Product Details

• Actors: Sammi Davis, Amanda Donohoe, Paul McGann, Christopher Gable, David Hemmings
• Directors: Ken Russell
• Writers: Ken Russell, D.H. Lawrence, Vivian Russell
• Producers: Ken Russell, Dan Ireland, Jeremy Bolt, Ronaldo Vasconcellos
• Format: PAL
• Region: Region 2 (Read more about DVD formats.)
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Run Time: 113 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005AVWE
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #76,641 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "The Rainbow [Region 2]" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), SPECIAL FEATURES: Filmographies, Interactive Menu, Scene Access, Trailer(s), SYNOPSIS: Director Ken Russell returns to the D.H. Lawrence territory that had earlier served him well in Women in Love. Sammi Davis plays Lawrence's Welsh heroine Ursula Brangwen, daughter of a wealthy mine owner, who is first seen as a child given to literally chasing rainbows. Disappointed that she can never have the real thing, the older Davis seeks out figurative rainbows in the form of sexual fulfillment. Neither heterosexual nor homosexual affairs fully satisfy Davis, because no one lover can match the 'ideal' the girl has created in her imagination. Davis' disappointment in the world is paralleled with the sorry lot of the wives of the local coal miners, who have adapted to their lives--something Davis can never do, will never do. Stately despite its raw subject matter, The Rainbow was filmed just before Russell's outrageous sword-and-sorcery fantasy Lair of the White Worm; since both films utilize many of the same cast members, the two pictures might make an astonishing double feature.
SCREENED/AWARDED AT: Moscow International Film Festival, ...The Rainbow

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting D.H. Lawrence adaptation, December 14, 2005

By 

Bomojaz (South Central PA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rainbow [Region 2] (DVD)

An interesting adaptation of part of the D.H. Lawrence novel of the same title. Sammi Davis plays Ursala, the young woman who is eager to experience Life. One wishes for more depth of passion from this woman than we get here (her whiny voice is a definite negative), but the Lawrence themes of love, marriage, and personal freedom are presented in an interesting way.

Lawrence's book is long and thorough; director Ken Russell errs by merely touching upon certain themes that were more fully explored in the book (the miners, for instance, and the war) and then letting them drop. It also ends abruptly with Davis chasing the rainbow. The movie lacks depth of feeling and intelligence, but it's well photographed and the whole thing might be closer to Lawrence than we'd like to admit.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good adaptation of D.H. Lawrence, December 26, 2009

By 

BWANA (Rotten Apple) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Rainbow [Region 2] (DVD)

A little too much emphasis on the saphic subplot but otherwise fairly good as adaptations of Lawrence's work.

3.0 out of 5 stars KEN RUSSELL SAID: "THIS IS MY BEST FILM" WHY?, December 11, 2011

By 

Robin Simmons (Palm Springs area, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Rainbow (Amazon Instant Video)

Adapted from D. H. Lawrence's novel, this is really a prequel to the Lawrence novel WOMEN IN LOVE that Russell directed two decades earlier. Interestingly, Glenda Jackson plays the mother of the character she portrayed in the previous film. It's rather muddled drama, nowhere near the artistry of Russell's earlier adaptation, even with its nudity and central lesbian affair. This film is not yet available on home video in the USA. Strangely, Russell is said to have considered this his best film.