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Storyline: Four city men, Ed Gentry (Jon Voight), Lewis Medlock (Burt Reynolds), Bobby Trippe (Ned Beatty) and Drew Ballinger (Ronny Cox) are canoeing white water on a remote river in the Appalachian mountains before a dam project blankets the area forever. Deep into the forest Bobby is sexually assaulted at gunpoint by a pair of mountain men, one of whom is killed by a single arrow from Medlock's bow. The other escapes. This, the first of three killings, forces the men to reassess their city-bred values, take a closer look at what democracy really means in the wilderness and to zealously pursue deliverance from the nightmare in which they have become enmeshed. Men hunt men, all the while doing battle with the treacherous, inexorably rising waters of the river. Their trip completed, the survivors hope the churning river behind them will bury their crimes for all time. Behind the Story: JUPITER, FL-- March 2003--It was thirty -one years ago this year that nature and man clashed in the turbulent backwaters of the Chattooga river in Georgia in the film Deliverance. Actor/Director Burt Reynolds, who starred in the critically acclaimed 1972 film, still looks fit and trim, and at 68 is still quite active in the movie business, planning to leave soon for New Zealand, where he will star in a modern-day western. Earlier this month Reynolds met with Charlie Palmer, Chairman of the Gainesville, Florida-based Fred Bear Equipment Company to accept a Fred Bear Takedown bow, as a donation to Reynolds' newly opened museum. The action star, planted his feet firmly and drew back on the Fred Bear TakeDown, the first time he's drawn a bow since the conclusion of the film three decades earlier. "You know," he said. "This brings back a lot of memories." The versatile star, who portrayed outdoorsman Lewis Medlock in the film, has just opened his Burt Reynolds and Friends museum in his Florida hometown of Jupiter. A key museum display surrounds the film Deliverance, complete with a dog-eared script, still photos, movie posters, a reconstructed canoe used in the film and a commemorative Fred Bear bow complete with quiver and arrows. Bowhunting, which served as a consistent theme in the film, owed a credit to Fred Bear and Bear Archery, which supplied the traditional bows, arrows and archery accessories to be utilized as real-life props. The late Fred Bear along with his management team spent time instructing Reynolds and Voight before the film began. Reynolds recalled that Bear even took him bowhunting for wild boar so he could understand more about the sport than just shooting technique. In the film, Reynolds' memorable "Lewis" character shot a Fred Bear Victor Kodiak Take Down (similar to the bow donated to the museum) while "Ed", actor Jon Voight, used a Bear Kodiak Hunter. Author/Screenwriter Dickey, who played the sheriff in the film, was actually an experienced bowhunter, and also spent considerable time with Reynolds and Voight teaching them how to properly use their bows. Palmer and Fred Bear Equipment Company-- which is represented by such bow brands as Fred Bear, Jennings, Buckmasters®, Golden Eagle and Brave-- decided to recognize the museum opening with a commemorative traditional Fred Bear-designed TakeDown., which is now part of the museum's permanent display. Reynolds, who spent over an hour with the Fred Bear team at the museum, said the filming was a real adventure, as the actors worked without insurance, handling most of their own stunts. "It really made me appreciate the nature and its unlimited powers," he said. The Burt Reynolds and Friends Museum is located at the intersection of Indiantown Road and U.S. 1 in Jupiter, Florida. The museum is open Wednesday-Sunday. For information call 561-743-4648.
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