Deliverance (1972)
Directed by John Boorman
Starring Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, Ronny Cox
Not sure if this strictly qualifies as a ‘cult film’ as it was nominated for several Academy Awards, but it is most certainly horrific (anal rape by an inbred mountain man anyone?) and definitely one of the more polarising films to come out of 70’s Hollywood.
But aside from all that, the years have been very kind to this piece, and the themes of conservation and mans propensity for violence seem just as relevant today.
John Boorman’s sumptuous direction takes the viewer into the very heart of Georgia mountain country and you can almost hear the illegal moonshine stills bubbling in the backwoods.
A sly quietness lingers in the early scenes, adding to the tension that something disastrous is about to happen, as four well-to-do friends escape the daily grind for some fishing and camping.
Essentially a muscular ‘rites of passage’ piece set in the menacingly beautiful landscape, Deliverance sees four city slickers head to the hills in search of a soon to be dammed river and escape from their high-powered jobs in the big smoke.
A not so subtle environmental message underlies the piece and a wonder for the landscape is filtered through Boorman’s exquisite photography, reflecting similar themes he explored in The Emerald Forest and Excalibur.
At first its not even like these guys are on holidays, they have all the comforts of home with them, but then events strip them of their sense of control and, eventually, their civilised notions of right and wrong.
The infamous ‘squeal like a pig’ scene arrives like a sledgehammer and the movie takes on a decidedly darker tone as the four men must negotiate the increasingly treacherous rapids and the fact that some vengeful woodsmen are hunting them.
Deliverance is a devastating film that explores how far people will go to ensure their own survival - and the brutality that is arguably needed to do it.
Oh yeah, and you will definitely think twice about camping in remote rural areas after watching this.