The River

The River, written and directed by Pare Lorentz and released in 1937, has once again become relevant to contemporary concerns about the rise of the Mississippi River and the threats to cities like Memphis, Tennessee.

The National Weather Service reports that floodwaters are cresting at 48 feet in the Memphis area and this is just under the 1937 record. The big changes that have taken place since the 1930's has been the enormous amount of work throughout the Mississippi and Ohio Valley river systems to contain such threats. As The River pointed out, much of the problems caused by flooding are man made and the product of centuries of environmental destruction through mining, logging and farming. Add the problems of population spreading to flood plains and we are lucky that these new flood protection systems are in place.

The River remains a must see. Like John Barry's book, Rising Tide, our memories of flooding and the incredible disasters they can cause are short lived. But if we are surprised by the damage that these new floods are causing, we would be even more amazed at what would happen if decades of work to contain natural events like enormous rain fall over extended periods of time had never been completed. Watching Lorentz' film and reading Barry's book would put things into perspective.