Product Details

• Actors: James Caan, Shirley Knight, Robert Duvall, Marya Zimmet, Tom Aldredge
• Directors: Francis Ford Coppola
• Writers: Francis Ford Coppola
• Producers: Bart Patton, George Lucas, Mona Skager, Ronald Colby
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• VHS Release Date: January 1, 1998
• Run Time: 101 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6300268543
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #7,129 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Unjustly Forgotten Classic, February 25, 2000

By	Kevin L. Nenstiel "omnivore" (Kearney, Nebraska) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This movie isn't without its faults -- find me one that isn't -- but as one of the earliest movies about a woman taking her life into her own hands, it stands as one of the all-time greats. Compare this to the much better known "Thelma and Louise," in which two women, merely bored, take off on their own and wreak a path of destruction for no other purpose than to prove they can. By contrast, Shirley Knight's character is suffering real and believable angst for a concrete purpose, and actually does something about it. Even minor characters are three-dimensional, and it's interesting to see James Caan and Robert Duvall before they settle into the predictable stock roles that continue to dominate their careers. Watch the credits closely -- this was one of George Lucas' first movies.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Overlooked early Coppola effort, December 18, 1999

By	B. Holen (Minot, ND) - See all my reviews

A brilliant character study of a pregnant woman who runs out on her husband and hits the road with no destination in mind. Years ahead of its time with its feminist viewpoint, this early Coppola film is sadly one of his least viewed. Shirley Knight is excellent as the troubled woman and James Caan is perfect as killer, a brain damaged ex-football player who Knight ends up befriending. The Rain People is a good example of 70's cinema when characters mattered more than special effects or action-packed plots.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Devastating portrayal of freedom and responsibility, December 23, 2005

By	Bomojaz (South Central PA, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Shirley Knight plays a young Long Island housewife who finds herself pregnant and unsure she wants the child. She bolts out the door and hits the road in a station wagon. She feels trapped in her life and decides to break out by picking up a hitchhiker, James Caan. He turns out to be a brain-damaged ex-football player who can hardly fend for himself. She feels responsible for him, can't dump him - so her bolt for freedom becomes a very real restraint on her life. That, of course, is the main point of the movie, which was written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola - a good theme for sure, and for the most part done well, despite our being hit over the head with it to make sure we get it.

Caan is excellent as the deadhead; Knight is good, too, but hardly a sympathetic character. This was one of the first of many movies about women questioning their roles in society, and one of the better ones because of its emphasis on responsibility. The ending is shattering and ironic, with Caan dying in Knight's arms after trying to "save" her from what he thinks is an attack on her by a cop (played by Robert Duvall). The movie has sticking power and does not evaporate from the mind like many movies do.