Manchester hosts film's re-release
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Darren Marcy / Rutland Herald Actor Tom Skerritt admires a Harris Hawk from the Equinox Resort's British School of Falconry. Skerritt was in Manchester recently. |
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By Darren Marcy Staff Writer - Published: July 6, 2009
MANCHESTER — Manchester may not be the center of the fly-fishing universe but it's pretty close.
As the home of Orvis, a fly-fishing and outdoor retailer, The American Museum of Fly Fishing, and the famed Batten Kill, an internationally known trout river, few towns can claim more iconic images of fly fishing than this southern Vermont town.
So when Sony Pictures Home Entertainment went looking for a place to host a celebration for the July 28 release of "A River Runs Through It" on Blu-ray disc, Manchester came up the winner.
Entertainment and outdoor journalists from across the country came to Manchester June 29 and 30 for the re-release of the 1992 movie, which was based on Norman Maclean's autobiographical novella of the same name about his family in rural Montana in the 1930s.
The film uses fly fishing as a critical element in the telling of the story and has been credited with bringing tens of thousands of new anglers to the sport.
While mentioned only fleetingly in the movie, Maclean had a connection to New England that began when he earned his degree — and then taught — at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., in the 1920s.
The draw for most of the journalists were two co-stars from the movie — Tom Skerritt, who played the Rev. John Maclean, and Craig Sheffer, who played the young Norman Maclean.
The journalists were treated to a first-class taste of Vermont. They stayed at the Equinox Resort and were shuttled around the area in Land Rovers, treated to fly-fishing instruction by top casting instructors from Orvis, and led on fishing trips by Orvis guides on the Batten Kill.
Orvis was a natural fit for the event, having been a critical element in the original filming of the Robert Redford film.
James Hathaway Jr., communications and conservation manager for Orvis, said the company was integral to the filming of the movie and it is honored to be recognized for that effort.
"We provided a lot of equipment for the movie," Hathaway said. "A lot of rods you saw in the movie are Orvis rods. And the fly fishing is beautiful. It's beautiful because they were taught by Orvis-endorsed guides. If you watch the movie the first people to get thanked is the Orvis company."
But while the event was intended to promote the re-release of the movie, Vermont will likely reap some reward as well.
There were writers and television crews in the area from California to New York including representatives from ESPN Outdoors, MTV, Current TV, magazines and major publications' blogs.
That suited Hathaway just fine.
"I'm constantly looking for ways to get away from the hook and bullet publications," Hathaway said, referring to the industry term used for the fishing and hunting press. "Fly fishing is a culture in and of itself. And a big piece of that culture comes from right here in Vermont."
Most of the journalists were making their first visit to the Green Mountain State, and several talked openly of return trips with family.
It wasn't the first trip to — or through — Vermont for Skerritt or Sheffer.
They both spoke openly of the beauty of the state whether it was while standing on the banks of the Batten Kill or while handling a Harris Hawk flown by personnel from the Equinox Resort's British School of Falconry.
"It couldn't have gone better I don't think," Hathaway said. "They had a really nice time."
darren.marcy@rutlandherald.com
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