It seems no one’s indifferent to “The Movie” — Robert Redford’s adaptation of Norman Maclean’s “A River Runs Through It.”
Depending on who you’re talking to, it either persuaded you to try fly fishing, ruined fly fishing, saved fly fishing, or overran the sport with trendy, gloss black SUVs. (Do golfers feel the same way about Caddyshack?)
Frankly, I don’t get it. I mean, I liked the movie — and loved the story — but when I hear someone say the movie was “about fly fishing” I want ask them who their high school literature teacher was and put a contract out on them.
[sfx: deep breath]
(It’s not. Fly fishing is a backdrop; the movie’s about a family.)
Still, everyone who’s anyone knows that Jason Borger did the actual casting scenes, and now, Jason Borger’s blog carries a couple of interesting stories from the movie — 15 years after the fact.
For that matter, Borger’s blog is worth a visit all on its own:
Fish, Flies & Water is meant to provide a flow of links, thoughts, and educational/entertainment media related to my personal journey through fly fishing. I hope that you find some of this blog to be useful, interesting, or simply enjoyable.
See you on the Internet, Tom Chandler.
[tags]fly fishing, jason borger, a river runs through it, the movie[/tags]
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
“but when I hear someone say the movie was “about fly fishing” I want ask them ”
Hey , I want ask you question: Who was YOUR high school literature teacher? And you are a PROFESSIONAL WRITTER!!
I want ask you question!
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I’d call him a writer rather than a writter. A writter is one who used to write, right?
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I got distracted. A River Runs Through It is that movie about fly-fishing, write? And here you go spoiling it for everyone by telling us Brad Jolie was not casting his bunion bug. Damn! I’ll never look at Angelina the same way again.
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I’m haunted by that movie.
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Don,
Which movie, the one about fly-fishing?
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Smells: Horrifying. First, you’ll look at Angelina exactly the same way you do now (drool). And second, everyone who stands in supermarket checkout lines knows that Brand and Angelina are on the rocks.
How do you plan to contribute to this fly fishing blog when your celebrity IQ is so low?? What are you thinking?
Don: I’m haunted by these comments.
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I like, totally knew that. Brad and I are pretty good friends. He taught me everything I know about fly-fishing, bunion bugs, Hills Brother’s Coffee (in the red can) and Angelina. Totally.
BTW – I apparently have nothing better to do today than to make repeated, inane comments on your blog. I blame John Davidson, who is not a professional writter.
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Plus, Dunsmuir’s Thriftway doesn’t have the standard tabloid rack. It services a higher class clientele, which is not easily seduced by celebrity gossip.
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I worked on this show also, (definitely not as a casting pro) camped out in Livingston, MT for two months- this show was entirely about staying sane in a place the wind blows 6 out of 7 days a week. I did become aquainted with one of the planets finer breeds that I had not encountered up to that point- a Jack Russell Terrier.
All the professional writters, Brad and Angelina’s were camped out at the country club with “Bob”, no doubt discussing the finer points of fly fishing and how it pertains to the higher aspects of human existence.
oh, and that one line, “these hogs have pissed in my waters”…
something like that.
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It’s not about fly fishing, but it is to the sport what “Shakes the Clown” is to party clowns. And in the promotional material on the dvd box, Shakes the Clown is billed as “The Citizen Kane of alcoholic clown movies.” High praise, indeed.
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As with most movies similar to this (Karate Kid included) The sub plot takes over the viewer with romanticies of becoming the lead character and thus thrusts countless lemmings into these sports. As a Martial Arts freak, a fly fishing freak and a Jeep freak (I’m just a freak) I despise these movies. After Karate Kid my local Tai shop was overrun with morons, after A River Runs Through It my local streams and rivers were overrun with garbage toting (and littering) lemmings. Now I am just waiting for a movie about Jeeps so my back woods trails can be overrun with douche bags that will eventually ruin my access. Just like parts of my favorite rivers.
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“Herbie the Love Bug Goes Off Road.” That’s pure Hollywood Gold.
I’m still amused by the number of people who were said to have refinished the rods used in the movie. Up to four now, and still counting.
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Funny thing about the rods used in the movie……
They are not historically accurate.
Yes they are Grangers (anyone familar with Granger rods can see that), but the reelseats are not the ones that Granger used for their rods in that era (early 20’s). The Granger rods used in the movie had the classic uplocking nickel silver Granger reelseat when in fact Granger did not even start using this reelseat until the late 1930’s.
The Granger rods made in the 1920’s had the nickel silver slide band reelseats, not the uplocking ones……
Brian
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Heddon17,
The “shadow casting” sequences were, I believe, done with Hexagraph (6-sided plastic with foam core) rods made to resemble Grangers.
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I think Norman Maclean said in an interview his fly rod as a kid was a Montague (something like that), which only makes sense.
Wayne: I think all professional writters should hang out at country clubs.
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Yeah I remember reading somewhere that hexagraph rods were used in the shadow casting scenes.
Maybe the reelseat stuff was just an oversight and they must have thought that the majority of people seeing the movie would not be aware of it?
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