Raining Stones

Starring:Bruce Jones, Julie Brown (II), Gemma Phoenix, Ricky Tomlinson, Tom Hickey, Mike Fallon, Ronnie Ravey, Lee Brennan, Karen Henthorn, Christine Abbott, Geraldine Ward, William Ash, Matthew Clucas, Anna Jaskolka, Jonathan James, Anthony Bodell, Bob Mullane, Jack Marsden, Jim R. Coleman, George Moss (II)
Director: Ken Loach
Studio: Fox Lorber
Product Type: DVD

Description

This Ken Loach film tells the story of a man devoted to his family and his religion. Proud, though poor, Bob wants his little girl to have a beautiful (and costly) brand-new dress for her First Communion. His stubbornness and determination get him into serious trouble as he turns to more and more questionable measures to raise the needed money. His desperation leads him to risk all that he loves and values, including his immortal soul and salvation.

Customer Reviews:

WHO'S GOT AN UMBRELLA AROUND HERE ?.......2007-06-10

Ken Loach's RAINING STONES won the Jury prize of the Cannes Film Festival in 1993. Like My Name Is Joe and Ladybird Ladybird, films Ken Loach directed at that time, RAINING STONES deals with one of Loach's favorite themes: the relation between poverty, ethics and social life in contemporary England. In this movie, Bob, unemployed and father of a seven years old girl, tries to earn 150£ to buy a new dress for his child's communion.

In opposition to the main characters of The Wind That Shakes the Barley or Land and Freedom DVD, two films by Ken Loach also, Tom is not a rebel, he's catholic, honest and proud. When he accidentally causes the death of the loan-shark who threatened his family, Tom goes straight to Father Barry to confess. The relatively happy ending of RAINING STONES is in contradiction with the pessimistic mood of the film and shouldn't live down the 80 first minutes which take an almost exhaustive inventory of the misfortunes an unemployed can suffer in England nowadays.

A DVD zone poor but proud.

Average customer rating:

Gripping and powerful...
Hard edged and realistic
a film about dignity and respect

Raining Stones
Starring: Bruce Jones , Julie Brown (II) , Gemma Phoenix , Ricky Tomlinson , and Tom Hickey
Director: Ken Loach
Manufacturer: Fox Lorber
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Sweet Sixteen

ASIN: B00003O031
Release Date: 2000-02-01

Description

Bob (Bruce Jones) lives with his wife Anne (Julie Brown) and his daughter Coleen (Gemma Phoenix) in a poor English town. Bob scrapes by with whatever odd jobs come his way — working as a bouncer, stealing green turf, cleaning septic tanks. Although Bob has no money and is living on the dole, he is determined to buy his daughter a dress for her first communion. The local parish priest (Tom Hickey) suggests that Bob settle cheaper and get a second-hand dress for Coleen's communion. But Bob will have none of that. Bob wants a new dress for his daughter, and no matter what it takes he will get a dress for her. Unfortunately, Bob has only murky ideas about how to earn the money to buy it. — Paul Brenner

Customer Reviews:

Gripping and powerful..........2005-12-07

This Ken Loach film leads to the kind of shattering emotional climax that fans of Rossellini will understand at once. Stay with this even if you are alienated by the setting and seeming desperation of the characters; unlike many of Loach's films, it does not end up leaving one with a sense of deep moral despair.
If you are new to Loach, think of using English subtitles - but at the risk of losing something at the powerful climax. This is my favorite of all his films; I consider him a world class talent. Only Mike Leigh of the current generation of British filmakers is in his league.

Hard edged and realistic.......2000-02-16

I'm biased. Two of my friends are in this film (Patrick and Anthony Warde) and a couple of scenes were set in their club.

That said, the film is realistic and set in real locations. Loach didn't have to build sets or work hard to convey the hopelessness of unemployment in a Northern town, the people and places did that for him. His talent is in bringing this to the screen and still giving the people the dignity they deserve as they struggle to make some kind of life in a post-industrial wasteland.

a film about dignity and respect.......1999-07-25

I try not to miss a Ken Loach film. Unless I'm ignorant about films, I find few directors nowadays tackling the issues of working class life in our modern capitalist society. When I saw this not entirely unbiased (not necessarily a bad thing) film I felt it was about dignity and respect. In his struggle to provide his daughter with the proper attire for a communion, the worker-father turns it into a matter of principle although linked to survival. At least that's what I got out of it. Check out films by Mike Leigh, John Sayles, Michael Winterbottom.

Average customer rating:

Raining Stones/Intimacy
Starring: Raining Stones , and Intimacy
Manufacturer: Koch Lorber Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Description

Intimacy In this critically acclaimed film by Patrice Chéreau Raining Stones [Region 2]
Average customer rating:

Gripping and powerful...
Hard edged and realistic
a film about dignity and respect

Raining Stones [Region 2]
Starring: Bruce Jones , Julie Brown (II) , Gemma Phoenix , Ricky Tomlinson , and Tom Hickey
Director: Ken Loach
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Navigators
Hidden Agenda
Carla's Song
Riff-Raff [Region 2]
Sweet Sixteen

ASIN: B00004S8I9

Customer Reviews:

Gripping and powerful..........2005-12-07

Hard edged and realistic.......2000-02-16

I'm biased. Two of my friends are in this film (Patrick and Anthony Warde) and a couple of scenes were set in their club.

a film about dignity and respect.......1999-07-25

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