Made the year of the really great movies of the Golden Years of Hollywood, "The Rains Came" was a quite remarkable achievement in 1939 - the photography and Special Effects (Flood and Earthquake) were extremely well done, and stand up quite well today. It was made in an era where Stars were the keys to a movie's success, and Fox brought together some big names for this Blockbuster. Heading the Cast is Tyrone Power as Major Safti, and he is perfect for the role, while Myrna Loy as Lady Esketh is well cast. George Brent had his best role ever, and the supporting cast included such gems as Maria Ouspenskaya, Nigel Bruce, Jane Darwell, Henry Travers and Joseph Shildkraut and believe me , these people do so much in adding to the quality of this film. The difference between Indian and Western cultures during the period of the Raj was well captured, and altogether moves along at a good pace, and makes for excellent entertainment.
47 Reviews
The rains came and came again
tomsview8 May 2018
One weekend (it was raining), I watched 1939's "The Rains Came" and then the remake, 1955's "The Rains of Ranchipur".
"The Rains Came" is a story of redemption. Tom Ransome (George Brent) is slowly dissipating in the pre-independence Indian kingdom of Ranchipur when his decline is interrupted by the arrival of a former lover, Edwina (Myrna Loy). Now married to the elderly Lord Esketh (Nigel Bruce) Edwina is restless and bored.
She sets out to seduce Tom's friend, Indian doctor, Rama Safti (Tyrone Power), however she ends up falling in love with him. This disturbs the Maharani of Ranchipur who sees Safti as a future ruler of the kingdom, Then the rains come destroying much of Ranchipur and bringing out hidden depths of character in Tom and Edwina.
The 1939 version is a moody, artistic looking film. Myrna Loy is photographed with luminous close-ups and lighting accentuating cheekbones and lips. There is none of that for Lana Turner as Edwina in the newer version. Instead the Cinemascope process delivered static, overlit scenes that distanced us from the actors.
George Brent was always low-key, but it's what the role needed. Fred MacMurray played the same part in the later movie and his delivery suffered in comparison.
Richard Burton wears Safti's turban in "The Rains of Ranchipur". However it's not a good fit; he projects somewhat of a neurotic edge; it's hard to believe the passion he arouses in Edwina. On the other hand, Tyrone Power's calm demeanour and serenity in "The Rains Came" only enhanced his charisma.
Burton was not entirely to blame; he is required to spout volumes of sanctimonious drivel in his scenes with Turner. Things had changed in India and the script needed updating, however where a look said a lot in the "The Rains Came", the characters in "Ranchipur" say it.
The only character enhanced in "Rains" Mk II is Michael Rennie's Lord Esketh. It's a more intelligent characterisation than Nigel Bruce's blustering stereotype. The remake features location footage but it's not enough to elevate it above bland interiors and unbelievable characters.
Finally I was surprised at how good the first version is, but also surprised at how much the second one missed the mark.
"The Rains Came" is a story of redemption. Tom Ransome (George Brent) is slowly dissipating in the pre-independence Indian kingdom of Ranchipur when his decline is interrupted by the arrival of a former lover, Edwina (Myrna Loy). Now married to the elderly Lord Esketh (Nigel Bruce) Edwina is restless and bored.
She sets out to seduce Tom's friend, Indian doctor, Rama Safti (Tyrone Power), however she ends up falling in love with him. This disturbs the Maharani of Ranchipur who sees Safti as a future ruler of the kingdom, Then the rains come destroying much of Ranchipur and bringing out hidden depths of character in Tom and Edwina.
The 1939 version is a moody, artistic looking film. Myrna Loy is photographed with luminous close-ups and lighting accentuating cheekbones and lips. There is none of that for Lana Turner as Edwina in the newer version. Instead the Cinemascope process delivered static, overlit scenes that distanced us from the actors.
George Brent was always low-key, but it's what the role needed. Fred MacMurray played the same part in the later movie and his delivery suffered in comparison.
Richard Burton wears Safti's turban in "The Rains of Ranchipur". However it's not a good fit; he projects somewhat of a neurotic edge; it's hard to believe the passion he arouses in Edwina. On the other hand, Tyrone Power's calm demeanour and serenity in "The Rains Came" only enhanced his charisma.
Burton was not entirely to blame; he is required to spout volumes of sanctimonious drivel in his scenes with Turner. Things had changed in India and the script needed updating, however where a look said a lot in the "The Rains Came", the characters in "Ranchipur" say it.
The only character enhanced in "Rains" Mk II is Michael Rennie's Lord Esketh. It's a more intelligent characterisation than Nigel Bruce's blustering stereotype. The remake features location footage but it's not enough to elevate it above bland interiors and unbelievable characters.
Finally I was surprised at how good the first version is, but also surprised at how much the second one missed the mark.
amazing special effects, okay story
planktonrules26 March 2006
This movie has, for its time, amazing special effects for the flood scene. To let you know HOW amazing the effects were, in this category, THE RAINS CAME beat out GONE WITH THE WIND and its amazing burning of Atlanta! It was THAT good and worth seeing just for this segment. As for the rest of the story, it's okay--not great. It reminds me a lot of the movie JEZEBEL--completed just a year earlier. Both feature a female lead who is spoiled but who eventually prove themselves and both end up with similar fates. George Brent is excellent though it's odd to see Tyrone Power in the role of an Indian--with no trace of an Indian accent! Mr. Power does NOT do a whole lot to impress the audience with his acting range, but he looks nice in a suit. All in all, the story seems a tad familiar and pretty ordinary, but certainly not bad.
First film experience.
weneirate24 February 2006
I was eight years old when I saw this movie. It was the first movie I remember seeing. My mother says that initially I refused to go into the movie theater because it was a dark, and to me, forbidding place. Once inside, however, I didn't want to leave. I have never seen the movie since, but the images of flooding and sick people under mosquito nets are as vivid to me as if I had seen it yesterday. I also have memories of being put through an emotional wringer by the film, thinking it was "real" and crying at the death and destruction it portrayed. The total effect was to hook me on movies for good and I could hardly wait to get back into that dark, engrossing place.
Raintree beauty
TheLittleSongbird7 August 2020
There was quite a lot to want to see 'The Rains Came'. Beautiful source material, with Louis Bromfield's source material being a great read. Clarence Brown as director, while he was not a consistent director and not all his films were great or even good at his best he was great. The cast is a very talented one, George Brent has always been one of those take or leave actors for me but Tyrone Power did prove more than once that with the right material he could act and Myrna Loy is always watchable.
While not a great film, and one of those films that may be easy to criticise for some, 'The Rains Came' to me was actually not bad at all and has a lot to recommend. Quite the opposite of bad really in my view, it is easy to see why some may not and do not like 'The Rains Came' but it is just as easy to see why others may like and do like it. It is easy perhaps to see why it is overlooked, considering that it was released in such an iconic year in film history.
It is by no means a perfect film. The story is not always involving, with the Brenda Joyce subplot and role being underdeveloped, at times tedious and at times silly and there are scenes that veer on the overwrought.
A lot of the dialogue is very soapy and talk-heavy and could have gone into a lot more depth and had more nuance. Personally found Power miscast, have made it clear many times about having nothing against him but he looks out of place, is rather bland and a few of his later scenes are overacted.
However, Brent to me was just great and gives one of his best performances. Was not expecting him to be this noble or commanding, things he not always was and he is a good deal more relaxed than usual. Loy is class and sensuality personified, nothing melodramatic or sickly sweet here which were things considering the role she could have been. Her chemistry with Power fares a lot better and is the far more interesting of the subplots. Nigel Bruce has a ball as an unusually repellent character, never did he have a character this loathsome and he relishes it. Maria Ouspenskaya has a brave character worth identifying with and she brings scene stealing dignity to it. Most of the cast are very good actually, only Power to me didn't work.
Clarence Brown's direction didn't bowl me over but enough of it is sensitive and forceful. Alfred Newman's score is beautiful and stirring. 'The Rains Came' is a great looking film, with exotic scenery and quite stunning photography at its best. The best thing about the film is the special effects, which are still astonishing today and unlike anything seen in any film at this point in film history. Flood special effects have possibly never been equalled.
Overall, worth the look but didn't quite come together for me. 6/10
While not a great film, and one of those films that may be easy to criticise for some, 'The Rains Came' to me was actually not bad at all and has a lot to recommend. Quite the opposite of bad really in my view, it is easy to see why some may not and do not like 'The Rains Came' but it is just as easy to see why others may like and do like it. It is easy perhaps to see why it is overlooked, considering that it was released in such an iconic year in film history.
It is by no means a perfect film. The story is not always involving, with the Brenda Joyce subplot and role being underdeveloped, at times tedious and at times silly and there are scenes that veer on the overwrought.
A lot of the dialogue is very soapy and talk-heavy and could have gone into a lot more depth and had more nuance. Personally found Power miscast, have made it clear many times about having nothing against him but he looks out of place, is rather bland and a few of his later scenes are overacted.
However, Brent to me was just great and gives one of his best performances. Was not expecting him to be this noble or commanding, things he not always was and he is a good deal more relaxed than usual. Loy is class and sensuality personified, nothing melodramatic or sickly sweet here which were things considering the role she could have been. Her chemistry with Power fares a lot better and is the far more interesting of the subplots. Nigel Bruce has a ball as an unusually repellent character, never did he have a character this loathsome and he relishes it. Maria Ouspenskaya has a brave character worth identifying with and she brings scene stealing dignity to it. Most of the cast are very good actually, only Power to me didn't work.
Clarence Brown's direction didn't bowl me over but enough of it is sensitive and forceful. Alfred Newman's score is beautiful and stirring. 'The Rains Came' is a great looking film, with exotic scenery and quite stunning photography at its best. The best thing about the film is the special effects, which are still astonishing today and unlike anything seen in any film at this point in film history. Flood special effects have possibly never been equalled.
Overall, worth the look but didn't quite come together for me. 6/10
Old-Fashioned Exotic Melodrama with a Smoldering Loy and Special Effects That Still Impress
EUyeshima31 July 2009
In the same high-watermark year that saw the burning of Atlanta in "Gone With the Wind" and Dorothy's house spinning perilously in a tornado in "The Wizard of Oz", this little-seen 1939 romantic melodrama won the first Oscar ever awarded to a film for Best Special Effects. Seventy years later, the earthquake-to-flood sequence still holds up impressively, even in the age of CGI programming with a surprisingly seamless combination of models, mattes and huge dump tanks. The artistry of Fox effects whiz Fred Sersen's work is worth slogging through the first fifty minutes of archaic set-up. Directed by MGM veteran Clarence Brown ("The Yearling"), the story would appear to have the makings of a romantic triangle given the three leads, but it actually consists of two contrasting love stories.
Set in colonial India at its most exotic (although filmed entirely on the studio back lot), one thread centers on Tom Ransome, an aging, alcoholic British playboy pursued by Fern Simon, the love-struck daughter of local missionaries. The other is the forbidden romance that develops between Lady Edwina Esketh, the adulterous British wife of a pompous horse breeder and Major Rama Safti, a Hindu doctor devoted to his homeland. The calamitous disaster obviously veers all four off course as they find themselves re-evaluating their feelings for one another until fate steps in and decides for them. The second love story is obviously a metaphor for the diminishing hold Britain had on India in the years prior to Mahatma Gandhi's rise as the leader of the burgeoning republic. However, the May-December romance between Ransome and Fern initially follows a "Lolita"-esque course that offsets the balance of the film. Course correction comes with the unusually well-cast principals.
Usually playing warm-hearted wives both scrappy ("The Thin Man") and noble ("The Best Years of Our Lives"), Myrna Loy surprises with a sexy, assured performance as Lady Edwina. She cuts a diaphanous figure as a voracious temptress and transitions convincingly to a woman desperate for moral redemption. It's a shame Loy had so few opportunities to show this uncensored side of her talent. Ridiculously handsome, Tyrone Power doesn't look remotely Indian even with a turban and constant tan. During the matinée idol phase of his career, he lacked depth and nuance, for example, take note of his embarrassing bad breakdown scene late in the film. However, he is obviously here for eye candy, and Loy's lustful glances are well justified in this regard.
Perhaps because he is not playing opposite the vivid fieriness of constant co-star Bette Davis ("Dark Victory"), the usually bland George Brent is terrifically engaging as Ransome. I have to admit his witty banter with Loy held my interest far more than the concealed passion between her and Power. For better or worse, Brenda Joyce brings a strangely off-kilter dimension to Fran. Several great recognizable character actors fill the supporting parts, a few playing purely Hollywood versions of exotics - Jane Darwell, Henry Travers, H.B. Warner, Marjorie Rambeau, Joseph Schildkraut – though none makes a more vivid impression than Maria Ouspenskaya ("Dodsworth", "Love Affair") as the worldly wise Maharani with her dangling cigarette holder. The print transfer on the 2005 Fox Studios Classic DVD is impressively pristine. There is a chatty commentary track from film aficionados Anthony Slide and Robert S. Birchard, a gallery of stills, and the original theatrical trailer.
Set in colonial India at its most exotic (although filmed entirely on the studio back lot), one thread centers on Tom Ransome, an aging, alcoholic British playboy pursued by Fern Simon, the love-struck daughter of local missionaries. The other is the forbidden romance that develops between Lady Edwina Esketh, the adulterous British wife of a pompous horse breeder and Major Rama Safti, a Hindu doctor devoted to his homeland. The calamitous disaster obviously veers all four off course as they find themselves re-evaluating their feelings for one another until fate steps in and decides for them. The second love story is obviously a metaphor for the diminishing hold Britain had on India in the years prior to Mahatma Gandhi's rise as the leader of the burgeoning republic. However, the May-December romance between Ransome and Fern initially follows a "Lolita"-esque course that offsets the balance of the film. Course correction comes with the unusually well-cast principals.
Usually playing warm-hearted wives both scrappy ("The Thin Man") and noble ("The Best Years of Our Lives"), Myrna Loy surprises with a sexy, assured performance as Lady Edwina. She cuts a diaphanous figure as a voracious temptress and transitions convincingly to a woman desperate for moral redemption. It's a shame Loy had so few opportunities to show this uncensored side of her talent. Ridiculously handsome, Tyrone Power doesn't look remotely Indian even with a turban and constant tan. During the matinée idol phase of his career, he lacked depth and nuance, for example, take note of his embarrassing bad breakdown scene late in the film. However, he is obviously here for eye candy, and Loy's lustful glances are well justified in this regard.
Perhaps because he is not playing opposite the vivid fieriness of constant co-star Bette Davis ("Dark Victory"), the usually bland George Brent is terrifically engaging as Ransome. I have to admit his witty banter with Loy held my interest far more than the concealed passion between her and Power. For better or worse, Brenda Joyce brings a strangely off-kilter dimension to Fran. Several great recognizable character actors fill the supporting parts, a few playing purely Hollywood versions of exotics - Jane Darwell, Henry Travers, H.B. Warner, Marjorie Rambeau, Joseph Schildkraut – though none makes a more vivid impression than Maria Ouspenskaya ("Dodsworth", "Love Affair") as the worldly wise Maharani with her dangling cigarette holder. The print transfer on the 2005 Fox Studios Classic DVD is impressively pristine. There is a chatty commentary track from film aficionados Anthony Slide and Robert S. Birchard, a gallery of stills, and the original theatrical trailer.
WHEN EMOTIONS & MOTHER NATURE COLLIDE...!
masonfisk28 March 2019
A melodrama starring Tyrone Power, Myrna Loy & George Brent as a love triangle set in India during the rainy season. Brent is an expat wasting his time as a drunk in the sweltering heat going from party to party feeding into his reputation as a ladies man of ill-repute, Power (in charcoal face) is his friend & doctor to the local masses & Loy is a recent unhappy arrival married to a businessman more at home verbally abusing his valet than accepting the situation he finds himself in. When a torrential rain storm hits (hence the title of this piece) followed by an earthquake (talk about continued & sustained bad luck!) the populace unites to pool whatever resources they can to help one another. Pretty good w/the situations of the soap opera variety keeping this stew of emotions near the boiling point.
Magnificent adaptation of Bromfield
blanche-226 October 2005
Incredible special effects, a solid story, beautiful directing, and marvelous acting are the highlights of "The Rains Came," another movie from that famous year in film-making, 1939. Its stars are Tyrone Power, Myrna Loy, George Brent, Brenda Joyce, and Maria Ouspenskaya. A bored Loy and her disagreeable wealthy older husband, portrayed by Nigel Bruce, are in Ranchipur, India when the rains and an earthquake hit. Loy, whose husband keeps a list of her lovers, once had a fling with Brent. Then she gets a gander at Power who plays Major Rama Safti, a doctor highly regarded by the rulers of Ranchipur. One look at him, and there's no sense in treading over old territory. Despite Power's apparent lack of interest, Loy falls madly in love with him, even volunteering at the hospital after the disaster.
I was completely captivated by this film, particularly in light of the recent Katrina horror. The flooding, the destroyed homes, demonstrated by brilliant special effects, the orphaned children, the need for volunteers, were all too familiar.
Two love stories go on during the rains - one between Brent and the lovely Fern, portrayed by Brenda Joyce, and the other between Power and Loy. Both romances are unbelievably tender - with very little actual physical contact shown.
Loy gives a compelling performance as a haughty, spoiled woman who is suddenly consumed by love. When I read the book, one thing I remember is that the character just screamed Lana Turner and sure enough, she did the role in the remake. But Loy makes it her own. The studios didn't like their leading men to do accents, so Power, in dark makeup as the "Copper Apollo" so described by Loy, has none. He is handsome as ever until one sees him without his turban. Then, in closeup, he describes to Loy how he came to love her, and his face is beyond breathtaking. His monologue is beautifully done, as is his essaying of the character's conflict of love versus responsibility. This is one of his finest performances, and no camera ever loved an actor like it did Tyrone Power. George Brent, usually not commanding enough, does fine under Brown's direction in his role as a man with no purpose in life who finally finds one. Tiny Maria Ouspenskaya gives a strong performance.
The only thing I didn't like was that Loy had to pay for her sins (i.e., slutty behavior) and of course, Brent did not.
Like the rains of Ranchipur, India, "The Rains Came" will sweep the viewer away. Highly recommended.
I was completely captivated by this film, particularly in light of the recent Katrina horror. The flooding, the destroyed homes, demonstrated by brilliant special effects, the orphaned children, the need for volunteers, were all too familiar.
Two love stories go on during the rains - one between Brent and the lovely Fern, portrayed by Brenda Joyce, and the other between Power and Loy. Both romances are unbelievably tender - with very little actual physical contact shown.
Loy gives a compelling performance as a haughty, spoiled woman who is suddenly consumed by love. When I read the book, one thing I remember is that the character just screamed Lana Turner and sure enough, she did the role in the remake. But Loy makes it her own. The studios didn't like their leading men to do accents, so Power, in dark makeup as the "Copper Apollo" so described by Loy, has none. He is handsome as ever until one sees him without his turban. Then, in closeup, he describes to Loy how he came to love her, and his face is beyond breathtaking. His monologue is beautifully done, as is his essaying of the character's conflict of love versus responsibility. This is one of his finest performances, and no camera ever loved an actor like it did Tyrone Power. George Brent, usually not commanding enough, does fine under Brown's direction in his role as a man with no purpose in life who finally finds one. Tiny Maria Ouspenskaya gives a strong performance.
The only thing I didn't like was that Loy had to pay for her sins (i.e., slutty behavior) and of course, Brent did not.
Like the rains of Ranchipur, India, "The Rains Came" will sweep the viewer away. Highly recommended.
Attractive drama about forbidden interracial romance between an Indian surgeon and a British aristocrat
ma-cortes2 February 2021
It is set in the marvellous India , in the mythical city of Ranchipur, there a married British woman : Myrna Loy living a loveless marriage to Nígel Bruce , then she reunites with her old flame : George Brent , a slacker and drunk aristocrat . But socialite Myrna chases extramarital love interests , one of them results to be a potential heir : Tyrone Power to the Maharaja throne and an expert surgeon too . When in Ranchipur takes a quake Myrna Loy aids the doctor in healing the wounded people .
This one results to be itself not much more than a transposition of "Hurricane" 1936 by John Ford with Dorothy Lamour and John Hall . This interesting film The Rains Came 1939 contains good feeling , emotion , self-sacrifice and redemption . Hightlights of the movie happen when an earthquake hits and brings major destruction in the city , made with excellent special effects. Being based and adapted from the Louis Bromfield best seller novel. Main and support cast are pretty well . Myrna Loy is fine as the socialite memsahib who has a long past of lovers . Tyrone Power is nice as a compassionate surgeon in tasteful brownface . Along with classic actor George Brent and other notorious secondaries as Nígel Bruce of Sherlock Holmes movies , Brenda Joyce of Tarzan films , Maria Ouspenskaya of Universal Terror , Henry Travers of It's wonderful life , Jane Darwell of John Ford films , Joseph Schildkraut , H.B Warner , among others . It had a redundant scope/colour remake , titled "Rains of Ranchipur" 1955 by Jean Negulesco with Richard Burton as an ulikely Hindu , Lana Turner , Fred McMurray , Joan Caufield.
It packs sensitive and stirring musical score by Alfred Newman. As well as superlative camerawork by Arthur Miller . This overrated motion picture was compellingly directed by Clarence Brown. He was a prestigious Hollywood filmmaker who made important movies , such as : "The Eagle, Flesh and devil, The Trail of 98, Anna Christie , Sadie Mckee , Anna Karenina , The Gorgeous Hussy , Idiot's Delight , Edison the Man, National Velvet, The Yearling , Intruder in the Dust" , among others . Rating : 7/10 . Better than average , hankies should be kept handy .
This one results to be itself not much more than a transposition of "Hurricane" 1936 by John Ford with Dorothy Lamour and John Hall . This interesting film The Rains Came 1939 contains good feeling , emotion , self-sacrifice and redemption . Hightlights of the movie happen when an earthquake hits and brings major destruction in the city , made with excellent special effects. Being based and adapted from the Louis Bromfield best seller novel. Main and support cast are pretty well . Myrna Loy is fine as the socialite memsahib who has a long past of lovers . Tyrone Power is nice as a compassionate surgeon in tasteful brownface . Along with classic actor George Brent and other notorious secondaries as Nígel Bruce of Sherlock Holmes movies , Brenda Joyce of Tarzan films , Maria Ouspenskaya of Universal Terror , Henry Travers of It's wonderful life , Jane Darwell of John Ford films , Joseph Schildkraut , H.B Warner , among others . It had a redundant scope/colour remake , titled "Rains of Ranchipur" 1955 by Jean Negulesco with Richard Burton as an ulikely Hindu , Lana Turner , Fred McMurray , Joan Caufield.
It packs sensitive and stirring musical score by Alfred Newman. As well as superlative camerawork by Arthur Miller . This overrated motion picture was compellingly directed by Clarence Brown. He was a prestigious Hollywood filmmaker who made important movies , such as : "The Eagle, Flesh and devil, The Trail of 98, Anna Christie , Sadie Mckee , Anna Karenina , The Gorgeous Hussy , Idiot's Delight , Edison the Man, National Velvet, The Yearling , Intruder in the Dust" , among others . Rating : 7/10 . Better than average , hankies should be kept handy .
American Perspective
bkoganbing6 March 2004
One of the unique things about this film is that for once a British Raj story is told not from a British point of view. It should never be forgotten that John Bromfield was an American. You would never see a character like Nigel Bruce in any British screenplay about the Raj. Of all the supporting players, he comes off best in what has to be the most unusual part in his career. For those used to seeing him as the ineffectual Dr. Watson in those Sherlock Holmes movies, playing the bigoted Lord Esketh is quite a switch.
Not until A Passage to India was filmed in the 80s was the Raj ever shown in a less than perfect light.
Ty Power is his usual noble self, the rest of the cast plays well. Twentieth Century Fox borrowed two big names from other studios, Myrna Loy from MGM and George Brent from Warner Brothers to support Power. Loy is Lady Esketh, a woman of the world, left pretty much to her own devices by her husband, decides Power would be a perfect boy toy for her. The part is a throwback to Loy's earlier days of playing mostly bad girls before The Thin Man.
Brent has a very nice role her as a man who's living a dissolute life himself in India, but really steps to the plate during the time of crisis when the flooding starts.
H.B. Warner and Maria Ouspenskaya play the rulers of Ranchipur, you will not forget Ouspenskaya easily. Nor will you forget first the cultured, than the wailing Joseph Schildkraut as Bannerjee. Today no producer could ever get away with casting all these occidental types as Indians, but they all do a fine job.
In the year of Gone With The Wind and all the Oscars it won, the one for Special Effects went to The Rains Came, beating out Gone With The Wind's burning of Atlanta. Judge for yourself if the Academy voters were right.
Not until A Passage to India was filmed in the 80s was the Raj ever shown in a less than perfect light.
Ty Power is his usual noble self, the rest of the cast plays well. Twentieth Century Fox borrowed two big names from other studios, Myrna Loy from MGM and George Brent from Warner Brothers to support Power. Loy is Lady Esketh, a woman of the world, left pretty much to her own devices by her husband, decides Power would be a perfect boy toy for her. The part is a throwback to Loy's earlier days of playing mostly bad girls before The Thin Man.
Brent has a very nice role her as a man who's living a dissolute life himself in India, but really steps to the plate during the time of crisis when the flooding starts.
H.B. Warner and Maria Ouspenskaya play the rulers of Ranchipur, you will not forget Ouspenskaya easily. Nor will you forget first the cultured, than the wailing Joseph Schildkraut as Bannerjee. Today no producer could ever get away with casting all these occidental types as Indians, but they all do a fine job.
In the year of Gone With The Wind and all the Oscars it won, the one for Special Effects went to The Rains Came, beating out Gone With The Wind's burning of Atlanta. Judge for yourself if the Academy voters were right.
An Indian story without Indian actors!
nassir_y22 May 2022
Even the Maharanee is a "Russian". While it is a good story and shows India in true light in 1939, however as an Indian I feel the makers of this movie had ignored the sentiments of the Indian viewers. If I was a Caucasian I would be ashamed! Tyrone Power - one of my favorite actors played a decent Indian doctor so I am willing to give a score of 5-6.
Powerful Filmization of Bromfield Novel
sobaok22 July 2001
Warning: Spoilers
I've watched this film over 20 times and never fail to be completely captivated by its power as film and the performances of the actors. The sets are opulent, yet capture the spirit and essence of colonial India in "transition". The photography and editing are excellent and create an exceptional tempo that carries all the interwoven emotional textures in the story. Myrna Loy as Lady Esketh gives what I consider to be the best performance of a actress. She completely captures the world-weary Lady Esketh and her re-discovery of spirit and soul she thought long lost. Her death scene is profound and touching. Tyrone Power is gorgeous as the "Copper Apollo" who brings Loy to "life". His conflict between loving Loy and the demands of his "duty" to Ranchipur India come across clearly in a subtle performance. The special effects won an oscar -- I believe the film was nominated for 7 oscars altogether. Why this film is over-looked is a mystery. 1939 was a big year and this film deserves more attention and acknowledgement. A wonderful score takes the emotions even deeper. I've read the book several times and this film definitely satisfies this reader.
Disaster strikes India
chris_gaskin1235 January 2006
The Rains Came is one of several disaster movies that were made in the 1930's and I found this quite good.
An aristocrat returns to India from America and he helps out some poor people in a village. He falls in love and then disaster strikes, first flooding after days of continuous heavy rain, an earthquake and then plague which kills many. He manages to survive all this though.
The special effects are quite good for the time and one of the best sequences is the dam bursting.
The cast includes Tyrone Power (The Mark of Zorro), George Brent (Dark Victory), Brenda Joyce (who went on to play Jane in some Tarzan movies), Myna Loy and a pre Dr Watson Nigel Bruce, who plays an ill tempered Lord.
This movie is worth a look at if you get the chance.
Rating: 3 stars out of 5.
An aristocrat returns to India from America and he helps out some poor people in a village. He falls in love and then disaster strikes, first flooding after days of continuous heavy rain, an earthquake and then plague which kills many. He manages to survive all this though.
The special effects are quite good for the time and one of the best sequences is the dam bursting.
The cast includes Tyrone Power (The Mark of Zorro), George Brent (Dark Victory), Brenda Joyce (who went on to play Jane in some Tarzan movies), Myna Loy and a pre Dr Watson Nigel Bruce, who plays an ill tempered Lord.
This movie is worth a look at if you get the chance.
Rating: 3 stars out of 5.
Love, disaster, melodrama, colonial India in the rains!
secondtake29 August 2011
The Rains Came (1939)
At first I thought this was a post-war movie, which would make it a post-Independence movie for India from the British. And since the story starts in 1938, the events would seem to lead to that huge turnover, told Hollywood style. That was fine with me.
But no, and even better. Instead we have a pure drama that happens to be set in troubled India. World War II isn't even a fact for the film or the filmmakers, so the colonial feeling is quite sincere, and easy to poke a little fun at. In fact, the movie begins by making clear the snobbery of the British ruling elite, the women who want only the finest friends and the men who want only their frivolous jobs. The natives, the Indians themselves, have only a small presence, and the two Indian leaders are played by non-Indians, as was unfortunately usual for Hollywood at the time.
The drama starts slowly, and even when Myrna Loy finally appears (and she is terrific enough to make an instant difference) the actual story still winds its slow way along. George Brent as the leading man always colors a film because he's easy going and likable to the point of calmness, which can easily become dullness. Still, he's rock steady and I like him. And Tyrone Power, who as the devastating good looks to upend things, is kept in a reserved and steady role, too, playing an Indian doctor with clearly British training. There is a fourth main character, more of a cliché of sorts but important to the story, an overly young blonde and naive girl just over eighteen who wants Brent in every way. And seems by the middle flood scenes to get him where he is best got.
Yes, this is a love melodrama set in steamy, rainy, exotic India. As a drama it's good, though lacking some kind of drive to make it chilling or weepy or whatever might send it over the top. But there are aspects here that are really exceptional. One of them is the stunning job on the earthquake and flood scenes. Special effects being completely physical back then, it's astonishing how realistic it all is. There is some back projection, but no retouching or double exposure that I could see, and no computer graphics of course, just elaborate models and slow motion to fool you about the scale of everything. But beyond the feat of pulling it off is just the aesthetic handling of movement and space as the world crumbles, literally.
The scenes that follow the devastation are in flood stage with continuing rain, and it's pretty good stuff. And of course there's something of a metaphor to it all, the outsiders (mostly British, but some Americans, who of course don't have quite the same classist attitudes) feel just how outside they are. There is always, for them, the possibility to just leave, and a few no doubt do, but mostly people knuckle down and help with the disaster relief. Loy has been bored and spoiled until now, and she helps at the hospital, partly to be with the searing doctor. And Brent ends up helping, too (which we expect--he's a good guy) and his young hanger-on sticks to his side, maturing quickly.
"The English are an odd people," the Indian maharani says, and nothing is more true. There they are, these colonialists, sticking it out through really awful times, helping and and suffering equally. Yes, they have pampered lives compared to the common person there, but it's no picnic, the heat and disease and hardship. Toward the end Brent persuades Power to rise up from his sadness. You were "...born in the darkness and filth that was India. You are India. A new India!" This is a movie about rising up in general, being better, forgetting differences and also forgetting selfishness.
The director Clarence Brown has a handful of really terrific films in his career, and this one shows why--it's subtle and beautiful and also a bit epic in its own way. It's also gorgeously filmed, from the devastation to the smallest intimacies, all under the eye of Arthur Miller, a legend in cinematography already, and with some classics to come as well. Although meant to be filmed without flashy distraction, it's handled with enormous grace and depth. It's classy and classic stuff. And the music is typically dramatic and scored to follow the action by another great, Alfred Newman.
The chilling and beautiful opening titles that melt off each page in a dripping wash give a clue of what is to follow, with an ominousness latent throughout. Then, toward the end, after surviving catastrophe, a simple mistake, and a realization that time is short, and the drama becomes a weepy tragedy. It doesn't get any better than that!
At first I thought this was a post-war movie, which would make it a post-Independence movie for India from the British. And since the story starts in 1938, the events would seem to lead to that huge turnover, told Hollywood style. That was fine with me.
But no, and even better. Instead we have a pure drama that happens to be set in troubled India. World War II isn't even a fact for the film or the filmmakers, so the colonial feeling is quite sincere, and easy to poke a little fun at. In fact, the movie begins by making clear the snobbery of the British ruling elite, the women who want only the finest friends and the men who want only their frivolous jobs. The natives, the Indians themselves, have only a small presence, and the two Indian leaders are played by non-Indians, as was unfortunately usual for Hollywood at the time.
The drama starts slowly, and even when Myrna Loy finally appears (and she is terrific enough to make an instant difference) the actual story still winds its slow way along. George Brent as the leading man always colors a film because he's easy going and likable to the point of calmness, which can easily become dullness. Still, he's rock steady and I like him. And Tyrone Power, who as the devastating good looks to upend things, is kept in a reserved and steady role, too, playing an Indian doctor with clearly British training. There is a fourth main character, more of a cliché of sorts but important to the story, an overly young blonde and naive girl just over eighteen who wants Brent in every way. And seems by the middle flood scenes to get him where he is best got.
Yes, this is a love melodrama set in steamy, rainy, exotic India. As a drama it's good, though lacking some kind of drive to make it chilling or weepy or whatever might send it over the top. But there are aspects here that are really exceptional. One of them is the stunning job on the earthquake and flood scenes. Special effects being completely physical back then, it's astonishing how realistic it all is. There is some back projection, but no retouching or double exposure that I could see, and no computer graphics of course, just elaborate models and slow motion to fool you about the scale of everything. But beyond the feat of pulling it off is just the aesthetic handling of movement and space as the world crumbles, literally.
The scenes that follow the devastation are in flood stage with continuing rain, and it's pretty good stuff. And of course there's something of a metaphor to it all, the outsiders (mostly British, but some Americans, who of course don't have quite the same classist attitudes) feel just how outside they are. There is always, for them, the possibility to just leave, and a few no doubt do, but mostly people knuckle down and help with the disaster relief. Loy has been bored and spoiled until now, and she helps at the hospital, partly to be with the searing doctor. And Brent ends up helping, too (which we expect--he's a good guy) and his young hanger-on sticks to his side, maturing quickly.
"The English are an odd people," the Indian maharani says, and nothing is more true. There they are, these colonialists, sticking it out through really awful times, helping and and suffering equally. Yes, they have pampered lives compared to the common person there, but it's no picnic, the heat and disease and hardship. Toward the end Brent persuades Power to rise up from his sadness. You were "...born in the darkness and filth that was India. You are India. A new India!" This is a movie about rising up in general, being better, forgetting differences and also forgetting selfishness.
The director Clarence Brown has a handful of really terrific films in his career, and this one shows why--it's subtle and beautiful and also a bit epic in its own way. It's also gorgeously filmed, from the devastation to the smallest intimacies, all under the eye of Arthur Miller, a legend in cinematography already, and with some classics to come as well. Although meant to be filmed without flashy distraction, it's handled with enormous grace and depth. It's classy and classic stuff. And the music is typically dramatic and scored to follow the action by another great, Alfred Newman.
The chilling and beautiful opening titles that melt off each page in a dripping wash give a clue of what is to follow, with an ominousness latent throughout. Then, toward the end, after surviving catastrophe, a simple mistake, and a realization that time is short, and the drama becomes a weepy tragedy. It doesn't get any better than that!
Colonial life, monsoon and romance
vampire_hounddog3 September 2020
In India, a colonial (George Brent) finds his gold digging former lover (Myrna Loy) has married to a wealthy older man (Nigel Bruce) who has bought a peerage, but she is in turn attracted to the future Mahrajah (Tyrone Power). When the monsoon rains come all their lives are changed forever.
Based off a novel by Louis Bromfield, this Hollywood adaptation is a little more sensitive to colonial India than many other films of the same period, demonstrating the structures at play between the Indians and the British colonials. It has elements of a disaster film about it too with the effects of the typhoon and the subsequent cholera. It is also an exotic romancer, all finely directed and produced by Harry Joe Brown with a good deal of style. Of course there is a western actor playing the central Indian role.
The film was remade in 1955 as THE RAINS OF RANCHIPUR, although the ending is very different and reflects post independent India.
Based off a novel by Louis Bromfield, this Hollywood adaptation is a little more sensitive to colonial India than many other films of the same period, demonstrating the structures at play between the Indians and the British colonials. It has elements of a disaster film about it too with the effects of the typhoon and the subsequent cholera. It is also an exotic romancer, all finely directed and produced by Harry Joe Brown with a good deal of style. Of course there is a western actor playing the central Indian role.
The film was remade in 1955 as THE RAINS OF RANCHIPUR, although the ending is very different and reflects post independent India.
Golden-era film fans, check this out.
ksdilauri12 September 2023
You know there are a few Old Hollywood classics that you haven't gotten around to seeing, so remedy that by checking out this big-budget entry from its greatest year, 1939. Many fine summaries are offered here on IMDb, and you can be sure this film is made well enough that you can overlook the occasional soapy elements--good performances by the (notably non-ethnic) cast carry you through the suds.
If for no other reason, see it for the special effects, about halfway through, that managed to snatch that year's Oscar from my (and millions of others') top 2 faves, Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz.
If for no other reason, see it for the special effects, about halfway through, that managed to snatch that year's Oscar from my (and millions of others') top 2 faves, Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz.
The Rains Came
CinemaSerf25 May 2023
This is a classy adaptation of Lewis Bromfield's tale of the Raj. When the unhappily married "Lady Edwina" (Myrna Loy) and her rather indifferent, pompous, husband "Lord Hesketh" (Nigel Bruce) arrive in the Indian state of "Ranchipur", she meets up with her old friend "Ransome" (George Bent) who arrived many years earlier to paint the portrait of the Maharajah. Even though he's a bit of a rake, the bored "Lady Edwina" enjoys his company away from her disinterested husband - until, that is, she alights on local doctor "Maj. Rama Safti" (Tyrone Power). Now he's a character of some integrity and isn't an obvious choice to accede to her charms, but when an earthquake followed by the monsoon strikes the country, it's all hands to the pump and the two begin to bond for real. None of the characters in this film are who they appear to be, and that's what keeps it interesting. It does stretch the imagination to see Tyrone Power as an Indian doctor, but he has the charisma - and a chemistry with Loy - to just about pull it off. Bruce is having some fun as the horse-loving peer and Maria Ouspenskaya is quite effective as the childless Maharani who must find a suitable heir to their now rather decimated Kingdom. The effects - particularly during the natural disaster scenes are pretty impressive, even now - contributing well to the sense of chaos and disaster and Alfred Newman's score tops it off nicely.
Best Earthquake and Flood Scenes In a Movie
ringsindiamonds30 July 2009
Think of the year - 1939. It was 'THE' year for Hollywood with all the great movies that came out.
But the utmost highest quality of the special effects in this movie had me spellbound. You must watch it and try to absorb the enormity of the effects required while still being pulled into the story line. The actual story showcases the messy relationships and personalities experienced in real life. You see, the really great movies do not need showings of sex, cursing, or intentional violence from man against man. The really great movies are eloquently written and offered without defilement - so different from most of the movies of today.
Enjoy every minute! Myrna Loy - in a dramatic role so different from the Thin Man jovial series!
With aloha ~ KonaRose
But the utmost highest quality of the special effects in this movie had me spellbound. You must watch it and try to absorb the enormity of the effects required while still being pulled into the story line. The actual story showcases the messy relationships and personalities experienced in real life. You see, the really great movies do not need showings of sex, cursing, or intentional violence from man against man. The really great movies are eloquently written and offered without defilement - so different from most of the movies of today.
Enjoy every minute! Myrna Loy - in a dramatic role so different from the Thin Man jovial series!
With aloha ~ KonaRose
The British in India
loloandpete3 January 2021
Warning: Spoilers
A story of the British in India and the flood that causes catastrophe. Tyrone Power is charisma free but the other leads- Myrna Loy, Brenda Joyce and particularly George Brent, are more engaging. On the character side of the fence it is good to see Maria Ouspenskaya and of course, Nigel Bruce who plays against type as the pompous and rudely aggressive Lord Esketh (though it is implied this is due to the infidelities of his wife, Loy). He is 5th billed and his scenes are the best in the film, so it is a great pity he perishes 45 minutes in. The film is poorer without him.
A stunning achievement!
JohnHowardReid24 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
SYNOPSIS: English socialite falls for young, handsome Indian doctor. Setting: Ranchipur. Time: 1936.
NOTES: Winner of the inaugural Academy Award for Best Special Effects (defeating a solid line-up including Gone With The Wind, The Wizard of Oz, Only Angels Have Wings and Union Pacific). Also nominated for: Art Direction (won by GWTW); Sound (When Tomorrow Comes), Film Editing (GWTW); and Original Music Score (Wizard of Oz).
One of the top money-making films of 1939-40. Remade in 1955 as The Rains of Ranchipur.
COMMENT: Clarence Brown was borrowed from MGM to direct "The Rains Came". Considering the emasculation Bromfield's novel had suffered in its transfer to scenario form, Brown was an excellent choice. At his best (as here), Brown directs with both pace and polish, drawing winning performances from his players and highlighting the artistry of sets, costumes and photographic effects. Brown's professionalism is so skilled that it is only on a third or fourth viewing one can fully appreciate the smooth dexterity of his style. True, Brown has occasionally used a floridly flowing camera to good effect (The Eagle, Anna Karenina), but here his dollying and tracking work is less obtrusive. The essence of his approach is to highlight the characters against the magnificent decors and backgrounds created by the art directors and to allow the spectacle of earthquake, flood, fire and plague to fully engage our sympathy.
Brown is first and foremost a superior craftsman to whom the cinema is primarily an outlet for mass entertainment. As such, he is not highly regarded by auteur theorists who spend their lives searching movies for "significant themes". Often these theorists, having little or no practical knowledge of movie-making, ascribe ideas and recurrent themes to directors who simply found these qualities in the scripts they were assigned. Certainly Brown did not want to be "lent" to 20th Century- Fox for "The Rains Came". He had no interest in the book, the themes or the picture. But once the deal was concluded, he bent every effort to ensure the film was as stylish and visually appealing as possible. In this aim, he has succeeded so admirably it doesn't really matter that Bromfield's civilized, complex narrative has been reduced to a simplistic inter-racial romance.
With the actors too, Brown has excelled. Brent is much less wooden than usual. In fact, he's so pleasantly amenable, it's difficult to believe he's the dissolute character painted by the script. Myrna Loy is equally proficient (and more believably cast) as the world- weary, cynically amorous socialite who wants to get away from it all. This is a most unusual characterization for her in that the part is almost that of an anti-heroine — but she brings it off superbly — making a wonderful contrast with a fresh- faced innocent who wants to get into it all, so zestfully played by Brenda Joyce (her film debut. Regrettably, although she went on to fame as Tarzan's Jane, she never had another role half so captivating). Tyrone Power plays the major with dignity and seemingly effortless ease, although in point of fact he has really nothing much to do. The writers have given the doctor little in the way of color or character shadings. He's probably the most one-dimensional character in the film. We are even spared most of the usual romantic agonizing because his problems are solved by careless chance. Aside from Maria Ouspenskaya (not an actress with whom I am always happy), and Nigel Bruce (chillingly vicious in a rare, unsympathetic part), the character players have mostly only one or two scenes. Among the most memorable are William Edmunds' riotously funny caricature of the music school principal, Laura Hope Crews' true- blue dowager and Jane Darwell's restful Aunt Phoebe. Most of the others also have strong parts and lusty lines which provide constant entertainment.
"The Rains Came" is so lavishly pleasurable that even without its spectacular effects it would be well worth any movie-lover's money. But some of these effects are absolutely mind-boggling. True, the expert will detect a few obvious super-impositions, but the miniature work is most convincing and the sequence in which the walls collapse on Nigel Bruce and his servant (who is reported to have been actually injured in this shot) is overwhelming.
Arthur Miller's cinematography as always makes the film most attractive to view. The players look magnetic and the sets positively dazzle. There are even a couple of inventive effects that masterfully enhance mood and atmosphere like the flashes of lightning outlining trellis-work on a wind-blown curtain. The film editing is as smooth as a well-worn rupee, the music inspired, the sets and costumes . . .
All in all, "The Rains Came" has been so lovingly produced and directed with such crisp authority as to disguise most — if not all — the script's shortcomings. Rabid Bromfield readers will be disappointed but the general movie fan will rightly hail the picture as one of the most elegant entertainments of the year.
OTHER VIEWS: A stunning achievement. Right from the opening credits (which are ingeniously washed away), we have a film so cunningly and immaculately produced, so dynamically played and persuasively directed as to instantly rivet our attention. Purists may cavil at the violence done to Bromfield's novel but few will disagree that the 1939 film is infinitely superior in every aspect of writing, acting, photography and production to the ploddingly garish 1955 remake. You can't replace players like Power, Loy, Brent and Bruce even with the likes of Richard Burton, Lana Turner, Fred MacMurray and Michael Rennie. And as for Joan Caulfield substituting for Brenda Joyce and the incredibly third- rate line-up of 1955 character players, the less said the better. — G.A.
NOTES: Winner of the inaugural Academy Award for Best Special Effects (defeating a solid line-up including Gone With The Wind, The Wizard of Oz, Only Angels Have Wings and Union Pacific). Also nominated for: Art Direction (won by GWTW); Sound (When Tomorrow Comes), Film Editing (GWTW); and Original Music Score (Wizard of Oz).
One of the top money-making films of 1939-40. Remade in 1955 as The Rains of Ranchipur.
COMMENT: Clarence Brown was borrowed from MGM to direct "The Rains Came". Considering the emasculation Bromfield's novel had suffered in its transfer to scenario form, Brown was an excellent choice. At his best (as here), Brown directs with both pace and polish, drawing winning performances from his players and highlighting the artistry of sets, costumes and photographic effects. Brown's professionalism is so skilled that it is only on a third or fourth viewing one can fully appreciate the smooth dexterity of his style. True, Brown has occasionally used a floridly flowing camera to good effect (The Eagle, Anna Karenina), but here his dollying and tracking work is less obtrusive. The essence of his approach is to highlight the characters against the magnificent decors and backgrounds created by the art directors and to allow the spectacle of earthquake, flood, fire and plague to fully engage our sympathy.
Brown is first and foremost a superior craftsman to whom the cinema is primarily an outlet for mass entertainment. As such, he is not highly regarded by auteur theorists who spend their lives searching movies for "significant themes". Often these theorists, having little or no practical knowledge of movie-making, ascribe ideas and recurrent themes to directors who simply found these qualities in the scripts they were assigned. Certainly Brown did not want to be "lent" to 20th Century- Fox for "The Rains Came". He had no interest in the book, the themes or the picture. But once the deal was concluded, he bent every effort to ensure the film was as stylish and visually appealing as possible. In this aim, he has succeeded so admirably it doesn't really matter that Bromfield's civilized, complex narrative has been reduced to a simplistic inter-racial romance.
With the actors too, Brown has excelled. Brent is much less wooden than usual. In fact, he's so pleasantly amenable, it's difficult to believe he's the dissolute character painted by the script. Myrna Loy is equally proficient (and more believably cast) as the world- weary, cynically amorous socialite who wants to get away from it all. This is a most unusual characterization for her in that the part is almost that of an anti-heroine — but she brings it off superbly — making a wonderful contrast with a fresh- faced innocent who wants to get into it all, so zestfully played by Brenda Joyce (her film debut. Regrettably, although she went on to fame as Tarzan's Jane, she never had another role half so captivating). Tyrone Power plays the major with dignity and seemingly effortless ease, although in point of fact he has really nothing much to do. The writers have given the doctor little in the way of color or character shadings. He's probably the most one-dimensional character in the film. We are even spared most of the usual romantic agonizing because his problems are solved by careless chance. Aside from Maria Ouspenskaya (not an actress with whom I am always happy), and Nigel Bruce (chillingly vicious in a rare, unsympathetic part), the character players have mostly only one or two scenes. Among the most memorable are William Edmunds' riotously funny caricature of the music school principal, Laura Hope Crews' true- blue dowager and Jane Darwell's restful Aunt Phoebe. Most of the others also have strong parts and lusty lines which provide constant entertainment.
"The Rains Came" is so lavishly pleasurable that even without its spectacular effects it would be well worth any movie-lover's money. But some of these effects are absolutely mind-boggling. True, the expert will detect a few obvious super-impositions, but the miniature work is most convincing and the sequence in which the walls collapse on Nigel Bruce and his servant (who is reported to have been actually injured in this shot) is overwhelming.
Arthur Miller's cinematography as always makes the film most attractive to view. The players look magnetic and the sets positively dazzle. There are even a couple of inventive effects that masterfully enhance mood and atmosphere like the flashes of lightning outlining trellis-work on a wind-blown curtain. The film editing is as smooth as a well-worn rupee, the music inspired, the sets and costumes . . .
All in all, "The Rains Came" has been so lovingly produced and directed with such crisp authority as to disguise most — if not all — the script's shortcomings. Rabid Bromfield readers will be disappointed but the general movie fan will rightly hail the picture as one of the most elegant entertainments of the year.
OTHER VIEWS: A stunning achievement. Right from the opening credits (which are ingeniously washed away), we have a film so cunningly and immaculately produced, so dynamically played and persuasively directed as to instantly rivet our attention. Purists may cavil at the violence done to Bromfield's novel but few will disagree that the 1939 film is infinitely superior in every aspect of writing, acting, photography and production to the ploddingly garish 1955 remake. You can't replace players like Power, Loy, Brent and Bruce even with the likes of Richard Burton, Lana Turner, Fred MacMurray and Michael Rennie. And as for Joan Caulfield substituting for Brenda Joyce and the incredibly third- rate line-up of 1955 character players, the less said the better. — G.A.
Incredible special effects
HotToastyRag29 April 2019
Every time I watch The Rains Came, I'm awed beyond belief at the special effects during the monsoon scene. I have no idea how they did it in 1939, and most of the special effects I've seen in modern movies pale in comparison. This movie shows people getting buried in an avalanche of boulders, their houses collapsing over them, and attacked by water like in The Hurricane. How did they do it?
Since the title warns audiences to expect a great special effects scene, everyone will be on the edge of their seats until it happens. They'll be kept occupied by high society trying to keep cool in India by throwing fancy parties. Myrna Loy is married to Nigel Bruce, and while she enjoys the security his position brings, she can't stand him. So, she parties the night away with Maria Ouspenskaya, Joseph Schildkraut, Laura Hope Crews, Mary Nash, Marjorie Rambeau and C. Montague Shaw, while her old flame George Brent, respected but resentful and partial to the company of alcohol and the down-to-earth Jane Darwell, tries to resume their heated affair under her husband's nose. The very young Brenda Joyce finds George's maturity and devil-may-care attitude appealing, and starts one of the love triangles. Then, when Indian doctor Tyrone Power shows up, and Myrna Loy decides to make him her next conquest, the second love triangle materializes.
The romances are entertaining enough, even though Myrna Loy's acting leaves much to be desired. Since she started her career playing loose women, you'd think she'd know how to behave, even after a dozen Thin Men movies. She's in good company, since no one but Brenda appears to try at all. The monsoon scene is what everyone's waiting for, so the drama and the class politics feel like a filler until the fun happens, even though those parts make up most of the movie. This is definitely worth watching, just for the special effects. And don't even think about watching the remake, The Rains of Ranchipur; it's terrible despite the A-list cast.
Since the title warns audiences to expect a great special effects scene, everyone will be on the edge of their seats until it happens. They'll be kept occupied by high society trying to keep cool in India by throwing fancy parties. Myrna Loy is married to Nigel Bruce, and while she enjoys the security his position brings, she can't stand him. So, she parties the night away with Maria Ouspenskaya, Joseph Schildkraut, Laura Hope Crews, Mary Nash, Marjorie Rambeau and C. Montague Shaw, while her old flame George Brent, respected but resentful and partial to the company of alcohol and the down-to-earth Jane Darwell, tries to resume their heated affair under her husband's nose. The very young Brenda Joyce finds George's maturity and devil-may-care attitude appealing, and starts one of the love triangles. Then, when Indian doctor Tyrone Power shows up, and Myrna Loy decides to make him her next conquest, the second love triangle materializes.
The romances are entertaining enough, even though Myrna Loy's acting leaves much to be desired. Since she started her career playing loose women, you'd think she'd know how to behave, even after a dozen Thin Men movies. She's in good company, since no one but Brenda appears to try at all. The monsoon scene is what everyone's waiting for, so the drama and the class politics feel like a filler until the fun happens, even though those parts make up most of the movie. This is definitely worth watching, just for the special effects. And don't even think about watching the remake, The Rains of Ranchipur; it's terrible despite the A-list cast.
Watch out the water's rising!
jjnxn-114 July 2013
High gloss drama with first class special effects. In fact the film was the winner of the first Oscar given for special effects. Myrna somewhat surprisingly plays at least in the beginning a selfish slut, a high class slut but a slut nonetheless, redeemed by love and hardship. Tyrone Power although not at all believable as an Indian is capable and sincere and almost supernaturally beautiful. Even the customarily stolid George Brent after some initial stiffness is better and more relaxed than usual. Excellent production values and a first rate supporting cast make this an entertaining winner. Another classy enterprise from that golden year of 1939.
Remade in color, but with a lot of the guts cut out, as the Rains of Ranchipur with Lana Turner and Richard Burton. That version is an okay time filler but this one is superior in every way.
Remade in color, but with a lot of the guts cut out, as the Rains of Ranchipur with Lana Turner and Richard Burton. That version is an okay time filler but this one is superior in every way.
Big, corny Hollywood epic...strengthened by terrific star performances
moonspinner5520 December 2008
Grand Hollywood melodrama! Love relationships in India hold tightly despite the country being ravaged by earthquakes and floods. Ostensibly a production molded around the advancement of special visual effects circa 1939, all kinds of state-of-the-art trickery is employed: buildings crumble and the earth splits apart in hair-raising fashion. Predictably, the characters offer less interest, although George Brent does excellent work as an older man accepting the affections of a dewy-eyed nymph (this is possibly the best performance I've seen from Brent) and Myrna Loy is also very good as a socialite in love with a native. Flawed overall, yet an entertaining show. Remade in 1955 as "The Rains of Ranchipur". *** from ****
Well-appointed member of a club of similar films
Poseidon-314 July 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Nothing redeems the reputation of a "fallen" woman like natural disaster or illness. Just ask Greta Garbo in "The Painted Veil", Elizabeth Taylor in "Elephant Walk" or Eleanor Parker in "The Naked Jungle" and "The Seventh Sin". Audiences love to see a woman who has slid slightly off the moral track win back approval by pitching in during the aftermath of a plague or an earthquake, even if, in some cases, she doesn't make it herself! Here Loy is the unfulfilled wife of a stodgy British lord who comes to India to buy horses and runs into a former lover (Brent.) Though she dallies briefly with him, it isn't long before a handsome Indian doctor (Power) catches her eye and so she sets her sights on that prize. This doesn't sit well with the Maharani (Ouspenskaya) who has high hopes for Power as a future leader of her country. Meanwhile, an antsy, curvy, teen (Joyce) has her eye on Brent, to the quasi-dismay of her missionary parents. As the social and romantic entanglements play out, the rains of the monsoon season begin to fall. Then an earthquake rips apart an ominously placed dam and the entire area is flooded. What the water doesn't kill, a plague threatens to. The formerly selfish and self-involved survivors volunteer their aid in the hopes of redemption. This works out better for some than for others. Loy isn't always lit as beautifully here as she was at her home studio of MGM, but manages to look quite lovely during most of her scenes. She gives a knowing and well thought out portrayal. One of her evening gowns (a chiffon number with a jewel-encrusted scarf) is a real knockout. It's a bit raunchier role than she was doing during the height of her fame and she handles it nicely. She has one striking scene as she relieves a collapsing hospital attendant and her final scene is memorable, too. Power has a surprisingly small role for most of the film. Covered in "brownface", he has a puzzling Clark Gable mustache and makes no attempt at an Indian accent, though that may be a good thing. He gives a solid, but unremarkable performance, though he does look handsome, especially near the end when his hair is revealed. Brent is enjoyable in his ne'er do well role with one particularly amusing line as he's about to escort Loy to a stuffy party. Never an earth-shattering actor, he does better than usual in this film. He does become rather unintentionally funny as he swims through the storm-tossed water, though. Joyce is attractive and alluring in her film debut, though obviously a bit unseasoned. The ever-impish Ouspenskaya effortlessly steals most of the scenes she appears in. A nice dose of fine character actors including Bruce, Schildkraut, Darwell, Rambeau, Warner and especially Hope Crews help to enliven the earlier part of the film. Sadly, most of these folks are scarcely or never seen after the big event. The credits for this film are inventive and striking, even now more than half a century later. The direction is sure-handed. The music, as is nearly always the case with Alfred Newman, is solid. The real attraction, though, is the chance to see some early special effects which still hold up reasonably well. Three or four decades later, the disaster would BE the point of the movie, but in this age, the story of the characters was still the attraction and the catastrophes were either a story point or a climactic event (see "San Francisco", "Green Dolphin Street", "In Old Chicago") causing changes in the characters' lives. This was remade rather glossily and in color with Lana Turner, Richard Burton and Fred MacMurray, but the original remains the one with the edge.
Soggy story gets a lift from the special effects...
Doylenf26 February 2009
It's rather ironic that GEORGE BRENT manages to be the liveliest actor in the cast of THE RAINS CAME, as a dissolute man who changes his ways thanks to an earthquake and flood that destroys the fictional Ranchipur in Louis Bromfield's tale of India in 1938. Not much can be said for TYRONE POWER, who has a smaller role as a turbaned Indian doctor and MYRNA LOY as a bored socialite whose husband (NIGEL BRUCE) keeps a list of her infidelities. Loy takes one look at Power and decides he's going to be the love of her life.
BRENDA JOYCE, in her film debut, is featured in a sub-plot involving a romance with Brent. It's a poorly developed role and she was probably fortunate that she later found more pleasant roles in several Tarzan films as a replacement for Maureen O'Sullivan in the role of Jane. She's clearly an ingénue here. Brent gets most of the footage and he's good, more relaxed and likable than usual under Clarence Brown's direction.
The supporting players have little to do before the rains arrive but help set up the plot which is then bogged down in two separate romances. As the socialite, Loy is not the glamorous creature that Lana Turner played in the remake and has to contend with some unflattering photography away from her home studio, MGM.
What really makes the film memorable are the astonishing special effects which rightfully earned an Oscar for the strikingly realistic floods, heavy rains and quakes.
Summing up: Worth watching for the special effects alone, but don't expect too much from the sappy story.
BRENDA JOYCE, in her film debut, is featured in a sub-plot involving a romance with Brent. It's a poorly developed role and she was probably fortunate that she later found more pleasant roles in several Tarzan films as a replacement for Maureen O'Sullivan in the role of Jane. She's clearly an ingénue here. Brent gets most of the footage and he's good, more relaxed and likable than usual under Clarence Brown's direction.
The supporting players have little to do before the rains arrive but help set up the plot which is then bogged down in two separate romances. As the socialite, Loy is not the glamorous creature that Lana Turner played in the remake and has to contend with some unflattering photography away from her home studio, MGM.
What really makes the film memorable are the astonishing special effects which rightfully earned an Oscar for the strikingly realistic floods, heavy rains and quakes.
Summing up: Worth watching for the special effects alone, but don't expect too much from the sappy story.
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