It still has the power to unnerve - in large part because we’ve never, as a society, completely grappled with it. The blunt impact of plenty of older movies has diminished over time.
But there’s always been a disconnect between Deliverance ’s cultural standing and the ugliness of its most infamous scene, in which Ned Beatty’s Bobby is raped by Georgian mountain men. When its stars appear on talk shows, even decades later, any mention of the thriller garners applause.
Nearly 50 years after its release, Deliverance remains a compelling, riveting film. There’s an extra emphasis on “that,” as if they’re handling noxious chemicals, with heavy-duty gloves and held as far away from their face as possible. It’s the way people say “that scene” when they’re discussing “that scene” from Deliverance.
