The Rains of Ranchipur

NOTE---POSSIBLE SPOILER FOR ONE OF THE FILM'S IMPORTANT SCENES---The whole movie was good, but the great earthquake scene was spectacular! Then the dam breaking! No music was used during the entire sequence to attempt to build drama or enhance what was happening on the screen, it wasn't necessary. The minimal use of sound effects in that scene also added to the sense of impending, ominous doom. Great directing! Great special effects, especially considering the era when it was made!---Bolt.

As a youngster, if we wanted to see a movie (about the only entertainment in town) we were forced to go to a local theater that showed movies that were long past their original runs. If it were 2016, a group of teenagers wouldn't have considered seeing this movie. It was dramatic and about people tearing each other apart. There were no guns or secret agents or comedic pratfalls. But it was Friday night and..... I have always been a fairly accepting person when it comes to the arts. As it turns out, this movie was a challenge to the adult population. It is an array of the most unlikable characters who have the most condescending attitudes toward the people they were living with. That is imperial India. It meanders and meanders and never gets to the point. Burton looks good as does Lana Turner. Unfortunately, Turner's character is utterly despicable. This is one that can fade into the past.

This glamorous remake of the '30s film "And The Rains Came", casts Lana Turner, Richard Burton, and Fred McMurray. Turner is a woman who travels with her husband to India to purchase some horses. While there, the unsatisfied Lana embarks on an affair with Hindu doctor Burton, breaking taboos and causing a ruckus among the elite set. All the drama is compounded by a series of earthquakes and one big flood that threatens the lives of everyone. It's hard to tell what's more beautiful to look at - the Indian scenery(really filmed in Pakistan) or the always elegant Lana. Storyline-wise there's not a lot of substance, but it's truly a visual feast regardless.