Sorry, this movie sucks

Excellent but underrated film

Absolutely Fantastic

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

This sanitized version of W Somerset Maugham's "Rain" is an entertaining vehicle for Rita Hayworth who is every inch the star, (that she can't act is immaterial). She's a 'good-time' girl stranded on a very picturesque Pacific island during the war and labeled a prostitute by sanctimonious preacher Jose Ferrer who is also stranded when their ship is quarantined. Of course, Ferrer desires Sadie for himself and sublimates his desire by persecuting her. But in this version none of this is allowed to detract from what is a good old-fashioned entertainment with numerous musical interludes, (that Hayworth was always dubbed never stopped the studio giving her plenty of songs). Ferrer is well cast as the starchy preacher; he always acted as if he had a board up his back, and Aldo Ray almost matches Hayworth for laid-back, sexy charm.

Poor Sadie - either way she had a tough deal of things. Having never seen the movie "rain" I cannot do a comparison, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. So... taken on its own merits, this is an OK movie, not the best, not the worst. Rita glimmers and gleams like gold in a desert when she arrives, and it spoke heaps for the moral code that did exist that she was able to flick away unwanted attention in those days, apart from the one person who wrote his own code of course. The preacher man with too much power was convincing, (and his snivelling wife), doing what most people with too much power do - becoming corrupted by his own invincibility. Although it appears that a man (any man) offering the sanctuary of married life was the solution to the world's problems, or at least Sadie's, part of me was hoping that she would be able to revert to her original plan and go to New Caledonia. Why she didn't just push Davidson off the cliff when they were talking? But it might have spoiled the story! Not a bad way to spend an hour or so... beautiful colour, interesting story and I suppose a happy ending?

This is the 1950's "Disney-ized" version of W. Somerset Maugham's wonderful story "Rain," which was filmed much more successfully and faithfully with Joan Crawford as Sadie back in 1932.Rita Hayworth is always a pleasure to watch--a true beauty with significant talent, though her performance here isn't much to shout about. Probably due to the wretched script and mediocre direction.This Technicolor, 3-D (in the original theatrical release), musical version demonstrates clearly that technology does not equal quality.The worst element of this version is perhaps Jose Ferrer as the unbending moralizer who tries to convert Sadie. Certainly he's supposed to be stiff, but not to the point where his face shows absolutely no nuance of emotion ever.Look for a studly young Charles Bronson in a minor role, listed in the credits as Charles Buchinsky (this must have been before he discovered that Hollywood didn't like ethnic--especially in the 50's).No, your best bet is just to read the story. Maugham deserves the attention; he's a much under-rated writer.

I was very surprised to find that Rita Hayworth was very much better than Joan Crawford in the same role (in "Rain"). Crawford always played Crawford, and had a lot of baggage she brought to the role. Hayworth was able to be flirty and vivacious with a "don't cross this line" under it that was very well done. And her changes of feeling over the course of the movie were as convincing as the script would allow, I think.Jose Ferrar was also great in his part... he also had to undergo change, and did it well.Aldo Ray was the weak point, convincing at the beginning as an eager Marine, but not really someone she could spend the rest of her life with... she way outclassed him.Overall, though, an excellent movie, and definitely better in 3D!