| Cane River | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Cane_River_film_poster.jpg) 2020 re-release poster | |
| Directed by | Horace B. Jenkins |
| Written by | Horace B. Jenkins |
| Produced by | Horace B. Jenkins |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Gideon Manasseh |
| Edited by | Debi Moore |
| Music by |
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Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Oscilloscope (2020 re-release) |
Release dates |
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Running time | 104 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Cane River is a 1982 American romantic drama film that was lost until its rediscovery in 2013 and its subsequent re-release in 2018 and beyond. It was written, produced, and directed by Horace B. Jenkins. The film features the lives of African Americans in the US state of Louisiana. While the film premiered in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1982, Horace Jenkins died before the film could be released in New York City and beyond. The film was considered lost until a negative was recovered in 2013.
The film was subsequently restored, and a digitally remastered version of the film screened at the 2018 New Orleans Film Festival on October 22, 2018, after having been unseen for 36 years. Distributor Oscilloscope released it in select theaters in the United States in February 2020. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it was available via virtual cinema before premiering on The Criterion Collection's The Criterion Channel in May 2020. In the following August, Cane River was released on home video.
Following its re-release, Cane River received critical acclaim. Highly rated on Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic, it was lauded for its exploration of racial history and blending romance with political undertones. Despite some noted technical limitations, critics highlighted its pioneering portrayal of black experiences and its significance in American cinema.