environs. Close to one-hundred locals were used as extras. The picture was filmed in CinemaScope but we don't see the overtly wide pan shots we saw in East of Eden. Fractured, insecure, emotionally wounded Monty Clift barely held it together throughout the filming. Kazan's accounts of Clift's performance are quite interesting. While Kazan bragged that he bullied Clift into staying sober throughout the shoot, town lore has it that the McClary sisters regularly snuck liquor up to his room at the Cherokee Hotel. Twenty-five-year-old Lee Remick is wonderful as the beautiful, young, sexually aggressive widow. When she confidently and forcefully courts Clift it's all he can do to just sit there, leaving every heterosexual male viewer to ask, what's the matter with this numbskull? Watching Clift kiss Remick is as convincing as watching Michael Jackson kiss Lisa Marie Presley. Jo Van Fleet is superb as Ella, skillfully portraying the eighty-year-old matriarch at the age of forty-five. Albert Salmi is entertaining as the alpha good ol' boy. Kazan fans may be interested to know Salmi was married for a few years to "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" star, Peggy Ann Garner. Kazan gave his mistress at that time, actress Barbara Loden, a small part in the film no doubt to help cope with the cool Tennessee fall evenings. Overall, it's a wonderful cast which includes several Kazan regulars.Wild River was one of Kazan's favorite films although its limited release guaranteed unprofitability. Kazan had been interested in directing a film about the Tennessee Valley Project for many years and tried to write the script himself but eventually hired screenwriter Paul Osborne. Kazan especially admired the conflict between Glover and Ella in which both held to positions that were simultaneously right and wrong. Relations between Blacks and Whites in the 1930's South are portrayed quite candidly.Commentary is provided by Time magazine film critic, Richard Schickel, who doesn't hide his admiration for Wild River or Lee Remick. This is a pretty good film but Remick's performance was Oscar-worthy.

A classic. Love this movie, a great blend of documentary and drama. Bought it for my local history museum. Our small coal mining town set along the Tennessee river and at the edge of the Cumberland Plateau boasts a tie to Montgomery Clift, so even more delightful. The Clifts were the first millionaires in Hamilton County, TN and Soddy-Daisy was home to his ancestors. We have many dark haired, blue eyed men here to this day, some of Welsh heritage, Irish, Germanic or Scots. And I have met many as stubborn as the old woman who wouldn't sell in the movie. Dont miss this one.