Rachel and the Stranger

I don't know why some people have to look for deep "inner or psychological meanings in movies. Fortunately, I just love the movies and accept them for what they are - sheer entertainment! And if you are the same, then you need to see this one. Loretta Young, William Holden and Robert Mitchum are absolutely WONDERFUL in their roles. It is a great story with just the right hint of comedy and romance. So, if you love the movies, and love entertainment, you will truly enjoy this wonderful classic, "RACHEL AND THE STRANGER"!

This film is often overlooked despite the presence of Loretta Young, Robert Mitchum and William Holden in the cast. It's a well-done frontier story with plenty of action and romance. Loretta Young has never looked more fetching and the Mitchum/Holden combo is a knock out.

Rachel and the Stranger (1947) *** 1/2 (out of 4) Highly entertaining western/comedy/drama has a man (William Holden) losing his wife but buying a slave woman (Loretta Young) and marrying her so that she can school his kid. Things get complicated when he doesn't pay her too much attention and his friend (Robert Mitchum) comes back from the hunting season. For the most part this is your typical love triangle but the incredible performances from the three leads makes this incredibly hard not to love. You've just gotta love a movie that opens with Mitchum walking through the woods singing and playing a guitar. Young and Mitchum also do a duet later in the film that is quite nice. The chemistry between the three stars makes this film work a lot better than it probably should have. There's some nice laughs at the end when the two men finally fight over her as well as suspense during an Indian attack.

This is a WONDERFUL movie. Why it wasn't released for home video....Its a beautiful story of a widower (Holden) and his son who feel they need a woman around the house. A neighbor recommends a bond slave (Young) and after persuasion, he reluctantly marries her. She moves in but finds there is not a welcome wagon from the boy or Holden! She is just a housekeeper to them. A wily bachelor friend (Mitchum) shows up unexpectedly and has eyes for Young! Holden doesn't know what to think. He hasn't gotten over the death of his wife yet and can't love Young, but with Mitchum's arrival he starts to get jealous! Simple but deep, touching story with nice filming and awesome performance by all. Especially Mitchum as the lonely bachelor trying to steal Young. Catch it on the classic movie channel.

I loved this movie. I thought the banter between Holden and Mitchum were subtly hilarious. The facial expressions were spot on from Holden. Young was formidable in this part as well. I think it takes a strong cast to make a movie that revolves around four sole characters. It was a great romantic comedy. I liked the chemistry between Mitchum and Young on screen. I also thought that Gary Gray added the right amount of drama/comedy to the whole show. I loved the scenes in the woods with Mitchum and Holden bickering and making their pleas to Young. All in all, I think this is a good movie, and definitely worth the time of watching.

I too became a fan of this movie (thank you American Movie Classics). What at first appeared to be a run-of-the-mill frontier cabin story turned into an absorbing, well-written, well-acted human interest story with four engaging characters, a beautiful locale (the movie would have benefited from color), and a fine score to boot. The concept of a bonded (indentured) servant added an interesting historical facet. The cast, of course, is top notch. Mitchum and Holden work particularly well together. The film should be a lot better known than it is, and is well worth a see.