Film still of A River Runs Through It © alizé production
A River Runs Through It, Robert Redford’s ode to nature
Renowned American actor Robert Redford's first forays into the world of directing came in 1980 with Ordinary People, a drama that earnt him the Academy Award for Best Director. In 1992, he directed his third feature film, A River Runs Through It, the screen adaptation of Norman Maclean's autobiography, a poetic account of his youth in Montana. Cannes Classics treats viewers to a restored print of this masterpiece.
A River Runs Through It tells the story of two brothers played by Craig Sheffer and Brad Pitt, raised in a community with strong Presbyterian values and a love of fly-fishing passed on to them by their father. Bound together by the river that coursed through their childhood days, their contrasting personalities nevertheless push them onto different life paths.
Norman Maclean described the story as the tale of a united family that had never learnt to communicate. The film takes the concept even further, and explores the cost of caring for a person on a downward spiral, a loved one beyond help.
Over and above his depiction of brotherly love and childhood nostalgia, Robert Redford turned this story into an ode to Mother Nature, a cause dear to his heart, through shots that celebrate the beauty of the countryside, infusing the narrative with grace, sensitivity and authenticity.
A River Runs Through It is widely held to be one of Robert Redford's most beautiful films, with Director of Photography Philippe Rousselot winning an Academy Award for Best Cinematography.
Presented by Pathé. 4K scan and 4K restoration from the original 35mm sound and image negatives. Restored by Pathé in the Technicolor France laboratory in collaboration with Philippe Rousselot, the film's cinematographer, and L.E. Diapason on sound restoration.
