Customer Reviews

Movie - Raintree County (2Dvd)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

Find the Laser Disc (General release version) or VHS (restored roadshow version) in Widescreen or Full Frame. The stereo sounds great on all these versions. There is something very magical about RAINTREE COUNTY. It truly is a place of the mind where you return to it once you have seen it. I have been watching this film over and over again ever since I saw it while I was in High School. Clift's performance, torn almost into two personalities because of the accident he had during the shooting (which changed the structure of his face) haunts this film as does Elizabeth Taylor's twisted performance of a woman on the edge of insanity. It's almost like a metaphor of the Civil War itself, a country torn in two, brother against brother. Johnny Greene's score is an outstanding achievement for this composer with its beautiful flowing passages that embrace the viewer with a haunting passion. It too stands as a metaphor for all that is beautiful in the world yet intrigues us with many mysteries that are envisioned in the mind by we who inhabit this beautiful land. If only now we could get an official first rate DVD from the MGM library. That DVD seems as elusive as the Raintree itself. Standing before you stands a seeker who has yet to find.

Elizabeth Taylor is a great actress, as her career has confirmed. Let's not forget that she started out as a child star, and is one of the few who have grown into a successful adult film career (not forgetting Natalie Wood, Dean Stockwell, Roddy MacDowell, Judy Garland). "Raintree County" was her 1st Oscar nom, and for the following 3 years, one of the few to receive 4 consecutive noms. I saw this film in its initial release when I was 8 years old and it fascinated me. In subsequent viewings, I learned of the history in making the film, and I still think it's wonderful. There were major set-backs during the filming, especially Monty Clift's disfiguring accident, but the resulting film works for me. I'd heard that a 50th anniversary edition was on the horizon, but it's now 2008 and none has appeared. D'ya think this film will ever be given proper treatment? Many great, classic films are still awaiting DVD release (The Human Comedy, The Uninvited, Summer & Smoke), while there's pure garbage being turned out ad nauseum. I'm currently disappointed.

MGM does not seem to have much of an interest releasing this title .We therefore have to fall back on an asian bootleg which meanwhile is perfectly all right .Not everything comes out on dvd so we have to wait for an authoritative edition of this film .

"Raintree County" is a classic, but not as good as "Gone With the Wind." The Asian DVD version of the movie is a complete rip-off. One of my discs wouldn't even play. The first disc made a constant humming noise when I put it into the three DVD players that I have. I've never heard a DVD hum like a vacuum cleaner. If this isn't enough to dissuade you from buying this worthless piece of garbage, then check this out: the movie has been formatted to 1.85.1 instead of the 2.35.1 so you don't even get the entire picture. What a travesty! Please don't buy this DVD.

I bought this DVD last year after having seen this movie many years ago on TV. I'm a big fan of Monty Clift and Liz Taylor and always loved this movie. But...this is an awful DVD copy. Looks like it was copied off of TV. I should have paid closer attention to the other reviews here on Amazon. Maybe someday a decent version of this will be released. It's definetly not this one.

This DVD was of the poorest quality I have ever seen. It came in two disc, one in an Asian language and the other in English. It is a shame what was done two this classic film. I could not watch it for more than a half hour if that long because of the bluriness and poor color quality. I don't know where the seller got this piece of junk from. I will be mindful never to purchase from this seller again.

I love this movie and was lookin forward to seeing it again. The picture was of poor quality and would not play to even the end of the first DVD. I am 74 yrs. old and don't need this stress, when I have had such good luck with Amazon---not so with some of the other providers. Would like my money back or a new copy. Thank you.
Christy Watenpaugh

Hard to know what to say about this less-than-stellar import DVD. The movie is a problematical and often entertaining adaptation of Ross Lockridge's lyrical, metaphorical novel. Perhaps any film version of the elegantly poetic book would be a compromise, but "Raintree County" seems to suffer from a kind of curious detachment from the material. Elizabeth Taylor is fine, Montgomery Clift may have not been able to deliver what was needed due to his serious car accident midway into production, and the supporting players (like the terrific Lee Marvin) steal the show.
The DVd version currently available is poor: the image has been cropped to approximately 1:85-1, certainly not the wide vista of MGM's highly-touted "Camera 65" (whose credit has been cut from the opening titles, by the way) and the print looks as if it may have been transferred from a VHS copy. For purists, I'd say stay away and wait for a better transfer. There are no overtures here, no intermission titles, and no features like documentaries: this film could have used them, and some commentary. For others, such as those who have fond memories of the movie from theaters, or for those who just need their "Raintree" fix every few months or so, then go ahead: it's an acceptable way to see the movie, and will likely be the only available format for the time being. If another version is due, I'll update this review.

This is a cheap copy of a pretty good movie. I should have noticed the Chinese writting on the front of the movie cover. Attempted to play on several DVD players...did not work. Will be returning soon!

I've been searching for this movie for a long time. The story is very good, but the quality of the DVD was not. It consisted of 2 discs, and midway through the first one, the disc started sticking. We tried everything we could to make it play, but we were unsuccessful. Disc two worked fine, but if I had know it wasn't an American DVD, I would not have ordered it. I was glad it had subtitles, but the words are garbled. All in all, I was very disappointed with the product.