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Show The Park Record D Section B Thursday, November 12, 1992 H Page B3 Robert Redford keeps yawns out of fishing for non-anglers by RICK BROUGH Record guest writer A River Runs Through It iti Robert Redford's film is an easy-going episodic tale that seems to amble along as you're watching itbut it can haunt you for days afterward. It's a fine revival of that neglected genre, the Americana film. And if you don't believe any of that, let's just say it's a "movie about fly fishing" that would captivate even those who yawn at the sight of a rod and reel. The movie is based on Norman MacLean's memoir of his youth in Montana in the early 1910s and 20s. He and brother Paul grow up as sons of a Presbyterian minister who sees an inseparable link between religion and fishing. In young Norman's theology, Christ's apostles were not only fishermen but fly fishermen, and the best among them were dry-fly fishermen. "All good things-trout things-trout as well as eternal salvation-come salvation-come by grace and grace comes by art, and art does not come easily," he recalls. For their father, discipline and precision means teaching his boys to cast to the beat of a metronome; and Scotch economy is showing them how to write a crisp, short paragraph. (This serves them well later, as Norman becomes a literature professor and writer and Paul goes to work as a reporter.) Much of the film is about the bond between the two brothers, which sustains itself even as they take divergent paths. Norman (Craig Shcffer) is more the "good boy", but he's also the one who goes out into the world. He goes to college out of state, meets a girl back home (Emily Lloyd) and ultimately finds his first job at a Chicago university (Sheffer plays the part with a nice self awareness, as if he's storing up impressions that the older Norman will write about). Paul (Brad Pitt) is the family's black sheep, its renegade. But he is also the family's best fisherman and its most individualistic. (Early on, Paul breaks away from the metronome and finds his own casting rhythm.) When Paul says he'll never leave Montana, that is both good and bad news, because it means he feels a sense of belonging, not just with the family's revered river, but with Montana's hookers, gamblers, thugs and speakeasies. (The state is slow to shrug off its wild and wooly past, even with the Twentieth Century growing up around it.) This is not merely Redford's fuzzy-wuzzy elegy to wilderness. While he often shows us the bright and sparkling Big Blackfootthe river that runs through the movie-he movie-he also comes up with a dark counterpart. It's the Lo-Lo Hot Springs, the gambling den where Paul retreats in the late hours. It's seen once-but memorably-at night, with steam rising hellishly behind a ramshackle building. Redford shows despair and innocence side by side, with self-effacing self-effacing ease. When Paul lands in a drunk tank, you can just about taste the grime. The very next scene, Our ratings system: A classic Recommended Double-feature material Time-killer For masochists only The Mightij Duclt S4 1 III) 51 VI 1 II. 1- v,utH 112-H I li OlIKI Cully: Satuiiiiiy Mdi. SUnis Vtt lllil.IV SUHtlilV l i t, A H J . m - l ctjtC4l cr letter Main Mi eel 4 4.1-1 is I I .illy: :l :1 V 1:1 SdUJHhi) Mill. lay CanM'i Vi- M M' tei pmoit LLC"" though, is a community picnic out of Rockwell (the most memorable detail: a tot slurping up a watermelon rind with the concentration and efficiency of farm machinery). Brad Pitt is the spine of the movie, playing Paul with incorrigible charm-and suggesting, with the glint in his eye, the dissipations that occur offscreen. (Pitt seems to be turning up in a lot of movies, but up to now he's probably been best remembered as the skinny cowboy hitchhker of Thelma and Louise.) The other two important members of the cast are Tom Skerrit's minister father-likeable, gentle but firm, and somewhat staid-and Brenda Blethyn's Mrs. MacLean, the quintessential Mother from a different age, who seems most comfortable when her whole family is gathered around her dinner table. In its ambling way, the movie runs a bit too long, especially with a comic interlude where Norman meets his fiance's horrid family (Methodists!) and has to endure her brother, who is a comic version of Paul. He's a Californicated college boy who comes back home and soon proves himself to be a boob in the woods. The movie's understated tone is its greatest strength, though, and Redford seems to consciously avoid melodramatic moments. During one fishing expedition, Paul is so preoccupied in fighting a fish that he wades into the current and is swept downstreaman event that is witnessed by his father and brother, who show only mildly sporting interest! Sure enough, Paul sputters back to the surface-still clutching his rod-and lands the fish. Redford's film and Norman MacLean's family history gently reel in a number of themes-family unity and loss; natural beauty and human foolishness; faith and self-destruction. self-destruction. On the more practical side, it will probably speed up the process by which Montana is the next mountain resort area to be "discovered". A River Runs Through It is a movie title today; tomorrow, it will be an open space amenity in a sales brochure. Local film company bests Warren Miller by RON GEORG Record staff writer Since I can't say it any better, I'll let Rap Films associate producer Bob Coakly assess his company's style, which is at its peak with their latest release, Carving the White: "Warren Miller is the Ski magazine of ski filmsand we're Powder." For those of you who don't know the difference, Ski magazine includes ski tips, vacation planning ideas, and a few hot shots of skiers. Powder magazine is devoted to thrills, and if they happen to expose you to a new and exciting place in the process, all the better. And this latest release from Rap will bring you to places you may never have imagined. For instance, picture a lodge high in the Andes-where winter falls during our summer months-which sits completely above the tree line. Add a few hot skiers, as well as World Snowboard Halfpipe Champion Terje Haakonsen, and the scene is fantastic. Of course, it's tough to review a film like this without lapsing into the ski vernacular. Sitting around the bar, it just flows off the tongue- "And then this dude launches this major cliff and the whole thing sluffs and he just rides it out like it was nothing even though it was like 45 degrees..." Well, you get the picture. That's what Rap Films concentrates on, people doing things most of us think we might be able to do, or wish we might be able to do. The men and women in this flick are the people who have the entire ski lift watching their runs-when they're anywhere near a lift. Most of the time, they 're not. Rap uses hiking and helicopters to get much of their material, and the result is astounding. In fact, they even feature at least one shot which, as far as anyone knows, has never been skiedand probably never will be again. For those of you who watch football for the impacts and auto racing for the crashes, Rap has also inserted what they call the worst wipe-out ever filmed (which is debatable, but they are in the running). It takes place in Valdez, Alaska, and it has nothing to do with Exxon-the featured skier is attempting to win an extreme-skiing extreme-skiing contest. He probably had the fastest time to the bottom, but it's hard to maintain good form with a broken femur. Amazingly, that's the only major injury which occurred during filming. Many of the skiers and snowboarders in the film are just hot locals from various locations, folks who spend their lives in pursuit of thrills, not titles. Coakly says Rap pursues these types above all others, looking to find talent, not names (but don't call and beghe says that doesn't work. "Generally, the people who call up and say, 'hey, I'm a rad skier' don't make it into the film"). Locals will be impressed with sequences from Jupiter Bowl as well as last year's World Cup. Rap has also departed from the white in this flick to offer some great mountain bike footage filmed in Moab and on the Ridge Ride, which traverses the Wasatch Mountains. Carving the White is Rap's best effort to date. The style leans more toward MTV than Warren Miller, featuring quick clips set to hot modern music. If there is a fault, it's the nearly droning narration, which would benefit greatly from more interviews with skiers and less observation from the filmmakers. With winter on the doorstep, this is an excellent opportunity to get the juices flowing. Rap has taken footage from Chile, Taos, Tahoe, Whistler, Big Sky, France, Park City and more to put together this exciting 85 minutes, and it will get skiers worked up for winter. Carving the White will be shown at Prospector Theater in the Prospector Hotel November 17 and 18 at 7:30 p.m. The screenings are a benefit for Park City Recycling Association, and they'll also feature silent auctions. Admission is $5. ODGEIYIOMT CLEANERS Holiday Village Shopping Center 649-9336 io9 PARKAS $5.50 DOWN PARKAS $8.50 per item Receive 15 Off Ski Wear-Dry Cleaning Includes Free STA-DRY Water Repellent Treatment! Off. r Expire 121592 Evander Riddick Holyfield Bowe Heavyweight Championship Fight From The Mirage-Las Vegas Friday Nov. 1 3th Exclusive Park City Closed Circuit Coverage on 2 Big Screen TV's (includes spaghetti dinner) $25 per person Call For Reservations 649-7742 1200 Little Kate Rd. at the PC Racquet Club A private club for the benefit of members Holiday Village Mall ( ami I 'jia--'ima-r i 649-6541 t 'UjjJWinRll I I (jdKti&tf PICTURES presents ' MIKITY DOORS 4:45, 9:50 MON - FRI PG' EMILIO ESTEVEZ 4:45, 9:50 SAT -SUN THELASTofthe Mohicans rui LIJJ twentieth cfnturv roi 7:30 MON -FRI 1:45, 7:30 SAT -SUN A FILM BY ROBERT REDFORD . t RIVER ipll runs m THROUGH TTsasf x5s 4:15, 7:00, 9:45 MON - FRI 1:15, 4:15, 7:00, 9:45 SAT - SUN FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA PRESENTS BRAM STOKERS DRACUIA 4:30, 7:15, 10:00 MON -FRI 1 :30, 4:30, 7:15, 10:00 SAT - SUN 1 8 TA - - atatayatayatayat aw Give to the SALT LAKE CITY FAMILY SHELTER drop off Can Goods & Clothing at CISEROS 504 Main Street TA or BAJACANTINAH at the Resort Center H upen 1 1 am j until dosing 645-9157 for more information i PARK CITY HOME VIDEO 1821 SIDEWINDER DRIVE PROSPECTOR SQUARE RESERVATION HOTLINE 649-2572 Movies Camcorders TV's Video Players Games Sun-Thurs 11-9 Fri-Sat 11-10 NOW PLAYING Far And Away Encino Man City Of Joy Sleepwalkers Deep Cover K2 Cutting Edge Barman Returns The Babe Basic Instinct Beauty & The Beast Thunderheart Gladiator Newsies Straight Talk Beethoven Criss Cross My Cousin Vinny Medicine Man Final Analysis Blame It On The Bellboy Fried Green Tomatoes Until The End Of The World Prince Of Tides White Men Can't Jump Once Upon A Crime Mambo Kings Lawnmower Man White Sands Memoirs Of An Invisible Man Man In The Moon Hand That Rocks The Cradle Radio Flyer Ernst Scared Stupid Ladybugs Grand Canyon COMING NOVEMBER 18 ALIEN 3 PASSED AWAY ARTICLE 99 TA VA EARLY DEADLINES I 'yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyysyyyyyyyssswJssjJffSA Due to the Thanksgiving Holiday, our deadlines will be as follows: Display Advertising: Friday Nov. 20 at 12 noon Classified and Legal Advertising: Friday Nov. 20 at 5 pm The paper will be published Wednesday November 25. 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