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The River ()


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A farming family battles severe storms, while taking a valiant stand against a bank foreclosure and a powerful land grabber.

Director:
Awards:
  • Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations.
  • See more »
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Cast verified as complete

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Tom Garvey
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Mae Garvey
Shane Bailey ...
Lewis Garvey
Becky Jo Lynch ...
Beth Garvey
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Joe Wade
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Senator Neiswinder
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Harve Stanley
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Howard Simpson
Bob W. Douglas ...
Hal Richardson
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Dave Birkin
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Judy Birkin
Larry D. Ferrell ...
Rod Tessley
Susie Toomey ...
Sally Tessley
Kelly Toomey ...
Lisa Tessley
Frank Hoyt Taylor ...
Zemke (as Frank Taylor)
Ivan Green ...
Smoot
Desmond Couch ...
Wilderfoot
Charles G. Riddle ...
Youngdall
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Dan Gaumer
Samuel Scott Osborne ...
Billy Gaumer
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Betty Gaumer
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Harley
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Roy
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Baines
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Swick
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Truck
Dean Whitworth ...
Doctor
Chuck Hanson ...
Fat Man (as Charles S. Hanson)
Ira M. Quillen II ...
TV Weatherman
Matt Bearson ...
First Employee
Timothy Shadden ...
Second Employee
Elizabeth Lane ...
Secretary
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Drifter

Directed by

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Mark Rydell

Written by

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Robert Dillon ... (story)
 
Robert Dillon ... (screenplay) and
Julian Barry ... (screenplay)

Produced by

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Robert Cortes ... producer
Edward Lewis ... producer

Music by

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John Williams

Cinematography by

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Vilmos Zsigmond ... director of photography

Editing by

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Sidney Levin

Editorial Department

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Beau Barthel ... assistant film editor
Donah Bassett ... negative cutter
Robert Frazen ... assistant film editor
Aubrey Head ... color timer
Karen Kory ... apprentice film editor
Stephen R. Myers ... apprentice film editor
Rick Sparr ... associate film editor

Casting By

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Lynn Stalmaster

Production Design by

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Charles Rosen

Art Direction by

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Norman Newberry

Set Decoration by

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Jane Bogart

Costume Design by

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Joe I. Tompkins

Makeup Department

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Pete Altobelli ... assistant makeup artist
Lynn Del Kail ... hair stylist
Brenda Todd ... makeup artist

Production Management

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Terry Carr ... unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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Matt Bearson ... dga trainee
Christopher Wilkinson ... second unit director (as Chris Wilkinson)
Robert Yannetti ... second assistant director
Tena Psyche Yatroussis ... second assistant director
Jerry Ziesmer ... first assistant director

Art Department

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Jimmy Day ... carpenter foreman
Tim Donelan ... swing gang
David F. Klassen ... set designer
Donald Krafft ... lead man
Sherman Labby ... production illustrator
William Maldonado ... construction coordinator
Mitch Mitchell ... greensman
Leonard Monfredo ... painter foreman
Nick Navarro ... set designer (as Nicanor Navarro)
Bob Nohles ... carpenter foreman
William Ladd Skinner ... set designer
John Slatsky ... drapery
Sonny Van Hecke ... assistant property master
Robert J. Visciglia Sr. ... property master
John Alvin ... poster artist (uncredited)
Bill Gold ... poster designer (uncredited)
Peg McClellan ... illustrator (uncredited)
James Passanante ... stand-by painter (uncredited)

Sound Department

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Lee Alexander ... sound recordist: second unit
Nick Alphin ... re-recording mixer
Ed Bannon ... foley recordist
Duke Brown ... sound apprentice
Neil Burrow ... sound editor
Joseph Geisinger ... cable person
Hector C. Gika ... sound assistant
Stephen Katz ... sound recordist: second unit
Greg Orloff ... foley recordist
Richard Portman ... supervising re-recording mixer
Rod Rogers ... sound assistant
David M. Ronne ... production sound mixer
Kay Rose ... supervising sound editor
Jerry Rosenthal ... sound editor
Joan Rowe ... foley artist
T.E. Sadler ... foley recordist (as Tim Sadler)
Victoria Rose Sampson ... sound editor
Jack Schrader ... sound editor
John B. Schuyler ... boom operator
Larry Singer ... adr editor
Stephanie D. Singer ... sound apprentice
Chester Slomka ... sound editor
Robert Thirlwell ... re-recording mixer
John Roesch ... foley artist (uncredited)

Special Effects by

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Guy Faria ... special effects
Thomas Love ... special effects
Stan Parks ... special effects supervisor
Ken Pepiot ... special effects supervisor
David Simmons ... special effects
Paul Stewart ... special effects

Visual Effects by

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Syd Dutton ... matte artist
Bill Taylor ... matte photographer

Stunts

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Rick Avery ... stunts
Clay Boss ... stunts
Jophery C. Brown ... stunts
Blair Burrows ... stunts
Mike De Luna ... stunts
Tom Elliott ... stunts
Richard Epper ... stunts
Harper Flaherty ... stunts
Alan Gibbs ... stunt coordinator / stunts
Will Harper ... stunts
Johnny Hock ... stunts
Paula Marie Moody ... stunts
Bennie Moore ... stunts
Mark Orrison ... stunts
Branscombe Richmond ... stunts
Mario Roberts ... stunts
Spike Silver ... stunts

Camera and Electrical Department

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Norman Ash ... electrician
William D. Barber ... assistant camera (as Bill Barber)
Michael Barrett ... electrician
John J. Connor ... additional photographer: second unit (as John Jennings Connor) / camera operator
Dick Deats ... key grip
Jessie Deats ... grip
Michael Gershman ... camera operator
Gregg Guellow ... best boy grip
Robert Heine ... assistant camera
Ray Kinzer ... key grip: second unit
Jack Kirk ... gaffer: second unit
Peter Kuttner ... assistant camera: second unit
J. Michael McClary ... assistant camera
Michael McGowan ... camera operator
Fred L. McLane ... assistant camera
Rexford L. Metz ... additional photographer: second unit
Tony Moran ... grip
Ken Nishino ... assistant camera
Randy Nolen ... steadicam operator
Brent Poe ... electrician
Steven Poster ... director of photography: second unit (as Steven B. Poster)
Dutch Presley ... best boy electric
Troy Rushing ... electrician
Hank Sheppherd ... grip
James M. Sheppherd ... dolly grip
Philip Sloane ... best boy electric (as Phil Sloane)
Stuart A. Spohn ... gaffer
Pat Thompson ... electrician
Joseph D. Urbanczyk ... cinematography intern: AFI
Ted Varnadoe ... best boy electric
D. Michael Wheeler ... assistant camera
Harry Wittis ... generator operator
Randy Woodside ... best boy electric
James Zenk ... still photographer
Allen Barnwell ... electrician (uncredited)
John J. Connor ... director of photography: second unit (uncredited)

Casting Department

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Barbara Harris ... voice casting
Jody Hummer ... extras casting
Barry Primus ... casting consultant
Shirley Fulton Crumley ... location casting (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department

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Darryl M. Athons ... costumer
Greg Hall ... costumer
Peni Mandel ... costumer
Hugo Peña ... costumer
Pamela Wise ... costumer

Location Management

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Earl McClintock ... location projectionist
Joe O'Har ... location manager
David C. Thomas ... location manager (as David Thomas)

Music Department

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Michael Boddicker ... musician: synthesizer (uncredited)
Thomas A. Carlson ... assistant music editor
Sandy De Crescent ... orchestra manager (as Sandy DeCrescent)
Warren Luening ... musician: trumpet solo
Herbert W. Spencer ... orchestrator
Tommy Tedesco ... musician: guitar solo
James Walker ... musician: flute solo
Dan Wallin ... music recording mixer
Kenneth Wannberg ... music editor
Israel Baker ... musician: violin (uncredited)
Tom Boyd ... musician: oboe soloist (uncredited)
Vince De Rosa ... musician: french horn (uncredited)
The Hollywood Studio Symphony ... music performed by (uncredited)
Tommy Johnson ... musician: tuba (uncredited)
Richard Nash ... musician: trombone (uncredited)
James Thatcher ... musician: french horn (uncredited)

Script and Continuity Department

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Betsy Norton ... script supervisor

Transportation Department

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Bob Cornell ... transportation co-captain
Chuck Hanson ... transportation coordinator
Jim Johnson ... transportation captain
Mike Robinson ... driver: star trailer (uncredited)

Additional Crew

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Julie Adams ... dialect coach
Bruce Bahrenburg ... unit publicist
Richard Dixon ... production accountant
Gary Gershaw ... production assistant
Susan Joy Harris ... assistant: Mr. Cortes
Mable Lawson-McCrary ... production assistant: second unit (as Mable Lawson McCrary)
Doralee Leon ... assistant: Mr. Lewis
Larry Little ... production assistant
Richard Meleckian ... agricultural consultant
Patty Mitchell ... production assistant
Zeljko Negovetic ... animal trainer
Trish Niehaus ... production secretary: Alabama
Barbara Pensiero ... production secretary: Tennessee
Marty Pessin ... assistant production accountant
Willie Radcliff ... craft service
Stephanie Saunders ... assistant: Mr. Rydell
Jeffrey White ... production assistant
Joan Wolpert ... production coordinator
Ron Bledsoe ... assistant animal trainer (uncredited)
Crew verified as complete

Production Companies

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Distributors

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Special Effects

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Other Companies

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Storyline

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Plot Summary

Tom and Mae Garvey are a hard working farming couple living with their two children on the east Tennessee farm owned by Tom's family for generations. They and many of their neighbors have hit hard times of late. A downturn in the economy has led to dwindling land prices. But the biggest problem of late has been that their crop land has been prone to flooding as the property is adjacent to a river. Manipulating the powers that be including a local senator and the local bank, Joe Wade, who also grew up in the area and now runs the local milling company that sets the local grain prices, is working behind the scenes to buy up the properties along the river for a song as he wants to build a dam which would flood the Garvey's and others riverfront properties. The dam would generate electricity, but more importantly for Joe it would provide irrigation opportunities for farm properties away from the river, such as his own. Tom already intensely dislikes Joe as he and Mae used to go together. Joe's behind-the-scenes manoeuvrings coupled with the continuation of these and many other farming problems makes it increasingly difficult for the Garveys to hold onto their farm, Tom who seems determined at any cost to stay on the land of his ancestors. Written by Huggo

Plot Keywords
Taglines He showed her his strength, his courage, his incredible will. She showed him her love. [Theatrical Australia] See more »
Genres
Parents Guide View content advisory »
Certification

Additional Details

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Also Known As
  • La rivière (France)
  • Menschen am Fluss (Germany)
  • Cuando el río crece (Spain)
  • Rijeka (Croatia)
  • O Rio do Desespero (Brazil)
  • See more »
Runtime
  • 124 min
Country
Language
Color
Aspect Ratio
Sound Mix
Filming Locations

Box Office

Budget $18,000,000 (estimated)

Did You Know?

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Trivia Mark Rydell has said of this film: "The River (1984) is a tribute to a vanishing America - - the America of the independent farm family. The Garvey family represents the lifestyle that made America work: continuity of generations, the passing on of traditions, and of knowledge and skills, from fathers to sons, from mothers to daughters - a way of life in which every member of the family is unique and necessary for the survival of all." See more »
Goofs Throughout the movie, the weather seems to go from hot to very cold. In the beginning scenes you see the Garveys out trying to shore up the levee on there land and you can see their breath. In another seen, Lewis is walking behind his fathers tractor (planting seeds and the tractor over heats scene) in what looks like a hot summer afternoon. Same with the scenes wear Tom goes to the steel mill for work and it's very cold out while back at the farm, Mrs Garvey is sweating on the tractor while spraying the corn. See more »
Movie Connections Featured in Teachers/Country/The Brother from Another Planet/Old Enough (1984). See more »
Soundtracks The Fireman See more »
Quotes Joe Wade: Sooner or later there's gonna be too much rain, or too much drought, or too much corn... I can wait.
See more »

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