John Boorman directed this 1972 film version of James Dickey’s poetic thriller of a novel, about four suburban weekend warriors on a canoe trip down south, braving a winding river before it’s flooded by a dam land reclamation project. On camera, though, Deliverance becomes both a thing of beauty – the way the river and the scenery are shot is breathtaking – and a thing of terror. I saw this movie more than 45 years ago, and still wince at the phrase “purty mouth.” But I still smile when hearing the song “Dueling Banjos,” even though, in this instance, it’s enacted as a duel between a banjo and a guitar. The four leads in this movie – Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, Ned Beatty, and Ronny Cox – are crucial, as both symbols and characters, and deliver, all at once, what may be high points of their respective, very impressive careers. TCM is showing it tonight in its original screen ratio, and without interruption, a viewing opportunity that shouldn’t be missed.