The Rains of Ranchipur

Last updated
The Rains of Ranchipur
The Rains of Ranchipur poster.jpg
Original movie poster
Directed by Jean Negulesco
Screenplay by Merle Miller
Based onThe Rains Came
1937 novel
by Louis Bromfield
Produced by Frank Ross
Starring Lana Turner
Richard Burton
Fred MacMurray
Joan Caulfield
Michael Rennie
Cinematography Milton R. Krasner
Edited by Dorothy Spencer
Music by Hugo Friedhofer
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release date
  • December 14, 1955 (1955-12-14)(U.S.)
Running time
104 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2.9 million [1]
Box office$2.6 million (US) [2]

The Rains of Ranchipur is a 1955 American drama and disaster film made by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by Jean Negulesco and produced by Frank Ross from a screenplay by Merle Miller, based on the 1937 novel The Rains Came by Louis Bromfield. The music score was by Hugo Friedhofer and the cinematography by Milton Krasner.

Contents

The film stars Lana Turner, Richard Burton, Fred MacMurray, Joan Caulfield and Michael Rennie with Eugenie Leontovich.

Made in DeLuxe Color, Cinemascope, and four-track stereophonic sound, the film is a remake of the black-and-white film The Rains Came (1939), also made by Fox, directed by Clarence Brown and starring Tyrone Power and Myrna Loy. However, the 1955 film changes the novel's ending.

Plot

In India to purchase some horses, British aristocrat Lord Esketh (Michael Rennie) and his wife Edwina (Lana Turner) come to the town of Ranchipur at the invitation of the elderly Maharani (Eugenie Leontovich). Their marriage is an unhappy one, and Lord Esketh announces his intention to return to England and begin divorce proceedings. The spoiled, insensitive and notoriously promiscuous Edwina (she took a lover on their honeymoon) scoffs at this.

She renews in Ranchipur an acquaintance with an old friend and former lover, Tom Ransome (Fred MacMurray), once a brilliant engineer, now a dissolute alcoholic. She also meets and attempts to seduce a distinguished Hindu physician, Dr. Rama Safti (Richard Burton), a decent man who is the elderly Maharani's personal choice to succeed her someday.

At the end of the reception welcoming Lord and Lady Esketh to Ranchipur, the Maharani, who prepared for Edwina’s arrival by reading newspaper clippings, sees that she has already begun to seduce Safti and confronts her. She is unworthy of her protégé, the Maharani says, telling Edwina about Safti’s life. He is a very wise man, but “not experienced in matters of the heart.” The Maharani warns Edwina that for Ranchipur, she will do what is necessary.

Safti at first resists, but ultimately succumbs to Edwina's charms and falls hopelessly in love with her. Lord Esketh becomes aware of this, and when Safti saves him after he is mauled by a wounded tiger, he asks Safti about Edwina. Safti admits his love and Lord Esketh, now sympathetic toward this good man's plight, describes their marriage in blunt terms. Safti says he already knows about Edwina’s past; he forgives anything she has done.

When Safti and Edwina talk about this, she finally confesses that her attraction to him has grown into something “so much more” that it frightens her. Safti believes that she can grow and change. Edwina says it isn’t possible. Everything about it is wrong.

Meanwhile, Fern Simon (Joan Caulfield) has returned home after graduating from the University of Iowa. The daughter of missionaries, she grew up in Ranchipur watching Ransome from afar. Her dreams of going back to teacher’s college for graduate study are fading because they cannot afford it. At the reception, she diffidently asks Ransome for a loan of $1,000. He points out that this would wreck her reputation in Ranchipur, and moved by her disappointment, he agrees to help her get back to school somehow.

It has been raining off and on, but it begins in earnest, now, and continues through the film until the end.

Fern runs away from home and turns up soaking wet in Ransome’s bungalow. She is thrilled with her plan—to ruin her reputation so her mother will have to let her go away to school, even though nothing will have happened because she will sleep on the sofa. He tells her she must go home immediately, bundles her into a raincoat—and kisses her. He apologizes and tells her the truth about himself: a disillusioned idealist who grew sick of the postwar world and hid in Ranchipur and the bottle. She meekly goes home.

At a party, Ransome, drunk and angry, warns Edwina to stay away from Safti, a friend whom he admires. Off-camera, the Maharani has ordered Edwina to leave the palace and Ranchipur. Safti says he will go with her.

Suddenly, Ranchipur is ravaged by a two-fold natural disaster: a series of earthquakes that shatter the dam and many buildings, and the ensuing flood, exacerbated by pouring rain, which wipes out buildings and bridges. After the first tremors, Safti runs for the hospital, leaving Edwina in a frenzy, partly caused by the fact that she is sick. Ransome takes her home to care for her. In the morning, Ranchipur is a lake, dotted with ruins, and it still rains. Debris blocks the narrows downriver, and plague spreads in the flooded areas.

Ransome’s home is above the flood. A skiff pulls up to the porch. It is Fern, exhausted, cold and drenched. She has been out all night trying to get to him. Ransome settles her to rest and gently promises that he will not leave Ranchipur ever. He takes Edwina to the mission to Mrs. Smiley. In her delirium, and believing (correctly) that she may be dying, Edwina begs to have a message sent to Dr. Safti. It is delivered to Lord Esketh by mistake, and he begs Dr. Safti to go, admitting that he loves Edwina and always has. Dr. Safti is so busy saving lives that he cannot go.

An explosion echoes through the town: The blockage has been exploded by dynamite, causing the flood waters to recede. At the mission, Dr. Safti figures out that it was Ransome who risked his life to save the people of Ranchipur.

Shafti comes to Edwina at last. She is shaken by his statement that he would not have come to her, even if he had known she was dying, because of all the people depending on him for their lives. And when he talks of how much work there will be rebuilding Ranchipur, she realizes that his heart is there.

Leaving at last, Edwina tries to explain to the Maharani that her love for Safti has become true, so much so that she will make the sacrifice of leaving him for his own good. The Maharani refuses to accept this and taunts Edwina. Edwina warns the Maharani that someday there will be a woman she can’t stop.

Safti comes to say goodbye, and tells her that she has given him a great gift, the knowledge that a man cannot live without love. In return, he tells her of the qualities he cherishes in her. They kiss gently.

She drives away from Ranchipur with her husband, wiping a tear from her cheek.

Cast

Production

The film was a remake of The Rains Came (1939), which had been co-written by Philip Dunne. Dunne later wrote about the remake:

All I ever contributed to the remake was the title: The Rains of Ranchipur. The writer and producer, both friends of mine, tactlessly, unkindly and repeatedly informed me that their script was infinitely superior to the one Julien Josephson and I had written, which they dismissed as too old fashioned and corny for our purposes. They decided not to use any of it, and in fact didn't. Unfortunately for them, in the process they eliminated the most important event of all, the naughty lady's death, thereby violating the very essence of author Bromfield's original design. They turned a noble tragedy, corny or not, into a mere romantic interlude and thus achieved what they deserved: a resounding flop. [3]

Criticism

Film scholar Richard Dyer has argued that The Rains of Ranchipur, like a number of other contemporary (post-WWII; and post-Colonial) films, are orientalist, besides "ultra-colonialist" and "white supremacist", and that the function of those movies is to "attempt to recapture the supposed scrutiny of an inequitable past". [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Rennie</span> British actor (1909–1971)

Michael Rennie was a British film, television and stage actor, who had leading roles in a number of Hollywood films, including his portrayal of the space visitor Klaatu in the science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). In a career spanning more than 30 years, Rennie appeared in more than 50 films and in several American television series.

<i>Now, Voyager</i> 1942 American drama film directed by Irving Rapper

Now, Voyager is a 1942 American drama film starring Bette Davis, Paul Henreid, and Claude Rains, and directed by Irving Rapper. The screenplay by Casey Robinson is based on the 1941 novel of the same name by Olive Higgins Prouty.

<i>Mrs. Parkington</i> 1944 film by Tay Garnett

Mrs. Parkington is a 1944 drama film. It tells the story of a woman's life, told via flashbacks, from boarding house maid to society matron. The movie was adapted by Polly James and Robert Thoeren from the novel by Louis Bromfield. It was directed by Tay Garnett and starred Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon appearing together as husband and wife for the fourth time.

<i>The Rains Came</i> 1939 film by Clarence Brown

The Rains Came is a 1939 20th Century Fox film based on an American novel by Louis Bromfield. The film was directed by Clarence Brown and stars Myrna Loy, Tyrone Power, George Brent, Brenda Joyce, Nigel Bruce, and Maria Ouspenskaya.

<i>Enoch Arden</i> 1864 poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Enoch Arden is a narrative poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, published in 1864 during his tenure as British poet laureate. The story on which it was based was provided to Tennyson by Thomas Woolner. The poem lends its name to a principle in law that after being missing for a certain number of years a person may be declared dead for purposes of remarriage and inheritance of their survivors.

<i>Monkey Business</i> (1952 film) 1952 film by Howard Hawks

Monkey Business is a 1952 American screwball comedy film directed by Howard Hawks and starring Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers, Charles Coburn, and Marilyn Monroe. To avoid confusion with the unrelated 1931 Marx Brothers film of the same name, this film is sometimes referred to as Howard Hawks' Monkey Business.

<i>Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde</i> 1971 British film directed by Roy Ward Baker

Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde is a 1971 British horror film directed by Roy Ward Baker based on the 1886 novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. The film was made by British studio Hammer Film Productions and was their third adaptation of the story after The Ugly Duckling and The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll. The film is notable for showing Jekyll transform into a female Hyde; it also incorporates into the plot aspects of the historical Jack the Ripper and Burke and Hare cases. The title characters were played by the film's stars, Ralph Bates and Martine Beswick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joan Caulfield</span> American actress (1922–1991)

Beatrice Joan Caulfield was an American actress and model. After being discovered by Broadway producers, she began a stage career in 1943 that eventually led to signing as an actress with Paramount Pictures. In the opinion of Ephraim Katz in The Film Encyclopedia, published in 1979, "For several years she was among Paramount's top stars, radiating delicate femininity and demure beauty."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Argentina Brunetti</span> Argentine actress (1907–2005)

Argentina Brunetti was an Argentine stage and film actress and writer.

<i>All of Me</i> (1984 film) 1984 American film by Carl Reiner

All of Me is a 1984 American fantasy comedy film directed by Carl Reiner and starring Steve Martin and Lily Tomlin. This film is based on the unpublished novel Me Two by Edwin Davis. The title song and theme of the movie is the 1931 jazz standard "All of Me".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eugenie Leontovich</span> American dramatist

Eugenie Leontovich was a Russian-born United States actress with a distinguished career in theatre, film and television, as well as a dramatist and acting teacher.

<i>The World in His Arms</i> 1952 film by Raoul Walsh

The World in His Arms is a 1952 American seafaring adventure film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Gregory Peck, Ann Blyth and Anthony Quinn, with John McIntire, Carl Esmond, Andrea King, Eugenie Leontovich, Hans Conried, and Sig Ruman. Made by Universal-International, it was produced by Aaron Rosenberg from a screenplay by Borden Chase and Horace McCoy. It is based on the novel by Rex Beach. The music score was by Frank Skinner and the cinematography by Russell Metty.

<i>Deception</i> (1946 film) 1946 American film with Bette Davis, Paul Henreid, and Claude Rains directed by Irving Rapper

Deception is a 1946 American film noir drama released by Warner Brothers and directed by Irving Rapper. The film is based on the 1927 play Monsieur Lamberthier by Louis Verneuil. The screenplay was written by John Collier and Joseph Than. It stars Bette Davis, Paul Henreid, and Claude Rains, who had also appeared together in the highly successful Now, Voyager (1942), which was also directed by Rapper.

<i>Honky Tonk</i> (1941 film) 1941 film by Jack Conway

Honky Tonk is a 1941 black-and-white Western film directed by Jack Conway, produced by Pandro S. Berman, and starring Clark Gable and Lana Turner. The supporting cast features Claire Trevor, Frank Morgan, Marjorie Main, Albert Dekker and Chill Wills.

Elena Miramova was an American actress and playwright.

Frank Ross was a film producer, writer, and actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dionne Bromfield</span> British singer

Dionne Julia Bromfield is a British soul music singer, television presenter and television personality. Her debut album, Introducing Dionne Bromfield, was released in 2009 by Amy Winehouse's Lioness Records label. She first came to public attention after performing on the British TV show Strictly Come Dancing with Amy Winehouse on backing vocals. She is known for being one of the former presenters on Friday Download. On 15 July 2021, Bromfield released the single "Silly Love", nearly 10 years after the death of her godmother Amy Winehouse.

<i>The Petty Girl</i> 1950 film by Henry Levin

The Petty Girl (1950), known in the UK as Girl of the Year, is a musical romantic comedy Technicolor film starring Robert Cummings and Joan Caulfield. Cummings portrays painter George Petty who falls for Victoria Braymore (Caulfield), the youngest professor at Braymore College who eventually becomes "The Petty Girl".

<i>Fingers at the Window</i> 1942 film by Charles Lederer

Fingers at the Window is a 1942 mystery film directed by Charles Lederer and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

References

  1. ↑ Solomon, Aubrey. Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History (The Scarecrow Filmmakers Series). Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1989. ISBN   978-0-8108-4244-1. p250
  2. ↑ 'The Top Box-Office Hits of 1956', Variety Weekly, January 2, 1957
  3. ↑ Dunne, Philip (1992). Take Two: A Life in Movies and Politics. pp. 239–240.
  4. ↑ Dixon, Wheeler Winston (1999). "Rev. of Dyer, White". Film Quarterly . 52 (4): 62–63. doi:10.1525/fq.1999.52.4.04a00220. JSTOR   1213790.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.