In the film "A River Runs Through It" the Blackfoot River played a copious role in the lives of Norman and Paul Maclean. It symbolized the excitement within the friendship of the two men. The river was their own special and isolated place where time could be spent, relaxed, and stress could be relieved. The river and fly fishing kept the bond between Norman and Paul pungent and concentrated in a brotherly, and also a friendly fashion. The Blackfoot River, located in rural Montana, meant everything two Norman and Paul, especially when they grew older.

Fly fishing and the river was a part of, and extremely critical, Norman and Paul's life forever. They started fishing at a young age, and never actually stopped, aside from a few minor and inconsiderable breaks. The river wasn't just "used for" fly fishing. Fly fishing was just an activity that the boys persisted on doing, because it pushed for growth in their relationship. What fly fishing, and the river proposed to the boys was a place where all of life, past memories and future dreams, can be remarked upon, experienced, or deliberated about. When the boys were younger they sat by the river after fishing, speaking about how they dreamed about being fishermen. When they became older, they still enjoyed their time by the river, but only when they were alone, with no distractions.

The Big Blackfoot River was a world of memories that only Norman and Paul Maclean were included in. Even after Paul's death, memories of the river containing Paul lived on with his older brother. Without this river, I believe that their relationship would of been eminently weak. If there was a problem in their relationship, it could of been solved by going fishing, and the stress of the problem would soon go away. The river was home to Paul and Norman, and will always remain their own special place.