Antibodies in Charles"" immune system had developed to fight the 112 virus, so that the effects of the gene therapy diminished, and he disease started to "return with a vengeance.Both James Stewart""s performance and Kim Novak""s marvelous transformations - from Madeleine to Judy, and to Judy (pretending to be Madeleine) - are rarely matched in the history of cinema.The increasingly claustrophobic, downbeat film, shot in linear sequence along forty miles of a treacherous river, has been looked upon as a philosophical or mythical allegory of man""s psychological and grueling physical journey against adversity.Nick""s beaten-up girlfriend Linda requests refuge in his place during their tour of duty.While a drunk drinks from a paper bag on the corner street, the tightly-knit Russian-American community joins together for the traditional Russian Orthodox church wedding of Steven to Angela, inside the dirty town""s cathedral glittering with stained-glass windows, a giant chandelier, a choir loft, flowers, and candles.