The Rains Came
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| The Rains Came | |
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| Author | Louis Bromfield |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Novel |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Publication date | June 1937 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 597 pp |
| ISBN | NA |
The Rains Came is the title of novel by Louis Bromfield, published in 1937, as well as the 1939 20th Century Fox film version which followed it.
[edit] Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
The film was directed by Clarence Brown and starred Tyrone Power, Myrna Loy, George Brent, Brenda Joyce, Nigel Bruce and Maria Ouspenskaya. The plot follows the romantic entanglement of an Indian doctor, a British woman and her former (also British) flame.
The casting of this movie apparently was a lengthy process. Myrna Loy and Clarence Brown were loaned to 20th century Fox from MGM (as part of a deal wherein Tyrone Power was loaned by Fox to MGM for Marie Antoinette). George Brent was also loaned from his home studio of Warner Bros. In the end, the only member of the cast who was originally chosen for the role he or she played was Maria Ouspenskaya, who was memorable as the Maharani. She later claimed that she learned all she needed to know about impersonating Indian royalty from her acquaintance with the Russian Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia.
The plot deals with the redemption of the lead female character. George Brent is Tom Ransom, an artist who leads a rather dissolute if socially active life in the town of Ranchipur. His routine is shattered with the arrival of his former lover, Lady Edwina Esketh (Loy) who has since married the elderly Lord Esketh (Nigel Bruce). Lady Edwina Esketh first sets out to seduce then gradually falls in love with Major Rama Safti (Power) who represents the "new India." The film reaches his climax with an earthquake and floods followed by an epidemic. Lord Esketh dies in the floods and Lady Esketh renounces her hedonistic life in favor of helping the sick alongside Major Safti. Unfortunately, she becomes infected and dies, making it possible for Safti to become the ruler of the kingdom which he will presumably reform. In the course of the film Brent and Brenda Joyce fall in love.
The film is remarkable for a number of unusual features. Both Loy and Bruce are cast against type. Loy's stylish bad girl role was more akin to the sort that made Greta Garbo famous than her own reputation as "the ideal wife" which MGM promoted for many years. The scenes that are most remarkable are the ones dealing with the earthquake and floods. It was nominated for six Academy Awards, winning in the category of "Special Effects and Sound Effects", for the earthquake and flood sequences. It became the first film to win an Academy Award for Best Special Effects.
The Rains Came was remade in 1955 as The Rains of Ranchipur, with Richard Burton, Lana Turner and Fred MacMurray in the Power, Loy and Brent roles. The 1939 film uses the original novel's ending; the 1955 film does not.
[edit] External links
- The Rains Came: A Novel Of Modern India. Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1937. From Internet Archive.
- Complete text of The Rains Came (public domain in Canada)
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Sources: Film commentary on the DVD "The Rains Came"
