The River (1938 film)

The River (1938 film)
This film has been preserved in the National Film Registry in 1990.
Genre: Documentary Directed by: Pare Lorentz Written by: Pare Lorentz Photography: Black-and-white Cinematography: Floyd Crosby Willard Van Dyke Stacy Woodard Distributed by: Farm Security Administration Release date: February 4, 1938 Country: United States Language: English

The River is a 1938 short documentary film which shows the importance of the Mississippi River to the United States, and how farming and timber practices had caused topsoil to be swept down the river and into the Gulf of Mexico, leading to catastrophic floods and impoverishing farmers. It ends by briefly describing how the Tennessee Valley Authority project was beginning to reverse these problems.

It was written and directed by Pare Lorentz.

Why It Rocks

1. After the success of The Plow That Broke the Plains, Pare Lorentz wanted to look at a subject as equally pressing and nonideological as the Dust Bowl, one the government wouldn’t mind sponsoring. He was inspired to do a film about the Mississippi River Valley, from the Mississippi River Valley Committee Report.
2. For the musical score, loud, direct music was written for the flood material, kept simple so it wouldn’t detract from the powerful images.
3. The director somehow manages to incorporate the Civil War into the history of the river without offending Northern or Southern sensibilities, and incorporate the flood footage without drawing attention away from the other problems he wanted to cover. He saw this type of format as a chance to provide commentary rather than report it like in newsreels.
4. The problem of water runoff in highlands became the theme of the movie. In short, the film showed how the Mississippi was fed by tributaries, how man ruined the valley with agriculture and industry-with cotton, the Civil War, lumber, and steel, and how resulting floods threatened to displace the population. The close relationship of water, land, and people needed a savior: In this case, the Tennessee Valley Authority.
5. This documentary is more self-conscious than Lorentz’s previous documentary. The voice-over appears to be channeling Ernest Hemingway and John Grierson, with narrator Thomas Chalmers repeating catchphrases and lists of trees, rivers, cities, states, and the like. Similarly, the photography was studied, with angular compositions that seemed more European than American.

Bad Qualities

1. The content can be a bit repetitive at times.

The Film

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External Link

• The River at the Internet Movie Database