The River

It's the Mississippi river system. This New Deal doc is directed by film critic Pare Lorentz. It shows overuse and mismanagement over the years causing floods and erosion. Then government agencies replant trees and build dams to repair the damage and improve the lives of the people.

This poetic documentary is rather simple and effective. It's a great piece of salesmanship for the New Deal and the river projects. It does set into motion some less appealing aspects of the big projects. Of course, they don't see it at the time. In the end, the program is sold very well.

This is less interesting than the same film-maker's THE PLOW THAT BROKE THE PLAINS (1936); indeed, I doubt even modern-day locals (that is to say, people inhabiting the various American cities through which the Mississippi river runs) would be hard-pressed to find at least the initial stages of the half-hour documentary engaging! However, it eventually takes the same cautionary stance at the heart of the earlier work – since the systematic eradication of forests has left the surrounding valleys and towns unprotected from periodic floods (resulting in mass migration and, by extension, impoverished living) – and the Government's quick thinking to resolve the issue by erecting electrically-powered dams throughout this vast area.

I first saw THE RIVER in the 1950's in school, in the days when watching a movie in class didn't mean turning on the TV and popping in a VHS tape, it meant rolling in the old Bell and Howell Filmosound, putting up the screen, and watching a real 16mm projected MOVIE. I saw it two more times during my school career because it had so much to say at different levels about different things. It is the story of the Mississippi River, what it means to the land, and what we have done to it. It is, let's admit, a New Deal tract, an ecology drama, and moderately political. It is an unabashed apology for the entire Tennessee Valley Authority construction project. But that out of the way, it is a poetic and almost hypnotic (due to repetitive images)narrative, well-written and dramatically read. And it doesn't hurt that the musical score, by Virgil Thompson, is arguably the greatest musical score written for any movie (it is in its orchestral suite format a concert standard and has had many recordings, and is also available as the complete score on at least one recording). You can rent this disk from Netflix and it is worth it just for The River. I also watched its predecessor, THE PLOW THAT BROKE THE PLAINS, which I didn't like as much. I passed on the other offerings. But just for THE RIVER it is worth it. My only argument with it is that the ending loses the hypnotic poetry and simply sums up the rest of the story. That aside, it is as great a documentary as has been made.

I first saw this as a 16 mm film projection in 1961, and have been looking for a copy off and on since then. Finally found one on eBay as a DVD labeled The History of the Mississippi River. While ultimately plugging the achievements of the TVA and FDR's New Deal, the film movingly portrays both the muscle of American industry and agriculture, and its folly and wastefulness and the effects on both the land and its people.

Probably the best part of the film, and certainly crucial to its message, is the music of Virgil Thomson, who interwove melodies from popular and gospel hymns with his own original creation to enhance and define the mood of this documentary. The music, along with his music for the companion film The Plow that Broke the Plains, is available on CD.

With a running time of 30 minutes, this is a gem of a documentary, and one that has had a life-long effect on me personally, in terms of my career, politics, and environmental sensibility.

This is a beautiful piece of documentary work with an artistry and sensitivity that highlights the highs and lows of life with the Mississippi river. The narration and repetition of significant words is simply hypnotic, driving home the points of devastation and the moments of industrial and agricultural joys.

I've been fortunate enough to see this documentary through my work, but I would agree with the user commentary from 'Zetes' that this is an absolute must see for documentary enthusiasts. I am mostly enthused with the creativity of this piece - so often people assume documentaries are unobstructed pieces of fact that have no bearing on the creative film side. This piece is propaganda, yes, but it has a real emotional pull that doesn't feel too contrived. And the cinematography is amazing.