Customer Reviews

The Rains Of Ranchipur

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

 

 

Remake of THE RAINS CAME (1939), which I haven't seen. I wanted to like this big Cinemascope soaper, and it started off promisingly with some acrid scenes between Lana Turner and her titled hubby Michael Rennie. Eugenie Leontovich--one of those *Big* *Theater* *Name*-types I've never heard of, who deigned to make only a tiny smattering of films--was quite good as the Maharani. Unfortunately, there was no chemistry at all b/w Lana Turner and (brownfaced) Richard Burton; she evidently couldn't stand him and it shows. Their scenes weren't bad enough to be campy either, just sort of....there. The fatal blow was too much screen time devoted to a sidestory of Fred MacMurray as a cynical drunk who's pursued by a "college-aged" (but looked 30) daughter of missionaries. Both original and remake titles emphasize "the rains", but it's an earthquake and dam burst that causes the 3rd act havoc here; the model work is good but the blue-screen is muddy w/ that annoying shimmery blue border. A yawn. 4/10

Oh, this is a lot of fun. An old fashioned, big star movie, a melodrama in Old India or thereabouts, somewhere around Hollywood anyway. Nice color, big stars, a dam break, an earthquake, an illicit romance, a few old fashioned special effects, and no CGI. If only it were available on DVD. Your family will enjoy it.

If you find adultery entertaining, or you want to see Richard Burton smeared in semi blackface you might like this one. It plays like a Hemingway story lots of philosophysing about nearly everything. The high point of the movie is the earthquake during the monsoon. A dam above Rancipur breaks creating and interesting situation. If it were not for that, this would be a hilarious bore. Not exactly family entertainment.