Deliverance
Updated: 12/20/2025, 2:06:56 PM Wikipedia source
Deliverance is a 1972 American thriller film directed and produced by John Boorman from a screenplay by James Dickey, who adapted it from his own 1970 novel. It follows four businessmen from Atlanta who venture into the remote northern Georgia wilderness to see the Cahulawassee River before it is dammed, only to find themselves in danger from the area's inhabitants and nature. It stars Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, and Ronny Cox, with the latter two making their feature film debuts. Deliverance was a critical and commercial success. It earned three Academy Award nominations and five Golden Globe Award nominations, and grossed $46.1 million on a budget of $2 million. It became a popular culture landmark for a scene featuring Cox's character playing "Dueling Banjos" on guitar with a banjo-picking country boy, and garnered notoriety for a scene in which Beatty's character is brutally raped by a mountain man. In 2008, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". In retrospective analysis, the film has since garnered criticism from journalists, historians, and citizens of Rabun County, Georgia, where the film was shot, for its portrayal of the people and culture of Appalachia, its promotion of Appalachian stereotypes in film and television, and even has been labeled as an anti-working class and a anti-rural film.
Infobox
Directed by
John Boorman
Screenplay by
James Dickey
Based on
Deliveranceby James Dickey
Produced by
John Boorman
Starring
mw- Jon Voight Burt Reynolds Ned Beatty Ronny Cox
Cinematography
Vilmos Zsigmond
Edited by
Tom Priestley
Music by
Eric Weissberg
Productioncompany
Elmer Enterprises
Distributed by
Warner Bros.
Release date
July 30, 1972 (1972-07-30)
Running time
109 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$2 million
Box office
$46.1 million
Tables
Chart performance for Deliverance soundtrack · Soundtrack and copyright dispute › Charts
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)
Chart (1973)
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)
Position
61
| Chart (1973) | Position |
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) | 61 |
· Reception › Awards and nominations
Academy Awards
Academy Awards
Award
Academy Awards
Category
Best Picture
Recipient
John Boorman
Result
Nominated
Best Director
Best Director
Award
Best Director
Category
Nominated
Best Film Editing
Best Film Editing
Award
Best Film Editing
Category
Tom Priestley
Recipient
Nominated
British Academy Film Awards
British Academy Film Awards
Award
British Academy Film Awards
Category
Best Cinematography
Recipient
Vilmos Zsigmond
Result
Nominated
Best Film Editing
Best Film Editing
Award
Best Film Editing
Category
Tom Priestley
Recipient
Nominated
Best Soundtrack
Best Soundtrack
Award
Best Soundtrack
Category
Jim Atkinson, Walter Goss, and Doug Turner
Recipient
Nominated
Directors Guild of America Awards
Directors Guild of America Awards
Award
Directors Guild of America Awards
Category
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures
Recipient
John Boorman
Result
Nominated
Golden Globe Awards
Golden Globe Awards
Award
Golden Globe Awards
Category
Best Motion Picture – Drama
Recipient
Nominated
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Award
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Category
Jon Voight
Recipient
Nominated
Best Director – Motion Picture
Best Director – Motion Picture
Award
Best Director – Motion Picture
Category
John Boorman
Recipient
Nominated
Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Award
Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Category
James Dickey
Recipient
Nominated
Best Original Song – Motion Picture
Best Original Song – Motion Picture
Award
Best Original Song – Motion Picture
Category
"Dueling Banjos" Music by Arthur Smith; Adaptation by Eric Weissberg
Recipient
Nominated
National Board of Review Awards
National Board of Review Awards
Award
National Board of Review Awards
Category
Top Ten Films
Recipient
7th Place
National Film Preservation Board
National Film Preservation Board
Award
National Film Preservation Board
Category
National Film Registry
Recipient
Inducted
Turkish Film Critics Association Awards
Turkish Film Critics Association Awards
Award
Turkish Film Critics Association Awards
Category
Best Foreign Film
Recipient
9th Place
Writers Guild of America Awards
Writers Guild of America Awards
Award
Writers Guild of America Awards
Category
Best Drama – Adapted from Another Medium
Recipient
James Dickey
Result
Nominated
| Award | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
| Academy Awards | Best Picture | John Boorman | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Nominated | |||
| Best Film Editing | Tom Priestley | Nominated | ||
| British Academy Film Awards | Best Cinematography | Vilmos Zsigmond | Nominated | |
| Best Film Editing | Tom Priestley | Nominated | ||
| Best Soundtrack | Jim Atkinson, Walter Goss, and Doug Turner | Nominated | ||
| Directors Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures | John Boorman | Nominated | |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Motion Picture – Drama | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama | Jon Voight | Nominated | ||
| Best Director – Motion Picture | John Boorman | Nominated | ||
| Best Screenplay – Motion Picture | James Dickey | Nominated | ||
| Best Original Song – Motion Picture | "Dueling Banjos" Music by Arthur Smith; Adaptation by Eric Weissberg | Nominated | ||
| National Board of Review Awards | Top Ten Films | 7th Place | ||
| National Film Preservation Board | National Film Registry | Inducted | ||
| Turkish Film Critics Association Awards | Best Foreign Film | 9th Place | ||
| Writers Guild of America Awards | Best Drama – Adapted from Another Medium | James Dickey | Nominated | |
References
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