Why did we all watch Deliverance?
Posted by TheGogglesDo-Nothing@reddit | Xennials | View on Reddit | 233 comments
It’s not like it’s a good movie. It doesn’t even have a plot as far as I can remember. It’s like this horrific cautionary tale about visiting a stereotype of the south.
11B_35P_35F@reddit
Im 43 and its on my list of movies ive never watched and probably never will. Titanic is there too. Now, I did watch Nightmare on Elm Street when I was 5, Cujo when ibwas 8 or 9, and a list of other movies not appropriate for kids. Horror and thriller movies bore me, though I did enjoy a Rob Zombie's Devil's Rejects.
pop5656@reddit
I watched it because it used to randomly play on TNT or TBS. One of those cable channels. Had no idea what I was getting myself into.
Allureme@reddit
Never seen it
HeywoodJaBlessMe@reddit
Personally I miss the America where city-folk were running the culture and making fun of hillbillies. Now it is hillbillies running the culture and making fun of city-folk.
justpassingby_thanks@reddit
I was formulating a response but you nailed it. The woods and wilderness are scary but tolerable and even enjoyable, but throw in the "hillbillies" and it becomes a horror story.
coreyclamp@reddit
Take any environment and throw in a 'poverty culture' and it becomes a horror story.
1block@reddit
I wish they'd give a shit about each other for a change rather than flipping the power dynamics every four years.
HeywoodJaBlessMe@reddit
Liberals care for the conservatives. It doesn't go the other way.
Toblogan@reddit
Most conservatives care too. If you only listen to the fighters, fighting words is all you'll hear. That goes both ways.
HeywoodJaBlessMe@reddit
I dont see it. Many of my friends think I am a conservative and there is a crazy difference in the way conservatives speak to each other compared to how liberals talk to each other.
Liberals are mad. Conservatives want to burn everything down. The brutal mass deportations were a good example.
Liberals didnt conspire to overturn the 2020 election. A Liberal President did not instruct the states to gerrymander. Conservatives want to end the democratic way of life in order to achieve total victory against "the enemy within."
GenevieveLeah@reddit
I see you’ve watched a Taylor Sheridan show.
HeywoodJaBlessMe@reddit
No idea who that is.
lost_horizons@reddit
Directed Yellowstone and associated shows, Siccario, Wind River, Hell or High Water, buncha stuff. Pretty good. I’ve only seen the films none of the tv.
HeywoodJaBlessMe@reddit
Thanks
GenevieveLeah@reddit
Keep it that way 🤪
HeywoodJaBlessMe@reddit
I heard the name on The Boys I think.
Slim_Margins1999@reddit
Anti-intellectualism is thriving. People are not only ignorant as shit, they are proud of their ignorance and unwillingness to learn/grow. We are so fucked
Apprehensive_Hat8986@reddit
Yup.
--Isaac Asimov
TastyDeerMeat@reddit
I think you saw a different movie. I saw disrespectful city folks who got what they asked for.
Muddy_Wafer@reddit
They ARE country folk… they all have country estates so therefore they’re country folk.
Duh.
zoominzacks@reddit
My hometown was 2,500 people when I was growing up. Last day of the school year kids used to drive tractors to school.
There are few things in this world I hate more than people who cosplay as rednecks.
Appropriate-Neck-585@reddit
🎯
Professional_Hall233@reddit
I do consider it a pretty good thriller/horror movie.
The character development is pretty solid, the acting is good. Cinematically I think it was filmed well. Soundtrack is pretty good.
It reminds me of a bit of like the original version of Last House on the Left.
purpleteenageghost@reddit
Agreed. Kind of surprised to only see one opinion like this.
Professional_Hall233@reddit
Interestingly, I’ve actually never heard anyone have an outright negative opinion of it.
chunwookie@reddit
The only people I've encountered who had a negative opinion were either people who hadn't actually watched it and only know that scene, or people who were too young to understand the deeper aspects of justice and morality the movie was going for.
TheGogglesDo-Nothing@reddit (OP)
I mean, I suspect I haven’t watched it since I was like 10. So I probably land solidly in the latter category. I still think it’s odd how we’ve all seen it. Would you show this to your age appropriate children as a “wow, you’re going to like this”? I have a hard enough time getting them to watch movies that I really like let alone disturbing ones line this.
coreyclamp@reddit
I had no problem exposing most films to my kids at an appropriate age. Apocalypse Now, Animal House, Porky's even...
We tried to treat our kids like adults as much as we could. I'm pleased with the results thus far.
AppalachianGuy87@reddit
Def heard a lot like a fuck ton of somewhat funny references which after actually watching the film really ain’t particularly funny. Actually found it scarier than I had imagined.
HikingTom51@reddit
It’s a really good movie. It just has that one scene . . .
OkTacoCat@reddit
Yep. 🐷
ce402@reddit
Burt Reynolds actually went down those rapids by himself and almost died. The director wanted to use a mannequin, but Reynolds insisted on doing the stunt.
When he woke up in the hospital, he asked how the shot turned out, he was told it looked like dummy going over a waterfall in a canoe.
And yeah, not an action movie. More thriller/horror film. I never saw it as city folk making fun of hillbillies. It was a modern man vs nature film, and how the suburban dads underestimated the power of nature.
lost_horizons@reddit
I literally thought they used a dummy for that shot, it looked so fake 😂
bloodpriestt@reddit
Yeah Deliverance is fucking awesome and still holds up
cheeze_skittles@reddit
Yeah this is a hot take maybe a little weird but really well done.
_MellowGold@reddit
As the son of a Lewis Medlock (Reynolds) type character from that era, and one with lots of family in Appalachia, I greatly enjoy the movie.
momlv@reddit
Agreed it was a good movie that I saw way too young which pretty much sums up a lot of 80s movies. Ratings then were wild
peloquindmidian@reddit
I should have read the comments before I posted.
Last House is close, but also kind of like Eden Lake
Either way.
There's two sides and neither one ends up in a good position. I don't know what that story structure is called.
smrt_raccoon@reddit
Agreed. And I'm from the "mountains" too.
JamesMattDillon@reddit
I agree
DarinCN@reddit
I still haven’t
FearlessStruggle2734@reddit
Nobody squeals quite like Ned Beatty!
crowislanddive@reddit
I didn’t have a choice. I was 8 and my dad rented it for family movie night.
lavasca@reddit
We fod *mot* all watch it. I was told it was all r@pe and r@cism. No thanks.
FartyLiverDisease@reddit
Bad.... bot?
lavasca@reddit
Seriously, though. I had parents who watched every movie before I was allowed to see it. That was the verdict.
Subsequently, those were the only things I ever heard about it until this thread. No one said there was anything interesting about it.
SadAcanthocephala521@reddit
But it is a good movie lol.
Status-Hovercraft784@reddit
The character arcs of Burt Reynolds and Jon Voight are interesting in how they crossover and the assumed alpha ends up totally scared and beaten down while the most cautious character ends up the bravest and most heroic. Mostly a movie about dudes in the 70s being dudes in the 70s.
Really though, we're all there to see what the "big" scene is all about. And it...well, it delivers, that's for sure.
OkTacoCat@reddit
A movie about dudes in the 70’s being dudes in the 70’s is such a perfect summation.
TheGogglesDo-Nothing@reddit (OP)
Yep. Those dueling banjos.
lost_horizons@reddit
I love your user name 😂
Status-Hovercraft784@reddit
LOL. Well, two big scenes!
edasto42@reddit
There’s a lot of hyperbole in this post. Yeesh.
Not everyone watched it. I know plenty that didn’t. And taste is subjective. Saying it’s bad, or even the softened ‘not good’ is dumb. Plenty of folks liked that movie, so much so that it was nominated for best picture, best director, and best editing at the Oscars, on top of golden globe nominations, and the soundtrack even won a Grammy. Plus it’s preserved in the national film registry. Such a bad film.
The film might not be your taste, which is fine. And I understand that the pacing and other style choices are of the time so it doesn’t always register with modern audiences.
Personally I think the message still resonates and would like to see a modern take. At its core it’s a movie about stripping away suburban security and decent into a primal struggle for survival. Plus the squeal like a pig scene directly attacks the heteronormativity that suburban life is catered to.
RoyDonkeyKong@reddit
I watched the beginning of it. Maybe half an hour? From my perspective, it was a very pleasant movie about some guys going on a camping trip together. Cozy vibes.
Toblogan@reddit
All I remember is the kid playing the guitar...
TheGogglesDo-Nothing@reddit (OP)
Nothing possibly could go wrong.
applyheat@reddit
To watch Ned Beatty having sex.
FidgitForgotHisL-P@reddit
Because it was a cultural touchstone? It was a genuinely huge movie, culturally. So of course everyone saw it when they got old enough to watch it”good” movies.
SnooEpiphanies2931@reddit
It’s a fantastic movie!! What on earth are you talking about? It has no less of a plot than evil dead or any other b-horror movie.
TheGogglesDo-Nothing@reddit (OP)
Ok, maybe my memory is failing me. I’m in the boat of ‘watched it too young’ so I probably missed the plot a little. Maybe the title should have been more along the lines of “why did why watch this as young kids?” Along with all the other horror movies we watched.
Kryptin206@reddit
Because we could and there wasn't really anyone to stop us. We had a ton of access to movies and television our parents didn't have at that age. Back in their day entertainment was highly sanitized and you didn't need to think about if something was ok for children to watch.
lankyleper@reddit
I love Evil Dead 2. "I'LL SWALLOW YOUR SOUL!"
terriblystupidjoke@reddit
The plot was to safely navigate the river without anyone having to squeal like a pig.
Plastic-Vermicelli60@reddit
It's sad the woodsman couldn't bring Ned to orgasm.
OffTopicMore@reddit
The author came and spoke to my Creative Writing class in high school, and yes I grew up in the south.
Sometimesunaware@reddit
I envy that experience, James Dickey in a high school class.
mizushimo@reddit
My boomer dad saw it in the theater, it was a very 70s kind of movie. I think it was one of those dark, edgy movies that our parents liked, like clockwork orange, apocalypse now and doctor strange love. The violence and sadism in it was shocking and somewhat novel at the time, but nowadays...not so much.
HontoRenata@reddit
The author of Deliverance, James Dickey, was the US poet laureate
Sometimesunaware@reddit
Wrote only two novels, Deliverance and To The White Sea, about a B29 bomber crew member who survives being shot down over Tokyo during the WWII firebombing. It's a great read, it was going to be made into a movie with Brad Pitt back in the 90's but it never got done.
lost_horizons@reddit
To The White Sea is an EXCEPTIONAL book that I highly recommend.
KASega@reddit
The book is just as great as the movie!!
bloviatemalarkey@reddit
Awesome! I just bought the book last weekend and plan to read it this summer.
xyzaeb@reddit
He also plays the sheriff in the last part of the movie.
General-Carob-6087@reddit
I love Deliverance.
Notchersfireroad@reddit
Other than "that part" I think it's a fantastic movie. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
WatchStoredInAss@reddit
Huh? It's a classic!
RealityOk9823@reddit
BTW, the folks that live on that river HATE the movie because, well, it doesn't exactly paint them in a good light.
Izalii@reddit
So, I watched it for the first time a few years ago because it was on those “best film lists”. Somehow I had no idea what it was about before watching and missed any commentary about it growing up. It was NOT what I expected lol!! R*pe scene aside, I do think it was an interesting movie and it definitely stayed with me for awhile afterwards.
Occams_AK47@reddit
Our parents.
They are the ones who recorded it off of HBO and put it on the same tape as Space Camp or something.
HeyBlinkinAbeLincoln@reddit
I haven’t thought about the “squeeze two movies on one 4-hour tape” in decades!
Occams_AK47@reddit
My parents went for the lowest quality, allowing 3 movies per tape. I saw quite a few movies that weren't age appropriate because of it.
TheGogglesDo-Nothing@reddit (OP)
This sounds oddly specific.
Cael_NaMaor@reddit
It was on...
Atillion@reddit
What's crazy is I'm from the Appalachians and I've never seen it. I'm also a banjo player 🤣
ShartFlex@reddit
Is this you
https://i.redd.it/w645goui1x1h1.gif
Kellzy1212@reddit
Atillion@reddit
When I was a youngin 😞
wyc1inc@reddit
You didn't see it because you were in it!
I_AM_DEATH-INCARNATE@reddit
I AM THE DELIVERANCE
Kellzy1212@reddit
I prefer the Tiny Toons remake,”How i spent my Summer vacation “
Scherzkeks@reddit
I know why o watched it: to be in on all the „squeal like a pig“ and filing banjos references
RealityOk9823@reddit
So we would all know to run like hell if we hear dueling banjos while in the middle of nowhere. 😃
TheGogglesDo-Nothing@reddit (OP)
Solid life lesson. Probably the most common takeaway b
JamesMattDillon@reddit
So you don't look like it, no one else must either? I actually enjoy the movie and watch it once a year
TheGogglesDo-Nothing@reddit (OP)
I’m not saying it’s a bad movie. I’m saying it has reached a surprisingly wide audience for the type of movie that it is.
supergooduser@reddit
It's honestly not a terrible action movie given the era. Just kind of a modern take on dangerous game where some friends go on a hunting trip and are hunted by backwoods locals.
The Ned Beatty being assaulted scene is pretty brief and mostly what it's known for now.
VicFantastic@reddit
But.....uh.....tats not what happens in the movie though. Like not at all
They were never being hunted. They thought so, but that was just extreme paranoia.
The movie is basically them trying to cover up multiple murders
VanEck@reddit
But... uh....that's exactly what happens in the movie? The man who flees the scene of the assault ends up sniping one of them out of the boat on the rapids. Ed's character then has to free climb and finds the sniper at the top trying to hunt the rest of them. How is that not being hunted, like at all?
VicFantastic@reddit
He wasn't sniped. I just rewatched the scene to verify too. He has a little nervouse break, shakes his head, and just dives into the water himself (more intentionally falls off the boat)
Burt's character is super paranoid so just immediatly assumes he was shot and convinces the others too
Then they sneak up and kill a random hunter because they are just so super convinced someone is out to hunt them.
The sheriff later mentions his brother went out hunting and is missing at the end, so maybe my interpretation was wrong but I assume that was the same guy. Why else say anything?
VanEck@reddit
He has a panic attack so he just decides to drown himself? That doesn't make any sense. Burt's character isn't paranoid, he's just the only one seasoned enough to recognize what just happened and explains to everyone that he got shot and that they are in danger from above.
The hunter isn't random, it's literally the same guy who fleed the scene of the sexual assault after his rapist buddy got an arrow to the chest.
The sheriff mentions his brother is missing because he suspects foul play and wants to see how they react because the sheriff is likely corrupt and has helped his brother cover up things in the past.
VicFantastic@reddit
What do you want me to say? Lanic attacks fon't make sense.
I litterally just watched fhe clip on youtube
Dude has a weird look on his face. There's some talk (really panic shouting) about how they should stop. Burt waves them forward.
Then dude just looks at the other guy for a second and dives off the boat
This confusion causes the canoes to wreck and Burt breaks his leg
There's never a shot. No sound at all. No woumd. No blood
And you for sure don't secret silently snipe with a double barrel shotgun.
VanEck@reddit
They have a double barrel shotgun during the sexual assault scene. Later when he is on the mountain, he is carrying a Winchester lever action rifle. As he dies, you get a better view of it as he shoots at Ed and tries to use the lever to re-chamber a round.
We have no clue what range he sniped at them from when they were on the boat, and the roar of the rapids would definitely mask the sound to some degree. On top of that, I think it was a directorial choice to not have a very obvious gunshot sound for a couple reasons... it's to keep the audience wondering just what the hell happened, and also to get across the point that they were essentially sitting ducks busy arguing and not paying attention that were in danger and getting shot at from above.
Also yes, panic attacks are strange. I have panic disorder, so am quite aware. But it's never made me want drown myself... quite the opposite. I'd probably be clinging for dear life in that boat, and hyperventilating.
bloviatemalarkey@reddit
It was more homicide than murder. And the inside book jacket of the novel says “men stalk and are stalked by other men” which sounds a bit like them being hunted.
VicFantastic@reddit
They think they are being hunted the 2nd half if the movie. Its just major paranoia though
I've never read the book
KatuahCareAVan@reddit
The more striking thing for me when I watched it for the first time is I suddenly learned the source of a couple jokes in the extended "Tiny Toon Adventures" episode where they all went on summer vacation. Buster gets in a dueling banjo jam with that possum and the scene with the possum on the swinging bridge over the river are references to 'Deliverance.'
I only watched it once. I found the hauling the church out of the flooded cemetery to be a bit more spooky than "the scene."
It was not a bad movie, but it's not a film I've had any motivation to watch again though I still support the tradition that all 70's movie's fans need to watch it at least once to appreciate the era where the line between action and acting was getting thinner and thinner trying to get more realistic performances. Taxi Driver, Apocalypse Now and Sorcerer are also films in this genre of nearly murdering actors to get more realistic emotions on film.
whistleridge@reddit
It’s a decent summer action/horror movie, that had a HUGE twist when it came out. But it so shocked the public conscience that the twist has become the entire identity of the movie
Turbografx-17@reddit
Twist?
whistleridge@reddit
When the film came out, the whole “guys get raped by other guys” thing was a twist. It started out as an adventure/survival movie, maybe a “friends get stranded in the wilderness” sort of thing, but it turned into a hoooooooooly shit moment that took EVERYone by surprise.
Turbografx-17@reddit
Oh. I guess I don't really see that as a twist. Just kind of a shocking thing that happens.
A twist would be like, it turns out that Burt Reynolds is actually an alien and he organized the trip to study how humans react to adversity or something like that. lol
whistleridge@reddit
It was a twist on a level of "I see dead people" in its day. But it's not a twist now.
HeyBlinkinAbeLincoln@reddit
Exactly. There’s a reason things become cliche - because at one stage they were so groundbreaking or popular they became the thing to emulate or reference.
FionaGoodeEnough@reddit
I haven’t actually seen it, but I understand that it is pretty well-regarded.
jynxthechicken@reddit
I've never seen it
SlayerAlexxx@reddit
Yep. Seems like everyone else did though. Always doing the banjo sound, or squeal piggy. I think I got the just of it. Dosnt seem like something I’d be into.
VicFantastic@reddit
Honestly, I don't think anybody has seen it based on some of the story descriptions in the thread
All anybody knows is theres a banjo scene (right at the begining) and a rape scene (like 1/3 of the way in)
TheGogglesDo-Nothing@reddit (OP)
Funny you say that. I think I was so young that I really missed a lot. Not that I’m going to try again. What I’ve learned today is that a lot of people really liked it. Apparently it hit a tipping point and was just one of those things most everyone watched.
Pinkkorn69@reddit
Same.
MartyFreeze@reddit
Same, all my knowledge was through cultural osmosis and perhaps looking at Wikipedia out of curiosity.
Ianthin1@reddit
I’ve only seen bits. Just not interested.
jynxthechicken@reddit
Same. I've seen scenes and it turned me off to the whole thing. I did start watch Oz at 9 though and that probably messed me up a bit,
lavasca@reddit
My Godbrothrr, now a forensic psychiatrist once said,” Oz will fk ur sht up!”
jynxthechicken@reddit
Oh yeah it's a representation of the worst parts of prison. Just about everyone in it is evil. Like the real kind. The worst part is a lot of them went on to act in other things. Detective Stabler from SVU bit off someone's member. The nationwide spokesman was a white supremacist. It's a wild show
karenobus@reddit
Same. I honestly don't even know the plot, just the banjo part
SlackerDS5@reddit
Never seen it, but I’ve quoted it so many times. It was basically a meme to me as a kid.
sevalle13@reddit
Same, also never seen it
ifnotnowlater@reddit
Ditto
Old-Tea1980@reddit
Same
jolly_rodger42@reddit
Dueling Banjos
carryon4threedays@reddit
Jeff Foxworthy mentioned it in standup and I wanted to understand the joke.
rantingpacifist@reddit
I was forced to by my high school Econ teacher who wanted us to all write essays on it. We tried so hard to tie it to economics and all got C’s because we “missed the point”.
The point, she said, was “they raped the men”.
She was awful
throwawayfromPA1701@reddit
I've never made it past....that scene. And you know which one I'm talking about.
darksideofmypoon@reddit
That scene is why I appreciate the movie. People are so desensitized to it when it’s a women, but god forbid it happen to a man.
Also, Burt Reynolds.
NextBestKev@reddit
I’m honestly struggling to think of a similar scene with a woman that wasn’t taken as seriously. I feel like every rape in a film makes it a “rape movie” with all the baggage, regardless of gender. But maybe I’m missing something.
darksideofmypoon@reddit
All you have to say is “deliverance” and men everywhere are clenching their butts. I just like that they’re actually confronted with it in a film for once. I don’t think people equate men raping women as the same as men raping men and I want people to know - YES it is as bad as that.
Sum1Xam@reddit
Yet people remarkably don't seem to have I problem with the similar scene in Pulp Fiction. I've found that rather puzzling.
throwawayfromPA1701@reddit
Pulp Fiction presents that rape scene as comedy. Deliverance is straight forward.
It's as gross as it sounds but that's the best way I can theorize it.
Bird_Herder@reddit
I watched it out of morbid curiosity, like The Human Centipede.
tenthousandtatas@reddit
Same and also same for requiem for a dream. Butt stuff or rumors of butt stuff and not the fun kind either
Bird_Herder@reddit
I watched Requiem after seeing a comment under a picture of two UPS trucks backed up to each other.
Fallsfrostdew@reddit
It is a fantastic movie, why would you say it isnt good?
Also I am pretty sure that murder rapists are not a southern stereotype its just a horror/thriller trope because those people actually exist in the real world and frankly its scary.
NW_Forester@reddit
What sketch comedy show had a bit about a character that "was into movies" and showed this by repeatedly watching that scene from Deliverance?
I thought it was a Kids in the Hall sketch with Dave Foley as the movie pervert with maybe Kevin McDonald reacting to Dave, and Kevin is possibly in drag?
But I can't find any reference to this sketch or something similar.
washburncincy@reddit
I'm with you. Watched this as an adult because it was one I always heard referenced but had never seen.
I remember hating it and coming away thinking, "Wow! This guy really hates 'hillbillies'!"
TorrEEG@reddit
I didn't see it. I was busy Kung Fu Fighting
Darkwing873@reddit
I like the movie, despite its flaws. Deliverance was about the clash of cultures between "modern man" and "salt of the earth", as the modern world slowly crept and took over the rural. They were canoeing the river because it was the last time they could before a reservoir covered the area up. Movie should probably be remade now that we are in the thick of things like water rights and rural data centers popping up literally everywhere.
LineImpossible3958@reddit
Deliverance is a influential classic thriller with some iconic scenes and a great cast
Glum_Mud_4693@reddit
Morbid curiosity
Fair_Blood3176@reddit
Never seen it.
mtbguy1981@reddit
I think it was a pretty seminal movie for a lot of our parents. I feel like we weren't allowed to watch it until we got older.
frail_bejeweled@reddit
Pops saw it was coming on HBO, said watch this, it is a pretty exciting movie, then laughed his head off when I was going what the fuck is happening to that dude?!? Good times in the 80's
Spear_Ritual@reddit
You got a purty mouth.
Euphoric-Pangolin-81@reddit
I had to read the book for school. There was no serious Internet to help me, so I went to blockbuster and watched the movie instead. Did a whole book report sophomore year, just based on the movie since I didn't read.
Ok_Researcher_9796@reddit
I haven't although I know enough about to understand the references.
Illustrious-Lead-960@reddit
It has a plot and it’s a very good movie. And I only watched it as an adult myself.
Just-Lettuce2493@reddit
That was one movie I actually never saw
absentlyric@reddit
It was definitely made during the era where most movies portrayed the south as some sort of terrible evil place with terrible small town sheriffs, good ole boys randomly shooting bikers like Easy Rider, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Town That Dreaded Sundown, etc.
Growing up on those movies made me scared as hell to go south past the Mason Dixon line when I traveled, but now, Im glad I did, some of the nicest people I've met are from the deep south.
pina_koala@reddit
The movie with 2 scenes seared into memory forever? That one?
small___potatoes@reddit
Love that movie, also love Deer Hunter which is another one with mixed opinions.
cbih@reddit
It was before the internet and we had to see what everybody was talking about
DooficusIdjit@reddit
It’s a horror movie, and it’s a pretty decent one.
ChiefSampson@reddit
You gots a purrty mouth.
raikougal@reddit
I didn't but one of my aunts tried out for an extra role in it. They told her she was really good but didn't give her a callback. 🤷♀️ Oh well.
gimmeslack12@reddit
I've never seen it, never wanted to. And now... I definitely don't need to see it.
DrEvertonPepper@reddit
You are kinda right. The one flaw it has is pretty big but I don’t think it necessarily was at the time it was made. And you’re right it’s the stereotyping of the hillbilly. They didn’t take anytime to let you know these were actually bad hillbillies and not the good hillbillies. And the other half of the flaw being no legit motivation for their actions. But again if rewatch movies like Dirty Harry you’ll see that explaining these things about people were not important - you just accept them as their given to you. But once the mood was set and the chase was on the movie still holds pretty well.
farfrompukenjc@reddit
The part when Burt Reynolds returns with the bow and arrows I jumped from my seat and cheered!!
unclestink@reddit
This is a terrible take
Paper_Street_Soap@reddit
About ten years ago I stayed in the same hotel room as Burt Reynolds, at the Clayton Inn, GA. Place was a dump and has since been razed and rebuilt. And the banjo kid was working at the local Walmart. Clayton is an awesome little mountain town.
Bobcatluv@reddit
My high school had overnight band camp at a cabin in the woods and people kept making Deliverance jokes. I basically watched it “for the memes” before that was even a thing
midnight-dour@reddit
Because I’d never seen it before and the library had the DVD (or VHS. Been so long, I can’t even remember what format.)
mnbvcxz9753@reddit
I feel like it was referenced by pop culture there for a bit. Can’t think of any references though. I rented the VHS so that I could understand the references.
or maybe I just had friends who quoted it: “squeal like a pig”.
Jerkrollatex@reddit
It was on TV and we only had four channels.
AshDogBucket@reddit
The version on tv was even more boring than the full version!
PhysicsStock2247@reddit
This is the correct answer. Also because parents usually had final say on what played on those 4 channels. If dad wanted to watch Deliverance then that’s what we’re watching.
Past-Conversation303@reddit
Even if he rested his eyes for half of these programs.
vikinglars@reddit
I call it a long blink.
Past-Conversation303@reddit
😂
My dad would yell about how he was "resting his eyes" even if he was snoring if we dared to touch the TV. I'm the mom, now. Dad was right, 40 minutes in front of an old movie hits differently.
vikinglars@reddit
Yeah, I can start drifting off and hear myself snoring, so without opening my eyes, I'll know if the show is being changed.
taleofbenji@reddit
Did he like pigs?
YEMBOTT@reddit
Dueling banjos is how it was sold to me... It ended with some pig stuff.
Burt Reynolds had an awesome like totally sweet scuba VEST.
edwardturnerlives@reddit
A lot of the stuff we grew up on was what our parents listened to and watched in the 60s and 70s.
Comfortable-nerve78@reddit
Movie taught us about purdy mouths. Only took once or twice that stuck in my mind. From there out as a kid I expect everyone from the south to be absolute hillbilly’s. Also taught me to be cautious in the woods. lol I learned some shit from that movie. Classic Guy movie.
dusktreader@reddit
It's considered a great movie. 90% on rottentomatoes, 80 on metacritic.
Acting is great, character args are amazing, writing is good, cinematography is great, soundtrack is great.
I think people really miss the point of this movie. It's not strictly a horror movie. It's definitely not an action movie.
It's a thriller that examines the relationship of modern civilized culture to the untamed wild. It puts arch types of modern American men out of place in an environment that shocks them with its violence and indifference.
BitterestLily@reddit
I haven't seen it...
ShawnM_45@reddit
I always thought it was an old stereotype when I first saw it. Then I played HS football in Tennessee and we had to play a playoff game in a small town in the mountains. As we were warming up we looked in the stands and realized there were quite a few fans who looked like they were from the cast of Deliverance.
Database_Informal@reddit
I thought it was good. On the other hand, I thought Texas Chainsaw Massacre was a comedy.
Future-Raisin3781@reddit
Deliverance is a good movie, and it's based on a good novel written by a very good writer. And it has some really good actors in it giving good performances.
That's a short list of reasons why I occasionally watch Deliverance.
Fngrbngr79@reddit
What’s this we stuff
analogthought@reddit
Because Ted Turner had it on rotation for the Saturday afternoon movie on TBS.
JellyfishFestival@reddit
I think we should re-popularize it since the Deliverance-type people keep talking trash about cities but are getting very little back in return.
I grew up on a dirt road in Deliverance country and despise much of what rural America is.
TestDZnutz@reddit
Mandatory future taxpayer training video.
Due-Reflection-1835@reddit
My class didn't just watch the movie, we also read the actual book. Guess that's what I get for being in honors English. There was one kid that wasn't allowed to watch it because of his parents religion and he never lived it down. All these books they're trying to remove from schools and libraries, doesn't that just make the kids want to read them more? What feels like a punishment when it's assigned is way different when it's forbidden. Then again, it seems like kids don't really read books too much anymore. It's sad
rob132@reddit
Because banjos are cool!
Qxface@reddit
I like that it’s well-written. I mean it’s a very famous scene and it’s famous because of its writing.
The film is about a journey of self-discovery through the wilderness. The writing in that is just extraordinary. And the actors are breathing life into great writing.
The anal sex is pretty incidental.
Please feel free to call me if you should ever learn anything at all about film. You might want to read Kenneth Turlong’s Film Semiotics or Dale Stieb’s “Ass Masters of the Silver Screen.”
(Some of us only know Deliverance from Kids in the Hall.)
Rurumo666@reddit
I thought it was a documentary about typical life in the South.
greendocklight@reddit
I dunno, people knowing about and/or committing atrocities together seems more relevant than ever to me.
derfzinkerbelle@reddit
I think its a pretty good movie, not stellar, but its not bad at all. The plot was to ride the river before they dammed it up, but I know why you figure it was plot-less after *that* scene.
Side note: the Revolting Cocks use a sample of *that* scene as the beginning of their seminal 1990 track Beers, Steers, and Queers and its the main reason I personally watched it.
TonyNoPants@reddit
I think that movie is amazing, rich and full of depth. And I would pushback against the use of the word stereotype as every hillbilly in that movie was the real thing. They were not actors.
BoyznGirlznBabes@reddit
Burt MFin Reynolds
JonnyQuest1981@reddit
He was a goddamn badass in that movie and rocked that vest IIRC.
Erika_Blumenkraft@reddit
Yeah, it was sun's out guns out.
JonnyQuest1981@reddit
Wasn't it black leather/wet suit material? I remember thinking, "The audacity of this guy to wear a black vest like that!" and then thinking the complete opposite by the end of the movie.
Erika_Blumenkraft@reddit
I do believe it was wetsuit neoprene, with like, jeans. It's a bold choice, but if anyone was pulling it off it was '70s Burt.
AotKT@reddit
I didn't see it till I was an adult and I'd already started whitewater kayaking. They filmed the whitewater scenes on the Chattooga River. I keep missing my chance to go paddle it as it's a natural flow river (as opposed to most whitewater rivers in the region, which are dam controlled) and the only times it seems to be in play is when it's either too cold for me or I have plans that day already.
Miiirx@reddit
I was hinted to watch it as it was a first of it's kind movie. I still remember it, so it means it had an impact. I was chocked when I heard that the "Squeel like a pig" line in Deftones came from the movie?
sleepy_potatoe_@reddit
I saw it when I was 9 or 10. I was visiting my aunt and uncle. My uncle said it was a great movie and I watched it. It was not a great movie in my young opinion. Haven’t seen it since.
HechicerosOrb@reddit
It’s a really good movie, L take
TrustAffectionate966@reddit
John Boorman directed it. It is an excellent film.
herseyhawkins33@reddit
I steered clear of deliverance and deer hunter and have no plans on changing that.
Tabord@reddit
To understand why so many people used it as a joke reference.
M_J_E@reddit
I just like banjos.
Serenemattie@reddit
So we could watch Zardoz as a follow-on.
MissIndependent577@reddit
I watched it in my 11th grade English Class. Not sure we had a choice to not watch.
sanityjanity@reddit
I didn't want to. Someone else was watching it, and I didn't have anywhere else to go.
BasvanS@reddit
We did?
peloquindmidian@reddit
I can't understand why it's not considered horror.
It's essentially a grind house movie with a budget.
Godawgs1009@reddit
It's a great film, duh.
kates_graduation@reddit
I’ve never seen it but read the synopsis eventually out of curiosity
DinglesBerry3@reddit
I have never seen it!
bmfward@reddit
it was just a slight bit before our Xellenial time, like original Star Wars, just barely.
AppliedCarbon@reddit
It's a great movie what are you talking about?
writersontop@reddit
Burt Reynolds was the biggest movie star of the late 70s / early 80s. Hope this helps.
writeamemojack@reddit
Tried it. Thought it sucked.
Easy Rider was waaaaaaaaaay better and hit waaaaaaaaaaaaaay harder.
darksideofmypoon@reddit
Because Tom Burt Reynolds is in it?
I remember liking it but it’s been awhile. I also really enjoyed how >! They finally depicted dudes getting raped, like it’s so common to show this about women people are so desensitized to it, but now it’s a guy and people I finally realize what a big fucking deal it is, women see this shit all the time in movies, so yes I liked THAT scene, sorry<!
Kahnza@reddit
I only watch for the banjo duel
FoxExpensive9319@reddit
i watched it with my father ,he thought it was a nice Adventuremovie like indiana Jones 3
sed2017@reddit
I watched it for the first time when I was recouping from pneumonia all hopped up on medicine… even now that movie seems like a fever dream to me.
86themayo@reddit
It's a pretty great movie.
wyc1inc@reddit
So I have this bad habit where if I am on the fence about watching a famous movie, I read the plot on Wiki. I genuinely don't mind spoiling things. Ironically if the story sounds good and/or something I'd be interested in, I then take the 2 hours to watch the movie. If not, well it feels like I "read" the movie so I'm good. Deliverance was in the latter category, reading the plot was enough for me.
vasectomy7@reddit
"Where you goin' city boy!?"
RoyalPuzzleheaded259@reddit
I’ve seen it once. I was well into my late 20s and had a head full of MDMA. The movie itself is actually pretty good. I don’t recommend mind altering substances if you’re going in blind.
Independent_Tea_661@reddit
I watched it once just to say I've seen it. Definitely a 1 and done movie for ne.
StillhasaWiiU@reddit
Because I watch all the movies.
1jsheyej@reddit
Only ever seen the dueling banjos on YT
Reasonable-Wave8093@reddit
i never did! but i remember all the 80s jokes