The River
1951 · Movie · 99 min
★ 7.2(128)unSUB Rating
Director Jean Renoir’s first color feature immerses viewers in India, following three young women whose day-to-day lives revolve around the Bengal river. As the river keeps flowing, their feelings and relationships shift with the passage of time, life, and change.
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Streaming on HBO Max and The Criterion Channel — or rent from $3.99.
2 hours to watch.
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Details
- Years
- 1951
- Release date
- 1951-09-10
- Language
- English
- Runtime
- 99 min
- TMDB rating (input)
- 7.3/10 (128 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy The River if you want a beautiful, lyrical coming-of-age story with timeless themes and a steady sense of flow; Not for you if you need action, or dislike voiceover-driven storytelling.
Pros: stunning color and scenery; gentle coming-of-age focus | Cons: slow, meditative pace; voiceover heavy
Themes
- based on novel or book
- river
- snake charmer
- hindu
- love
- india
- american
- first love
- kite flying
- bengal
- ganges
Cast & crew
Nora Swinburne
as The Mother
Esmond Knight
as The Father
Arthur Shields
as Mr. John
Suprova Mukerjee
as Nan
- TB
Thomas E. Breen
as Capt. John
- PW
Patricia Walters
as Harriet
Radha Burnier
as Melanie
Adrienne Corri
as Valerie
June Tripp
as Narrator (voice)
- NB
Nimai Barik
as Kanu (uncredited)
Directed by Jean Renoir