An idyllic portrait of small-town life, The River ably showcases the Czech pastoral movement in cinema, and is comparable in charm and mood to the lighter work of Frank Borzage. Shot by the great cinematographer Jan Stallich (Ecstasy), the film leisurely follows the fledgling love between a tousled young country boy and the sweet girl he's set his sights on. That story's been told before, of course (even in 1933, it had been told before), and The River wisely seems remarkably uninterested in telling it, deciding to pay far more attention to the natural world around its characters: wheat fields blowing in the wind, ripples in the river, lovers in the grass, the clouds moving in a sunlit sky. Sincere in its attention to the rhythms and moods of rural life, and in the respect it affords its leads, The River possesses the unhurried, relaxing feel of a late summer's breeze.