A TVA bureaucrat (Montgomery Clift) comes to the river to do what none of his predecessors have been able to do - evict a stubborn octogenarian (Jo Van Fleet) from her island before the rising waters engulf her.I appreciate the attempt to use a real setting: Exterior locations for "Wild River" were filmed on Coon Denton Island on the Hiwassee River, upriver from Charleston, Tennessee; in the town's old business district; and on a peninsula west of Cleveland, Tennessee, on Chickamauga Lake. I also appreciate how this was the debut film of the now-legendary Bruce Dern.But this is also just a great story of progress and property rights. You can understand where the TVA is coming from and their quest to provide power for the people of the region is a good cause. But you also have to respect the old woman. She might be offered a good deal of money, and eminent domain may be the law of the land, but there is something very American about holding one's property as the highest ideal.

I can see why this movie is considered a classic. A particular version of rural Tennessee is captured very starkly with the characters and atmosphere seeming to walk right out of a painting. That much alone makes it worth a view. The acting is excellent, especially in the supporting and minor roles. They create and carry the film. Given that, Montgomery Cliff, although a great actor, is not as good as one might expect. The attempts at romantic moments with Lee Remick really fall flat and it seems to be his presence that is the problem not hers or the director's. She puts out a good effort but it is not believable when it is pointed in his direction. His other scenes are much better but even with those, this is not one of the great Montgomery Cliff vehicles. There is one confrontation scene that is a bit confused in that it is not exactly clear what the motivations of all the participants are and their actions are likewise difficult to make sense of. It almost came across as a scene that was artificially built up with extra characters that the director wanted to show but had no other logical place in which to do it. It could have been scaled back and been more effective.

When a movie character evoke the kind of feelings and emotion thought only capable in real life you can't help but wonder. Yet as a young man I literally fell in love with Carol Garth Baldwin in Eli Kazan's Wild River. Obviously you can't help but be attracted to the beautiful Lee Remick yet it is her portrayal of a 23 year old widowed mother of two and the backdrop of an obscure little Tennessee town that sets the stage for one of the true loves of my life. Jack Palance's character in City Slickers refers to a women he saw only once at a distance as being the love of his life. To this I can relate. Remick would go on and do some notable work in the years that followed this 1960 production and sadly die much to young of cancer at age 55. Yet what she and Kazan were able to do with this story and character will always hold a place in my heart. See Wild River, look into Carol's eyes and smell the cool damp October air in her hair. For me it will always be hauntingly magical.

This is a most remarkable film, chronicling a piece of Americana and presenting a compelling image of the tragedy of progress. And it is Jo Van Fleet whose utterly convincing and captivating portrayal of an 80-year old hillbilly woman (she herself was 45 years old) makes WILD RIVER a masterpiece. To reiterate what others have stated, the fact that her performance was not even nominated for an Oscar is an outrage! I tend to disagree with other reviewers in regards to the subplot between Monty Clift and Lee Remick; I feel their scene slow things down and I find myself fast-forwarding past them to get to the match of will between Clift and Van Fleet. I do, however, understand the necessity of the Chuck/Carol love affair - here you have a stubborn old woman who simply refuses to leave her lifelong home and a sensuous young woman who simply begs to get out! And Monty Clift becomes nemesis and savior. But their scenes together are a total yawn when the good stuff involves the reason Clift is there to begin with - not just his cat-and-mouse with Van Fleet, but all the other obstacles he faces from the rest of the populace of the rural south in the 1930's.Still, an incredible film and worth viewing over and over again.