Website looked at for discussion of Deliverance –

https://www.nytimes.com/books/98/08/30/specials/dickey-delivers.html

 

Deliverance has been criticized in many ways for many reasons, but it has also been heavily applauded for its cinematographic achievements.  The article that I read from the NY Times talked about the movie form the standpoint of a criticism of masculinity, not that of an Appalachian viewpoint.   The article discusses the ways in which the movie criticizes the idea of the tough masculine outdoors-man and the like.  The article does not expressly mention the word Appalachia, but it does talk about mountain men and discusses the location, making it well known the region that the movie exploits.  The article does not necessarily focus on the Appalachian people of the film either, but more so the protagonists of the film; though there is definitely a negative light presented on the “mountain men”.  The mountain men are discussed from an almost distant point of view making them seem that much more inhuman, though they really are not the center piece of the article.  The characters are definitely stereotyped in the article in that they are discussed so little as to assume that we already know that they are supposed to be the way that they are portrayed.  Because the movie is being examined from a point of view looking at the film as a commentary on masculinity, it does not talk about the film itself being stereotypical.  The movie emphasizes imagery of masculinity in the film and talks about the camp scene and the squeal like a pig scene especially.