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Myrna Loy, Tyrone Power, George Brent, Brenda Joyce, Nigel Bruce, Maria Ouspenskaya, Joseph Schildkraut, Mary Nash, Jane Darwell

The Rains Came was released the same year Gone with the Wind (1939) brought a storm of viewers to the silver screen. Unlike Gone with the Wind, which received a legendary status in the cinema history, The Rains Came only made an impact in the special effects department. The special effects are rather amazing, even today many viewers will drop their jaws, as they ponder the age of the film and the fantastic catastrophe sequence in the film’s midpoint. However, the film presents an experience that parallels the cheap thrills of melodramatic afternoon TV drama of longing homemakers and bored college students. ***

The film follows a traditional Hollywood concept of star-loaded talent attracting a large audience, which is blatantly obvious in the film. Tyrone Power, as the Indian medical doctor Major Rama Safti, will have the women of the 1940s having their knees give away. A lively George Brent provides the role of the aging playboy Thomas Ransome seeking seclusion in the Indian province of the story while encountering the love struck 18-year old Fern cast by first time actor and beauty Brenda Joyce. Additional melodrama emerges through the appearance of the infamous Myrna Loy, best remembered for her part in the Thin Man films. Together these four actors provide a solid cast, which is backed up by an equally impressive supporting cast. ***

The film opens in a sweltering India in 1938 where drought, famine, and sickness trouble the Indian province of Ranchipur. It is midday and people are going about their business while Thomas Ransome sits in the shade of his porch trying to cool down and preoccupy his boredom with a slingshot. An amusing notion is that there are no sweat rings, or other signs of heavy perspiration, besides to the water pearls on the foreheads, which would be normal in heat such as the one in the film. An assumption could be that stars do not perspire heavily, as it would probably lower their star quality. Nonetheless, the beginning of the story discloses that Major Safti and Thomas are good friends, Thomas cannot get out of a garden party, and everyone prays for the rainy season to arrive. The story is told out of Thomas’ perspective, but the focus is on the events taking place around him. ***

At the garden party, Thomas meets the youthful beauty Fern, who requests his help to break the chains of her parents. It puts Thomas in an awkward situation, but he does not really worry about it. Later, he also meets an old friend and confidant, Lady Esketh (Myrna Loy), at Maharajah’s palace, and it is here the witch’s brew begins to simmer. Lady Esketh first drifts off to some secluded area of the palace with Thomas where something (let your imagination run free) happened, and later falls for Major Safti. This instigates an intriguing triangle drama between Thomas, Lady Esketh, and Lord Esketh (Nigel Bruce), but Lord Esketh doesn’t ever suspect Major Safti for anything. ***

When the emotional witch brew seems to hit its high point the rains begin followed by a severe earthquake. Here the audience gets a chance to experience a magnificent example of the special effects capabilities of the 1940s. However, the emotional turmoil begins to seep away, as a greater problem has emerged that has set all people in danger. There are several other subplots within, but the film only touches on the issues the way a soap opera would. In addition, there are cultural misconceptions within the film, which often have the purpose of glamorizing the actors. Jean Renoir’s the River (1951) does a far better job depicting the Indian culture, as he also shot the film on location. Yet, the film tries to be good, and tries to enlighten the audience, but does not achieve the film’s full potential. Despite the culturally awkward situations, it is within the effort of trying to teach the audience a valuable lesson where it also puts forth a cinematic experience worthwhile in a Western perspective that will amuse an attentive audience. *** ---

Fox provides a nice and clear full screen presentation (the original aspect ratio) of The Rains Came, which brightens the audience’s experience compared to previous versions. The film did show signs of significant shimmer, but the film is still worth viewing. The audio is without any significant distortions, which comes in both stereo and mono. ***

A modest amount of extras including a still gallery, theatrical trailer, and other previews from Fox Studio Classics accumulate in the special feature section on this DVD. ***

The Rains Came has a terrific cast, but it is a little awkward to see Tyrone Power as an Indian and so are some other cultural issues. It is also shot with by the artistically skillful hands of Arthur C. Miller, who brings out a touching and mysterious environment with brilliant cinematography. However, the film is not the great film that it tries to be. Yet, it still offers a cinematic experience worth seeing, that offers suspense, drama, and comedy. ***