This nearly forgotten film from director Elia Kazan has a plot line closer to a Stanley Kramer film, albeit without the bombast. A government man, played by Montgomery Clift in his last great performance, tries to persuade the matriarch of a backwoods family to sell her land so a river can be routed through it. Clift's performance is matched by the always terrific Jo Van Fleet (only 40ish, but playing 80ish --- Kazan clearly indulges her). Van Fleet's performance is electrifying. Although there is a subplot involving Clift and Lee Remick, it takes a back seat to the Clift-Van Fleet showdown. Remick is terrific and Jay C. Flippin is a plus as one of Van Fleet's more intelligent "boys." A couple of drawbacks: the movie's widescreen and color photography soften its overall impact. There's no real sense that this is the 1930s. Nonetheless, WILD RIVER remains Kazan's nearly forgotten, near masterpiece.
Review of Wild River
