THE RIVER

"The River" is a picturesque drama about a Tennesse farm familyīs struggle to keep their place from being flooded by the tide waterway and taken over by their creditors. As if that did not pose enough of a problem, a wealthy landowner wants the Garvey farm-and maybe Mae (Sissy Spacek), too.

For Mel, this film was a vitally important stepping stone into Hollywood acceptability. It was the first time he would play an American, his firs experience under an American director and the first time he had acted on American soil.

Initially director Mark Rydell was reluctant to consider Gibson seriously, fearing his australian accent would be obvious., but Mel was hard at work on his Tennesse accent with dialogue director Julie Harris. Three months later, Gibsonīs ability to mimic convinced Rydell, who was really impressed.

Mark Ridell intended this movie to be a tribute to a vanishing America, the America of the independent farm family. Production estimates put it in the $20 million range. Gibsonīs fee on the River was $500, 000.

The beautiful mountains of eastern Tennesse provided the backdrop for a movie that was probably the most enjoyable experience of Gibson on location until then. The Gibsons stayed in a spacious rented house in nearby Kingsport.

Hannah and the twins often accompanied his father to the set in Holston Valley, where they played with Sissy Spacekīs daughter as well as co-star Scott Glennīs children

In September, 1983, shortly, after beginning filming of "The River", newspapers headlines around the world reported that Mel Gibson had died in a plane crash. Shanahan, Gibsonīs agent, was closed to tears when in the middle of the night a journalist asked him to contribute to an obituary of the star. Though, Mel was very much alive and well in Kingsport.

The film received moderate acclaim, most of it for Sissy Spacek, who received an Oscar Nomination. When the movie opened theatrically in New York, it was to mixed reactions and verdicts

On the plus side the filmīs photography by Vilmos Zsigmond and the soundtrack by John Williams are gorgeous