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Where the Rivers Flow North

  • 1993
  • PG-13
  • 1h 46m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
593
YOUR RATING
Michael J. Fox, Rip Torn, Treat Williams, Bill Raymond, and Amy Wright in Where the Rivers Flow North (1993)
Drama

Log-driver Noel Lord defies power company boss Clayton Farnsworth, who orders Lord and his feisty American Indian mate off their soon-to-be-flooded land. Farnsworth never met a man he couldn... Read allLog-driver Noel Lord defies power company boss Clayton Farnsworth, who orders Lord and his feisty American Indian mate off their soon-to-be-flooded land. Farnsworth never met a man he couldn't buy - but then, he'd never met Noel Lord.Log-driver Noel Lord defies power company boss Clayton Farnsworth, who orders Lord and his feisty American Indian mate off their soon-to-be-flooded land. Farnsworth never met a man he couldn't buy - but then, he'd never met Noel Lord.

  • Director
    • Jay Craven
  • Writers
    • Howard Frank Mosher
    • Don Bredes
    • Jay Craven
  • Stars
    • Rip Torn
    • Tantoo Cardinal
    • Bill Raymond
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.5/10
    593
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Jay Craven
    • Writers
      • Howard Frank Mosher
      • Don Bredes
      • Jay Craven
    • Stars
      • Rip Torn
      • Tantoo Cardinal
      • Bill Raymond
    • 13User reviews
    • 4Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win total

    Photos4

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    Top cast19

    Edit
    Rip Torn
    Rip Torn
    • Noel Lord
    Tantoo Cardinal
    Tantoo Cardinal
    • Bangor
    Bill Raymond
    Bill Raymond
    • Wayne Quinn
    Mark Margolis
    Mark Margolis
    • New York Money
    Michael J. Fox
    Michael J. Fox
    • Clayton Farnsworth
    George Woodard
    George Woodard
    • Mitchell
    Yusef Bulos
    Yusef Bulos
    • Armand
    John Griesemer
    • Henry Coville
    Jeri Lynn Cohen
    • Madame Bessie
    Treat Williams
    Treat Williams
    • Champ's Manager
    Amy Wright
    Amy Wright
    • Loose Woman
    Rusty De Wees
    • The Champ
    Dennis Mientka
    • Sheriff LaFontaine
    John Rothman
    John Rothman
    • The Lawyer
    Sam Lloyd Sr.
    • The Judge
    Burt Porter
    • Musician
    Tony Washburn
    • Musician
    Alexis Guarneri
    Alexis Guarneri
    • Church Boy
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Jay Craven
    • Writers
      • Howard Frank Mosher
      • Don Bredes
      • Jay Craven
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews13

    6.5593
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    Featured reviews

    trotter-3

    Almost like watching a train wreck

    After we watched it, my wife turned to me and asked, 'Why did they think anyone would want to see this movie?' I had to agree, although we were both absorbed by it as it played out. As I watched it, I felt like a person who sat on a hilltop, looking into a valley. He can see two locomotives speeding toward each other at 50 miles per hour, on the same track. He can do nothing to stop the inevitable collision, but he is powerless to look away from it. As a Southerner, I know something about lost causes. This movie is about a lost cause.

    The central character, Noel Lord (Rip Torn) is a tough, mean, old logger, who has a lifetime lease on a piece of wetland property in Kingdom County Vermont in 1927. In place of a left hand, he has a wicked looking metal hook, which he uses to great advantage in a powerful scene toward the end of the movie. Electrification is coming to Kingdom County. The utility company has bought all of the leases except for Lord's, and he refuses to consider the company's offer of $2,000 to surrender his lease. Later, the offer is raised to $5,000. Lord still refuses to release his rights. Electrification is inevitable. A huge dam will soon be built, and within a year, Lord's property will be under 50 or 60 feet of water. Lord appears to have a much better offer in mind, not of money, but of a trade of land. The utility readily agrees to lease him the land he wants, and also to move his cabin to the new site. Lord has secret plans for his property that he has told no one about.

    Lord lives with Bangor (Tantoo Cardinal), a Native American housekeeper who appears to be half crazy. By the end of the movie, we discover that she has a greater grip on reality than Lord does. She and Lord have a longstanding relationship, but it is clearly platonic now. Her accent is so thick that it is difficult to understand her. She calls Lord 'Meester' throughout the movie. Lord's wife has died, and is buried on the property. The only tender moment in the movie is a scene where Lord is kneeling over his wife's grave, talking to her, telling her that he is going to have to leave. He kisses his hand and pats the earth in front of the headstone.

    Michael J. Fox, wearing a cheesy mustache, plays a humorless utility company executive who is not above using force to get what he wants. Treat Williams plays a throwaway role as an itinerant fight promoter, whose champions are always defeated by Lord. The scenes of 1927 rural Vermont are authentic, and the acting is outstanding. Torn and Cardinal are superb. This is Jay Craven's first movie as a director, but he directed as if he had done it countless times. If you like well done period drama and good acting, this movie may be for you. If you like happy endings and beautiful people, stay away.
    10ghenrikson-1

    A fantastic film

    I'm not sure how the IMDb "weighted average" came up with such a low rating on this film. It is in my opinion and by all other accounts an overlooked gem of a movie. Rip Torn is fantastic as the stubborn Noel Lord, and Tantoo Cardinal superlative as his housemate. Torn and Cardinal are both underrated actors who are finally given a stage to work their craft on.

    Their relationship isn't always pleasant, but it's very real. This is NOT the "humerous and touching love story" it's billed as on the DVD jacket. In the end it is a tragedy. Lord simply aims too high and ignores all the advice to take the money offered by the power company to move.

    The music is fantastic, as are the period sets.
    9roy-70

    A good story, very well told by some excellent actors

    Where the Rivers Flow North is a well-told story about two peoples' fight to live their own lives in the face of "progress" and development. Besides enjoying the movie as entertainment, I also learned quite a bit about life in rural New England back in the late 1920s.

    The cinematography captured the raw beauty of Northern Vermont and set the stage, while the music brought the movie to life. Very well done for a low-budget, locally-produced film. I found Michael J. Fox's character the weakest in the film, but Rip Torn and Tantoo Cardinal turn in two of the finest performances I've seen in a long time. I was saddened she did not get a nod as best actress that year (I assume the film was too "small" a film to be considered).
    10lreiser

    Excellent Movie

    I was really surprised when I came across this movie on cable TV a couple of years ago. The story is a wonderful example of how our land keeps changing and the fight to hang on to it and use it according to need. Conflicting desires of "the people" and the Government. The actors were fantastic in their portrayals and I absolutely fell in love with Tantoo Cardinal-she is so believable and was such a character in this movie, as was Rip Torn. The story was also a love story about the land, the past, and between the 2 main characters. I have tried to buy this film and have been unable to locate it-but I would sure would love to own it.
    10catskill

    Outstanding performance by Tantoo Cardinal.

    Outstanding performance by Tantoo Cardinal. She carries this movie alone. Rip Torn is great but just a shadow to Tantoo. A bitter sweet story of a woman who loves a very stubborn man. Beautiful, funny, sad, touching, a must see film.

    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Soundtracks
      People Go Under
      Written and Performed by the Horseflies

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    FAQ19

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • October 1993 (Canada)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Donde los ríos fluyen al norte
    • Filming locations
      • Northeast Kingdom, Vermont, USA
    • Production company
      • Caledonia Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $595,505
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $46,775
      • Jan 17, 1994
    • Gross worldwide
      • $595,505
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 46m(106 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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