Customer Reviews

The Rainmaker

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Bill Starbuck (Burt Lancaster) is a charlatan selling multi-flavored hopes of fulfilled dreams. Take your pick: early-warning tornado devices or cumulous nimbus over drought stricken cattle. It requires more than animated gestures and wild stories to satisfy the matrimonial desires of aging Lizzie Curry (Katherine Hepburn). Their paths cross in the Southwest as THE RAINMAKER promises thunder to the Curry family of hopefuls and hopeless.

At 49 - just six years older than Lancaster, Hepburn appears old enough to be mother to her theatrical siblings - a mistaken assumption expressed by daffy brother Jim (Earl Holliman) when he remarks how wonderful it would be for her to conceive a child so he could have a little brother. Nevertheless, the vigorous passion of this Old Maid desiring change without changing well compliments the undesputed Star - buck. From the moment he enters a scene, Lancaster steals the show with prolific lines of what Hepburn shamelessly labels "bunk."

The smile that overcomes me when the film begins is frequently interrupted by tears of joy and thunderous outbursts of laughter. I love it when a DVD investment pays off this well. Put your faith in THE RAINMAKER.

Movie quote: "Rain is rain, brother. It comes from the sky. It's a wetness known as water - 'aqua pura.' Mammals drink it. Fish swim in it. Little boys wade in it. And the birds flap their wings and sing like sunrise. Water! I recommend it."

Everytime this movie came on T.V. I watched. Then I decided I might as well get it for myself. I am thrilled I did. The look, the sound - all are great. Very pleased.

I first saw this film when I was 10, and fell instantly in love with Burt Lancaster. His enthusiasm, amazing smile and sheer energy make this story a joy to watch. Katherine Hepburn always struck me as a little too old for the part, but she is so good that you can't imagine anyone else playing Lizzie. When I saw Burt Lancaster later in Elmer Gantry, I was stuck by the likeness to his character Starbuck in The Rainmaker; Starbuck is a sweeter, less manipulative charater than Gantry. The Rainmaker is set in a western town suffering from a drought; into the town comes Starbuck, a seller of hope in the form of a promise to make it rain. He meets Lizzie, an "old maid" who longs for a man to love her, and the promise of children and security this brings. This is a very sweet story; while I could not understand Lizzie's final choice when I was younger, now I can see what she wanted and why she made the decision she did. This is a charming film, and it is lovely to see it looking to clear and bright on DVD.

Behold "The Rainmaker" with Katherine Hepburn and Burt Lancaster. As in a fairy tale, a magician (or snake-oil salesman) arrives in a town beset by drought and encounters a family suffering from an emotional drought. He restores vitality all around by asserting that hope and vitality are the true nature and condition of life.


"The Rainmaker" is another "stagey" film. Oddly, a Western with automobiles and telephones, it also has Starbuck--a fast-talking con-man who travels from town to town sensing what the populace needs like a dowser searching for water, escaping the law before they realize he hasn't delivered it. He encounters a town that was "The most prosperous around (until the drought hit.") Sizing up the situation, he quickly a finds a family suffering from an emotional drought. The Father's spiritual leadership has been supplanted by his eldest son's heartless commom-sense practicality that is crushing his rambunctious kid-brother and his "plain" spinster-sister.

Starbuck's arrival disrupts the family and creates an uproar. Kid brother and plain sister revolt, father re-asserts his moral authority, the deputy sherrif (sister's reluctant suitor) breaks the confines of his emotional cocoon (another drought image?) vitality is inevitably returned to the people and their plagued world, and Starbuck himself finds that thing within himself that he's always been looking for. A Helluva 24 hours on a ranch in the early 1900's.

It plays like an opera: dramatic, funny, poigniant, and wise. And it's a Greek tragedy: pestilence and plague, the decline of a monarch, rebelion amongst the family, a young soldier forced to take a bold stand--and, of course, Starbuck-- a wizard, a god, a force of nature reminding the world and its inhabitants where and who they are.

On a drought-plagued farm somewhere in the southwest, spinster Lizzy Curry (Katharine Hepburn) has finally given up on ever being married, although her family wants to make one last effort with File (Wendell Corey), the local lawman. Into their lives comes the fast talking con man Starbuck (Burt Lancaster), who promises that he can make it rain for $100. More importantly, he can see the con job that Lizzy has played on herself and before he rides out of town he will have redeemed not only the shy spinster but himself.

Katharine Hepburn was well into her period of playing spinsters by the time she made this 1956 film with Burt Lancaster. The idea of Hepburn and Lancaster making a film together is interesting since they had totally different approaches to the acting craft. Hepburn would have the entire script memorized before shooting began whereas Lancaster preferred to learn his lines the night before. This is one of those films where the Bryn Mawr accent of the leading actress works against the character, but then the whole idea of Hepburn playing a rube--with costumes by Edith Head no less--is a bit of a stretch to start. Lancaster really sinks his teeth into the role of the charming mountebank Starbuck. Cameron Prud'Homme, Earl Hollliman and Lloyd Bridges play Lizzy's worried father and brothers, and it is they who really give the film its sense of life out on the farm more than the sets and scenery.

Based on N. Richard Nash's play, the film was directed by Joseph Anthony, who had directed the stage version starring Geraldine Page (presumably an attempt to duplicate the success of Elia Kazan in moving from Broadway to Hollywood). The story is still produced by community theaters as the musical "110 in the Shade." Hepburn received her seventh Oscar nomination for Best Actress for "The Rainmaker" (the winner that year was Ingrid Bergman for "Anastasia"), but the role of Lizzy Curry is not one of best performances. Certainly Lizzy is becoming desperate, but Hepburn gives those scenes too much of an edge. In her earlier films this worked quite well, most notably in "Alice Adams," but in as a mature actress Hepburn was much more successful in underplaying the desperation of her spinster characters, as such did superbly the previous year in "Summertime." This may well be one of those regards in which it is simply difficult to separate the actress from the role. However, in her strongest scenes she certainly brings dignity to the frightened spinster, and in the end you understand why she would actually pick Wendell Corey over Burt Lancaster.

The story is now a bit stale, but this film is more than the sum of its parts.
The exterior sets are transparently artificial, and Ms Hepburn played another variation on her patented spinster role (see also The African Queen, The Corn is Green, Rooster Cogburn, Summertime, etc). Her acting range is better exhibited in "The Lion in Winter" or "Bringing Up Baby." Burt Lancaster also played his charlatan/con man role on other occasions (see Elmer Gantry.)

The writing (adapted by the author from his play) was excellent; contrived in plot yes (and remarkably similar to "The Music Man" in story), but surprisingly moving, intelligent and even free-thinking for its time--here's a father who encourages his daughter to become a "fallen woman". The original play "The Rainmaker" was adapted into the lovely musical "110 in the Shade" which is currently (June 2007) being revived on Broadway with the fabulous Audra McDonald. The film has comedy of a sort, personal drama, and a scene with Ms Hepburn's Lizzie in which she predicts her old-maid future that brought tears to my eyes. THAT's where her acting shines through. The ending has an unconventional twist.

Unfortunately there are no special features on this DVD; I would love to know what the actors thought of this film.

Katherine Hepburn really plays it up as an old maid trying to repel the the jesting, jabbing, goading of her male family members in an effort to get her to find a man and marry. A part of her is content to remain the way she is--that is until she tastes the magic of the Rainmaker, played by Burt Lancaster. His very presence on the scene awakens pent up longings. Burt is perfect in his part, and they are perfect together. The family has paid the traveling rainmaker to produce rain for their crops and livestock. He chants and raves spouting beautiful oratory in order to conjure up the rain. When they start to believe that he is just another traveling con man, the thunder starts to roll as his rainmaker wagon is rolling off their ranch. He earns the money for the rain he promised them, and our old maid will never be the same again. The rainmaker has taught her something about taking risks during his stay. He has taught her to dare to dream, to believe in miracles. This is a great movie. Mainly to watch the Rainmaker weave his spell through the beautiful, emotional voice of Burt Lancaster.

Katherine Hepburn stars as Lizzie, a woman who is well on her way to being a spinster. Her father and two brothers are trying their best to get her married off before it's too late, but time is running out, and unfortunately, Hepburn is too serious and not "flirty" enough to be able to land a man. Into this situation walks Burt Lancaster, a con man who claims that for $100 he can end the drought that is another worry for them. Everyone knows it is a con, but much like the problem with Hepburn, they hold onto anything that might give them hope. Lancaster gives a florid performance as the charismatic huckster. Sometimes he's a little over-ripe, but he definitely leaves an impression. Hepburn never completely captures her character, although she does have some terrific moments. Earl Holliman as her rowdy younger brother scores big with this performance, offering some of the films most amusing bits. The Rainmaker was adapted from a stage play, and you can see its stage origins, where I suspect it probably comes across better. The film is good, although I wouldn't rate it as highly as many of the other films featuring these stars.

This movie would have been a better start for Elvis than Love Me Tender. Elvis did a screen test playing a couple of scenes from The Rainmaker and even said in an interview that The Rainmaker would be his movie debut. A journalist who attended the screen test was very impressed with Elvis' acting, but alas... As for the actors who did play in the movie, they are all great. Lancaster's and Hepburne's acting is at times more suitable for a theatrical stage, but then the setting of the movie, especially the interior of the house does have that atmosphere. An unforgettable movie!

Excellent movie & story. Any fans of Lancaster & Hepburn will want this. If you loved Elmer Gantry, you'll love The Rainmaker.