The Rain People (1969)

User Review

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  Barneyonmovies

  6 / 10

  WHAT I LIKED: Before he made 'The Godfather,' Francis Ford Coppola made 'The Rain People,' - a film that mostly serves to demonstrate his drive to delve seriously into whatever subject matter he chooses. This time, it's the story of a woman seeking her own identity in a way that unlocks some interesting and timely social observations, and as a result it's is often deemed an early example of feminism on screen before the women's movement. After all, Coppola really does get under the skin of what it felt like to be a woman oppressed not by an evil controlling partner, but by societal expectations, and that makes for an interesting thematic experience that showcases the serious intent of Coppola's ambitions.
  WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: It's more concerned with those social themes than with the central character herself as we never really get a chance to connect with her on an emotional level. This is partly because the script doesn't actually give her much personal development, and also because the journey she goes on is one that involves lots of odd reactionary decisions that remove much of the sympathy we have for her as a character so she winds up more of a feature of Coppola's explorations.
  VERDICT: A socially relevant picture that shows Coppola is here for the serious stuff, 'The Rain People,' may be interesting, but it's sadly not particularly engaging.

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