Then they chained down the cameras, tied the actors to tethers, crossed their fingers, opened a huge steel floodgate, and let hundreds of thousands of gallons of water flood their set. Then they closed the floodgate, pumped out the water, cleaned up the set, and did it again. The River 's flood sequences are extremely effective. Lastly, the script deserves some praise. It's very well constructed.
Every incident fits neatly into the framework of the overall story.
We understand the purpose of every scene, and the movie's themes are nicely merged. I would mention the screenwriter's name, but unfortunately I don't remember it, and, since The River will not be released for nearly a month yet, I can't look it up in ads. Whatever his name is, he did a better job than William Whitliff did on Country , though his assignment was similar. He was sent out to the Midwest to write a script about the plight of farmers. What he came up with is quite creditable.