The Rainmaker

Starring:Burt Lancaster, Katharine Hepburn, Wendell Corey, Lloyd Bridges, Earl Holliman, Cameron Prud'Homme, Wallace Ford, Yvonne Lime, Tony Merrill, Michael Bachus, Dan White, Stan Jones, James Stone, John Benson, Joe Brown Jr., Kenneth Becker, Dottie Bee Baker
Director: Joseph Anthony (II)
Studio: Paramount
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com essential video

When viewed from a cranky perspective, this by-the-book David vs. Goliath story doesn't offer any surprises, and it's a bit sad to watch director Francis Coppola (who also adapted John Grisham's bestseller) squandering his once-glorious talent on such conventional Hollywood fare. In a more charitable light, however, there's great pleasure to be found in Coppola's intelligent, no-nonsense handling of a plot that's every bit as involving as it is formulaic. Coppola also knows how to bring out the best in a stellar cast, and this is the movie (released in November 1997, just a few weeks before Good Will Hunting) that signaled Matt Damon's arrival as a major-league star. Damon plays Rudy Baylor, a young rookie lawyer in Memphis (location of many Grisham stories) who takes on a powerful insurance company (led by a sharklike lawyer played by Jon Voight) by representing the family of a boy who was denied potentially life-saving treatment for leukemia. Rudy also comes to the rescue of an abused wife (Claire Danes) and learns the tricks of the legal trade from a seasoned paralegal (Danny DeVito), who sees Rudy as his ticket out of the sleazeball practice run by a shady lawyer (Mickey Rourke). There's no mystery about where this plot is going, but Coppola takes us there in high style with a sharp script, and Damon strikes just the right note of naivete and strategic intelligence. When Goliath inevitably falls, this courtroom David wins fair and square. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Great courtroom drama putting the insurance industry on trial will be available in anamorphic.......2007-04-10

I will not dwell on the details of this John Grisham story that puts the insurance industry on trial. The purpose of my comments are to let Amazon viewers know that Paramount has set July 24, 2007 for release of this wonderful movie as an anamorphic Special Collectors Edition. For those of you contemplating buying this DVD, wait until July for a nicer version without those black bars. I hope this is of help to my fellow Amazon viewers.

I love Grisham movies..........2007-03-13

and this is one of my favorites. Matt Damon does an excellent job. Devito couldn't have done a better job. I love it when he plays a serious/funny situation. He made this movie ease up when the tension got high. If you are looking for a movie that gives justice in the end, this one is for you.

Read the book first.......2007-03-09

Would have enjoyed movie more if I hadn't read the book first. Book was terrific, movie left out a lot of important details.

Heartwarming, Inspiring.......2007-01-07

Matt Damon stars as a freshly minted lawyer fighting a large insurance company that simply collects insurance without paying benefits - in this case they denied payment for life-saving treatment to a dying young man. The insurance company's side is taken by highly-experienced attorneys billing at up to a thousand dollars/hour. Aided by intelligent but six-time bar exam flunker Danny DeVito and his contacts, Damon wins the suit along with a monumental punitive award. Unfortunately, the insurance company is but a shell, having been looted by its CEO (Roy Scheider), and no damages are paid.

We are left with two memorable images: 1)Damon pondering his future in law - should he continue (and undoubtedly end up using the law to fight justice - as did his opponent, Jon Voight), or take his love of the law and go into teaching? 2)DeVito heading out the door in pursuit of another attempt at passing the bar.

Too true to Life.......2006-09-21

I read the book when it was first published and then a friend had a son diagnosed with leukemia and went through the same thing as the Mom in the book. Fortunately he had a lot of advocates that pushed him to ignore the insurance company and his son finally found a donor match but it was too late. So I feared that this movie would not be up to the book. My fears were unfounded, the casting was brilliant and I loved this movie, even though it is tough to watch, I still catch it in reruns on the satellite occasionally and "must watch". That is how good it is.

Average customer rating:

Late 50s, yes. A bit hokey, yes. Enjoyable? YES!
"Water! I recommend it"
Introducing Elvis Presley as Jim Currie
Classic Romance
A hope maker!

The Rainmaker
Starring: Burt Lancaster , Katharine Hepburn , Wendell Corey , Lloyd Bridges , and Earl Holliman
Director: Joseph Anthony (II)
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0009CTVGI
Release Date: 2005-07-12

Amazon.com

This 1950s classic is based on the N. Richard Nash play of the same name (and not to be confused with the John Grisham novel and subsequent film). It's drought time in the Southwest; things are so bad that when a con man (Burt Lancaster) comes to town promising he can make rain, a rancher takes him up on it. But the rancher's spinster daughter (Katharine Hepburn) is skeptical--until Lancaster makes lightning strike her heart, with the unexpected consequence of the rainmaker falling in love with her. Lancaster is charismatic and funny and finds his match in Hepburn (with Earl Holliman providing comic relief as her impulsive younger brother). Think Harold Hill and Marian the Librarian on a farm, minus the music (though Rainmaker later was made into the Broadway musical 110 in the Shade). --Marshall Fine

Description

In THE RAINMAKER, a lonely ranch girl blossoms into full womanhood under the spell of a wandering charlatan named Starbuck. Katharine Hepburn garnered an Oscar nomination as the "believably plain yet magnetically beautiful" tomboy rancher, with Burt Lancaster brilliantly cast in the role of the smooth-talking con man.

Customer Reviews:

Late 50s, yes. A bit hokey, yes. Enjoyable? YES!.......2007-07-01

The story is now a bit stale, but this film is more than the sum of its parts.
The exterior sets are transparently artificial, and Ms Hepburn played another variation on her patented spinster role (see also The African Queen, The Corn is Green, Rooster Cogburn, Summertime, etc). Her acting range is better exhibited in "The Lion in Winter" or "Bringing Up Baby." Burt Lancaster also played his charlatan/con man role on other occasions (see Elmer Gantry.)

The writing (adapted by the author from his play) was excellent; contrived in plot yes (and remarkably similar to "The Music Man" in story), but surprisingly moving, intelligent and even free-thinking for its time--here's a father who encourages his daughter to become a "fallen woman". The original play "The Rainmaker" was adapted into the lovely musical "110 in the Shade" which is currently (June 2007) being revived on Broadway with the fabulous Audra McDonald. The film has comedy of a sort, personal drama, and a scene with Ms Hepburn's Lizzie in which she predicts her old-maid future that brought tears to my eyes. THAT's where her acting shines through. The ending has an unconventional twist.

Unfortunately there are no special features on this DVD; I would love to know what the actors thought of this film.

"Water! I recommend it".......2007-02-03

Bill Starbuck (Burt Lancaster) is a charlatan selling multi-flavored hopes of fulfilled dreams. Take your pick: early-warning tornado devices or cumulous nimbus over drought stricken cattle. It requires more than animated gestures and wild stories to satisfy the matrimonial desires of aging Lizzie Curry (Katherine Hepburn). Their paths cross in the Southwest as THE RAINMAKER promises thunder to the Curry family of hopefuls and hopeless.

At 49 - just six years older than Lancaster, Hepburn appears old enough to be mother to her theatrical siblings - a mistaken assumption expressed by daffy brother Jim (Earl Holliman) when he remarks how wonderful it would be for her to conceive a child so he could have a little brother. Nevertheless, the vigorous passion of this Old Maid desiring change without changing well compliments the undesputed Star - buck. From the moment he enters a scene, Lancaster steals the show with prolific lines of what Hepburn shamelessly labels "bunk."

The smile that overcomes me when the film begins is frequently interrupted by tears of joy and thunderous outbursts of laughter. I love it when a DVD investment pays off this well. Put your faith in THE RAINMAKER.

Movie quote: "Rain is rain, brother. It comes from the sky. It's a wetness known as water - 'aqua pura.' Mammals drink it. Fish swim in it. Little boys wade in it. And the birds flap their wings and sing like sunrise. Water! I recommend it."

Introducing Elvis Presley as Jim Currie.......2007-01-31

This movie would have been a better start for Elvis than Love Me Tender. Elvis did a screen test playing a couple of scenes from The Rainmaker and even said in an interview that The Rainmaker would be his movie debut. A journalist who attended the screen test was very impressed with Elvis' acting, but alas... As for the actors who did play in the movie, they are all great. Lancaster's and Hepburne's acting is at times more suitable for a theatrical stage, but then the setting of the movie, especially the interior of the house does have that atmosphere. An unforgettable movie!

Classic Romance.......2006-12-02

I first saw this film when I was 10, and fell instantly in love with Burt Lancaster. His enthusiasm, amazing smile and sheer energy make this story a joy to watch. Katherine Hepburn always struck me as a little too old for the part, but she is so good that you can't imagine anyone else playing Lizzie. When I saw Burt Lancaster later in Elmer Gantry, I was stuck by the likeness to his character Starbuck in The Rainmaker; Starbuck is a sweeter, less manipulative charater than Gantry. The Rainmaker is set in a western town suffering from a drought; into the town comes Starbuck, a seller of hope in the form of a promise to make it rain. He meets Lizzie, an "old maid" who longs for a man to love her, and the promise of children and security this brings. This is a very sweet story; while I could not understand Lizzie's final choice when I was younger, now I can see what she wanted and why she made the decision she did. This is a charming film, and it is lovely to see it looking to clear and bright on DVD.

A hope maker!.......2006-07-02

This is an emblematic metaphor that reflects with remarkable intensity, the disturbing years of the Fifties signed by the desperation and the phantoms of the Cold war, the racism and the nuclear fears.

A little town is beset for drought and an ex con, featured by a smooth talking way will redeem himself before the residents and the spiritual and physical support for a spinster. Lancaster would seem to be involuntarily anticipating, his future personage in Elmer Gantry, that would deserve him the coveted golden statue. Hepburn as the spinster is extremely eloquent.

Average customer rating:

5-stars "All Star"
A broad sampling of bluegrass for all tastes
Lively disc of bluegrass legends and stars

All-Star Bluegrass Celebration
Starring: Various Artists
Manufacturer: Rainmaker Production
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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Telluride Bluegrass Festival: Thirty Years
Gather at the River - A Bluegrass Celebration
The Legend Lives On - A Tribute to Bill Monroe
Bluegrass Country Soul
Rhonda Vincent and the Rage - Ragin' Live

ASIN: B00064AM8A
Release Date: 2004-11-09

Customer Reviews:

5-stars "All Star".......2005-08-20

This wonderful, eclectic collection of old and new "bluegrass" favorites is, in my view, a "must" -- both on CD and DVD (note there are some small discrepancies in the selections between these two).

The program, first aired as a PBS fundraiser but now vailable to the general public, brought together some of the very great, even "historic" greats, such as Earl Scruggs and Ralph Stanley, along with some of our finest contemporary stars -- Ricky Scaggs, Allison Krauss, and Patty Loveless. And then, of course, there's Del McCoury and that girl in "red hair and black leather."

The arrangements are superb. There's audience response on the recording -- which to my mind makes the experience all the better! You'll walk away smiling and humming. What could be better?

A broad sampling of bluegrass for all tastes.......2005-01-07

The high octane of bluegrass music in a live show has been captured in the "All Star Bluegrass Celebration" produced by legendary Austin City Limits architect Terry Lickona. Available on CD or DVD, the intensity of this genre is seized in this documentation of a show featuring some of the greatest performers in the business. The many moods of bluegrass range from the hard-core traditional to quick-paced contemporary, enchanting gospel to powerful mountain sounds.

Recorded on January 16, 2002 at Nashville's historic Ryman Auditorium for a PBS broadcast, the All-Star Bluegrass Celebration was a very popular fund-raising special. There is one primary tradeoff to the energy of a live show, and that is the audience applause which can be downright noisy and annoying, especially when it's rendered over a hot break or vocals.

The DVD version contains three bonus tracks. The show was hosted by Ricky Skaggs, and the CD begins with Kentucky Thunder's fiery rendition of the traditional "Shady Grove." A project like this always offers some interesting pairings that bring illustrious guests onto the bluegrass stage. More often associated with country music but clearly having strong bluegrass foundations, stars like Vince Gill , Travis Tritt, Patty Loveless,
and Bruce Hornsby also make appearances. Unfortunately, the set's flow has some problems. For example, following the Del McCoury Band's "Get Down on Your Knees and Pray" with a drum-heavy rendition of Earl Scruggs' "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" is like jumping from a warm bed into a freezing cold lake. While the crowd appreciates the sheer energy of the breakdown with electric guitar, electric bass, and drums, it seems rather odd to transition right back to Patty Loveless' more acoustic rendition of "Daniel Prayed." Later in the set, after Ralph Stanley and Ricky Skaggs play straight-ahead bluegrass, Bruce Hornsby builds his compelling case for bluegrass piano on "Darlin' Corey." Of course, Nickel Creek's "Seven Wonders" pushes the bluegrass envelope even further. The all star finale jam it up on Earl Scruggs' "Lonesome Reuben" and a fitting tribute to the father of bluegrass with Bill Monroe's "Rawhide."

There are no liner notes that try to define bluegrass. It's obvious that producer Terry Likona has chosen to let the music do that for us, and the sideboards are large. With its strongly mainstream commercial sound, the All-Star Bluegrass Celebration raised a great amount of funding for PBS. Projects like this also give us a broad sampling of bluegrass for all tastes. From the sounds of the noisy audience, they clearly loved it. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)

Lively disc of bluegrass legends and stars.......2004-12-27

Originally taped live at the legendary Ryman Auditorium, this celebration of Bluegrass' legends and current stars has been a staple of PBS fundraising nights all across the country. Now available on both CD and DVD, the program captures highlights from bluegrass founders Earl Scruggs and Ralph Stanley, legendary players Ricky Skaggs, Vince Gill and Alison Krauss, and country stars like Patty.

The program provides a good introduction to the riches of Bluegrass, including the hot-picking of Kentucky Thunder and Earl Scruggs, Ralph Stanley's bone-chilling a capella "O Death," and the generational interconnection of standards like Bill Monroe's "Uncle Pen." The DVD edition adds three tracks to the CD: Earl Scruggs' "Passin' Through," Ralph Stanley's "Rocky Island," and a group finale of "Little Maggie."

John Grisham's The Rainmaker (Special Collector's Edition)

Average customer rating:

John Grisham's The Rainmaker (Special Collector's Edition)
Starring: Matt Damon , Danny DeVito , Claire Danes , Jon Voight , and Mary Kay Place
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Manufacturer: Paramount Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000P5FH3K
Release Date: 2007-07-24

Average customer rating:

Late 50s, yes. A bit hokey, yes. Enjoyable? YES!
"Water! I recommend it"
Introducing Elvis Presley as Jim Currie
Classic Romance
A hope maker!

The Rainmaker
Starring: Burt Lancaster , Katharine Hepburn , Wendell Corey , Lloyd Bridges , and Earl Holliman
Director: Joseph Anthony (II)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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

Elmer Gantry
Come Back, Little Sheba
State of the Union
Elephant Walk
Alice Adams

ASIN: B0009F2BIK

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Late 50s, yes. A bit hokey, yes. Enjoyable? YES!.......2007-07-01

"Water! I recommend it".......2007-02-03

Introducing Elvis Presley as Jim Currie.......2007-01-31

Classic Romance.......2006-12-02

A hope maker!.......2006-07-02

Average customer rating:

Great courtroom drama putting the insurance industry on trial will be available in anamorphic
I love Grisham movies...
Read the book first
Heartwarming, Inspiring
Too true to Life

The Rainmaker [Region 2]
Starring: Matt Damon , Danny DeVito , Claire Danes , Jon Voight , and Mary Kay Place
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B00004RYDT

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

Great courtroom drama putting the insurance industry on trial will be available in anamorphic.......2007-04-10

I love Grisham movies..........2007-03-13

Read the book first.......2007-03-09

Would have enjoyed movie more if I hadn't read the book first. Book was terrific, movie left out a lot of important details.

Heartwarming, Inspiring.......2007-01-07

Too true to Life.......2006-09-21

Average customer rating:

Great courtroom drama putting the insurance industry on trial will be available in anamorphic
I love Grisham movies...
Read the book first
Heartwarming, Inspiring
Too true to Life

The Rainmaker [Region 2]
Starring: Matt Damon , Danny DeVito , Claire Danes , Jon Voight , and Mary Kay Place
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video