This early work by Francis Ford Coppola would have a hard time finding an audience today due to its meandering plot line and lethargic feel. At times we can see the precursors of Coppola's genius which would later lead to his greatness in following films: The Godfather films, Apocalypse Now and The Black Stallion, etc. The Waspy woman who marries into a traditional Italian-American family would later be used in the Godfather as it is here.
Upon learning she's pregnant, Newlywed Natalie Ravenna (Shirley Knight), runs out of town to do some soul-searching and to get a respite from her responsibilities as a wife and would-be mother. Her aimless trip brings her to pick up a Down and Out hitchhiker, Jimmy (James Caan) and have a traffic ticket issued by a Motorcycle Cop, Gordon (Robert Duvall). We later learn in a flashback that Jimmy had a head injury in a college football game that lead to some permanent cerebral damage. What may have seemed like a brief need to get some sexual gratification, Natalie soon realizes she wants out of this problem and to cut ties. But she ends up being stuck with him due to pity or by chance. She doesn't have the heart to leave him on his own, because he's incapable of surviving due to his limited faculties. While trying to unravel herself from this mess, she gets invited to Gordon's Mobile home. Now she learns this man has some serious complications of his own. So, as she ventures off from her husband to find some brief freedom, she gets entangled in a set of new problems. These men are damaged people.
When viewing Rain People we look for inner conflict rather than outer conflict. Because this is a slow moving plot, it's one of those late 1960's films where group dialogue has people talking over each other and the camera moves from one face to another capturing brief expressions in the characters. You have to invest in the character's situation to get anything out of it, or else, you might get bored and tune out of the story.
The Rain People falls in line with the few other Road movies of this era: Easy Rider, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Scarecrow,etc. Where troubled souls or empty lives converge. This may not be great entertainment, but for those who are willing to invest time with this modest piece of introspection this film is moderately interesting.
Upon learning she's pregnant, Newlywed Natalie Ravenna (Shirley Knight), runs out of town to do some soul-searching and to get a respite from her responsibilities as a wife and would-be mother. Her aimless trip brings her to pick up a Down and Out hitchhiker, Jimmy (James Caan) and have a traffic ticket issued by a Motorcycle Cop, Gordon (Robert Duvall). We later learn in a flashback that Jimmy had a head injury in a college football game that lead to some permanent cerebral damage. What may have seemed like a brief need to get some sexual gratification, Natalie soon realizes she wants out of this problem and to cut ties. But she ends up being stuck with him due to pity or by chance. She doesn't have the heart to leave him on his own, because he's incapable of surviving due to his limited faculties. While trying to unravel herself from this mess, she gets invited to Gordon's Mobile home. Now she learns this man has some serious complications of his own. So, as she ventures off from her husband to find some brief freedom, she gets entangled in a set of new problems. These men are damaged people.
When viewing Rain People we look for inner conflict rather than outer conflict. Because this is a slow moving plot, it's one of those late 1960's films where group dialogue has people talking over each other and the camera moves from one face to another capturing brief expressions in the characters. You have to invest in the character's situation to get anything out of it, or else, you might get bored and tune out of the story.
The Rain People falls in line with the few other Road movies of this era: Easy Rider, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Scarecrow,etc. Where troubled souls or empty lives converge. This may not be great entertainment, but for those who are willing to invest time with this modest piece of introspection this film is moderately interesting.