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Raintree County (1957)
Rate:
5
Viewed:
3/17
3/17:
Raintree County is mostly a clone of Gone with the Wind with
traces of The Snake Pit.
The movie is tedious to watch, lacking any emotional intensity despite the lavish costumes and cinematography.
An hour should've been cut out because hardly much happens. I was already desperate for the ridiculous epic to
end when there were ninety minutes left. When the Civil War finally came and John Shawnessy decided to enlist,
it was a relief to break up the monotony.
One thing is clear: Raintree County isn't about the Civil War but mental illness, a topic that wasn't
handled well by the filmmakers. They also bungled badly by not making Montgomery Clift's character be the
center of the show by focusing more on the Raintree Myth.
Elizabeth Taylor doesn't look credible for somebody with mental problems. Plus, she's too beautiful and ageless
to be believable. From start to end, her character doesn't change an iota. Therefore, why was Elizabeth Taylor
rewarded with an Oscar nomination? It should've gone to Lee Marvin for giving the best performance of the show.
He's more special than he was in Cat Ballou. Nigel Patrick is also great as
the professor, having the best lines. Eva Marie Saint is hopeless while Rod Taylor is okay but disappears for
several long stretches that I had forgotten about him when he came back at the end.
During the filming, Montgomery Clift was involved in a serious automobile accident by driving straight
toward a telephone pole which happened on May 12, 1956, setting off the longest suicide in Hollywood history.
Elizabeth Taylor had to remove two front teeth from inside his throat that were choking him to death. Thus,
Raintree County was suspended for a few months until Montgomery Clift returned, and he was never the
same again. However, the decline of his facial features or thespic abilities is hardly noticeable in the film.
All in all, Gone with the Wind had already been made, and that's enough.