disgusting, overrated, pointless

In other words,this film is a surreal ride.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

I had seen this film on TV growing up in the 60's and was as impressed with it as my mother had been. Besides a marvelous cast, superb special effects and a haunting romance, the film ably entices the viewer.Today, many years later, I find myself really loving the movie more than I ever had. Somehow I had never really seen the depth of romance between Lady Esketh (Myrna Loy) and the handsome Major Safti (Tyrone Power) she comes to love. The story of that love is subtly expressed in music at first when Rama Safti brings her attention to an Indian love song and translates it for her. The song is sublimely beautiful and affects them both deeply. After that the aristocratic Edwina Esketh who is bored with her life and in a loveless marriage begins to admire the unselfish Indian doctor who works hard for his people. In turn, the stalwart physician is attracted by Edwina, but strives to conceal his feelings, as he is continuing to pursue his work per the wishes of the Maharajah and Maharani. When disaster strikes with heavy rains and a tidal wave following, Lady Esketh wins the doctor's approval and admiration by becoming a nurse at the hospital and working tirelessly to help the patients. In addition to flooding victims, there are also many perishing of cholera.Before the final personal tragedy strikes, Dr.Safti expresses his love and admiration for Lady Esketh.Many, many lives are lost in the wake of the disaster, and the Major finds himself back on course to help the Maharani (Maria Outspenskaya) who has lost her husband in the flooding. Ironically, Lady Esketh's brutish husband (played out of character by Nigel Bruce) drowns, along with the valet he had verbally abused.One of the final messages is the timeless quality of love given unselfishly.Not to spoil it for those that have not seen this wonderful film, I will go no further except to say that it withstands the test of time.

It's rather ironic that GEORGE BRENT manages to be the liveliest actor in the cast of THE RAINS CAME, as a dissolute man who changes his ways thanks to an earthquake and flood that destroys the fictional Ranchipur in Louis Bromfield's tale of India in 1938. Not much can be said for TYRONE POWER, who has a smaller role as a turbaned Indian doctor and MYRNA LOY as a bored socialite whose husband (NIGEL BRUCE) keeps a list of her infidelities. Loy takes one look at Power and decides he's going to be the love of her life.BRENDA JOYCE, in her film debut, is featured in a sub-plot involving a romance with Brent. It's a poorly developed role and she was probably fortunate that she later found more pleasant roles in several Tarzan films as a replacement for Maureen O'Sullivan in the role of Jane. She's clearly an ingénue here. Brent gets most of the footage and he's good, more relaxed and likable than usual under Clarence Brown's direction.The supporting players have little to do before the rains arrive but help set up the plot which is then bogged down in two separate romances. As the socialite, Loy is not the glamorous creature that Lana Turner played in the remake and has to contend with some unflattering photography away from her home studio, MGM.What really makes the film memorable are the astonishing special effects which rightfully earned an Oscar for the strikingly realistic floods, heavy rains and quakes.Summing up: Worth watching for the special effects alone, but don't expect too much from the sappy story.

Grand Hollywood melodrama! Love relationships in India hold tightly despite the country being ravaged by earthquakes and floods. Ostensibly a production molded around the advancement of special visual effects circa 1939, all kinds of state-of-the-art trickery is employed: buildings crumble and the earth splits apart in hair-raising fashion. Predictably, the characters offer less interest, although George Brent does excellent work as an older man accepting the affections of a dewy-eyed nymph (this is possibly the best performance I've seen from Brent) and Myrna Loy is also very good as a socialite in love with a native. Flawed overall, yet an entertaining show. Remade in 1955 as "The Rains of Ranchipur". *** from ****

This movie has, for its time, amazing special effects for the flood scene. To let you know HOW amazing the effects were, in this category, THE RAINS CAME beat out GONE WITH THE WIND and its amazing burning of Atlanta! It was THAT good and worth seeing just for this segment. As for the rest of the story, it's okay--not great. It reminds me a lot of the movie JEZEBEL--completed just a year earlier. Both feature a female lead who is spoiled but who eventually prove themselves and both end up with similar fates. George Brent is excellent though it's odd to see Tyrone Power in the role of an Indian--with no trace of an Indian accent! Mr. Power does NOT do a whole lot to impress the audience with his acting range, but he looks nice in a suit. All in all, the story seems a tad familiar and pretty ordinary, but certainly not bad.