The River is a 1984 American Southern Gothic drama film directed by Mark Rydell and written by Robert Dillon and Julian Barry, who based the screenplay on actual stories of East Tennessee farmers who lost their crops due to damage caused by bad weather, and having to reluctantly work industrial jobs as strikebreakers in nearby cities to avoid foreclosure on their farmland. Starring Sissy Spacek, Mel Gibson (in his American film debut), and Scott Glenn, the film is set in the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians countryside of East Tennessee where farm couple Tom and Mae Garvey, played by Gibson and Spacek, and their children struggle to operate their multi-generational family farm along the banks of a river prone to flooding destroying their crops, and a increasingly dire financial situation due to loan rejections and a risk of foreclosure. Their financial situation prompts Gibson's character to find work at a steel mill, unknowingly as a strikebreaker, leading to confrontations with striking millworkers. After surveying a flood event, land developer Joe Wade, played by Glenn, aggressively seeks to acquire farmland, including the Garvey farm, for a massive dam-based economic development project he is spearheading. Filming took place from September to December 1983 primarily in East Tennessee on farmland in Hawkins County along the banks of the Holston River for the Garvey farm, with additional scenes shot in Jonesborough for the farm auction scenes, Gate City, Virginia and Kingsport, Tennessee for the scenes depicting the small towns near the Garvey farm, and in Birmingham, Alabama for industrial scenes depicting the steel mill where Tom Garvey finds work. Considered by Rydell to be a tribute to the vanishing American family farm, The River was the last of a trio of "farm films" released by Hollywood in 1984, with the others being Country and Places in the Heart. It was theatrically released on December 19, 1984, by Universal Pictures. It was a box office failure, grossing only $11.5 million against a $18 million budget. The film received mixed reviews with critics praising Spacek and Glenn's performances, the realist nature towards the topic of the decline of American family farming, the musical score by composer John Williams, and the cinematography by Vilmos Zsigmond, but criticizing the screenplay, execution, and Gibson's performance. The film received four nominations at the 57th Academy Awards; Best Actress (for Spacek), Best Original Score, Best Sound, Best Cinematography, and won the Special Achievement Award.
Plot
Tom and Mae Garvey are a hard-working 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. A downturn in the economy has led to dwindling land prices. Their biggest problem has been that their crop land has been prone to flooding as the property is adjacent to a river. Manipulating the powers that be include local senator Neiswinder and the local bank. Joe Wade, who grew up in the area and runs the milling company that sets the local grain prices, is secretly working to buy the properties along the river so he can build a dam that would generate electricity and provide irrigation opportunities for farm properties away from the river, such as his own. Wade's maneuverings coupled with many other farming problems make it increasingly difficult for Tom and Mae to hold on to the land. Tom begins work at a steel factory in order to prevent foreclosure on his farm, only finding out he's a strikebreaker as they're crossing the picket lines. Work in the mill is incredibly hard, the conditions are tough and pay is meager. The rest of the Garvey family is left alone while Tom is away working. Mae is involved in an accident on the farm where she loses a lot of blood and almost her arm. Some time later, Tom invites his family to visit him in the city where he and Mae compare how things are going in their daily lives. The strike ends, but as part of the returning workers' deal, the strike breakers must walk out of the factory without the protection they had when entering. Instead of an all-out fight, the workers and scabs observe one another, recognizing each other's desperation before the workers begin shaming the scabs. Tom returns to the farm and is pleased with the crops, but Wade has Tom's corn inspected. He offers less than what the crop cost Tom to plant, which leads to a confrontation where Wade reveals his plans for a hydroelectric dam and the redevelopment of Tom's land. Tom returns to the farm where his machinery is failing and another flood threatens the farm. An exhausted Mae confronts Tom over his stubbornness, as he is fighting a losing battle with Wade and the river. The farming community bands together to build a levee, providing some relief. Wade arrives with a truck full of bankrupt farmers intent on dismantling the levee for cash. Wade offers the farmers on Tom's side a bonus if they sabotage the levee. Tom pleads with both sides, many of whom were in his shoes but lost their farms. However, the levee is breached and the floodwaters flow in. Despite all of this, Tom begins picking up sandbags to repair the levee alone. Inspired by his dedication, his family and the onlookers help him repair the levee. Wade realizes he's lost the battle and admires Tom's determination but points out that sooner or later nature will upend the farm and Wade will be waiting. The Garvey family has a successful harvest.
Cast
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