Every time I watch The Rains Came, I'm awed beyond belief at the special effects during the monsoon scene. I have no idea how they did it in 1939, and most of the special effects I've seen in modern movies pale in comparison. This movie shows people getting buried in an avalanche of boulders, their houses collapsing over them, and attacked by water like in The Hurricane. How did they do it?
Since the title warns audiences to expect a great special effects scene, everyone will be on the edge of their seats until it happens. They'll be kept occupied by high society trying to keep cool in India by throwing fancy parties. Myrna Loy is married to Nigel Bruce, and while she enjoys the security his position brings, she can't stand him. So, she parties the night away with Maria Ouspenskaya, Joseph Schildkraut, Laura Hope Crews, Mary Nash, Marjorie Rambeau and C. Montague Shaw, while her old flame George Brent, respected but resentful and partial to the company of alcohol and the down-to-earth Jane Darwell, tries to resume their heated affair under her husband's nose. The very young Brenda Joyce finds George's maturity and devil-may-care attitude appealing, and starts one of the love triangles. Then, when Indian doctor Tyrone Power shows up, and Myrna Loy decides to make him her next conquest, the second love triangle materializes.
The romances are entertaining enough, even though Myrna Loy's acting leaves much to be desired. Since she started her career playing loose women, you'd think she'd know how to behave, even after a dozen Thin Men movies. She's in good company, since no one but Brenda appears to try at all. The monsoon scene is what everyone's waiting for, so the drama and the class politics feel like a filler until the fun happens, even though those parts make up most of the movie. This is definitely worth watching, just for the special effects. And don't even think about watching the remake, The Rains of Ranchipur; it's terrible despite the A-list cast.
Since the title warns audiences to expect a great special effects scene, everyone will be on the edge of their seats until it happens. They'll be kept occupied by high society trying to keep cool in India by throwing fancy parties. Myrna Loy is married to Nigel Bruce, and while she enjoys the security his position brings, she can't stand him. So, she parties the night away with Maria Ouspenskaya, Joseph Schildkraut, Laura Hope Crews, Mary Nash, Marjorie Rambeau and C. Montague Shaw, while her old flame George Brent, respected but resentful and partial to the company of alcohol and the down-to-earth Jane Darwell, tries to resume their heated affair under her husband's nose. The very young Brenda Joyce finds George's maturity and devil-may-care attitude appealing, and starts one of the love triangles. Then, when Indian doctor Tyrone Power shows up, and Myrna Loy decides to make him her next conquest, the second love triangle materializes.
The romances are entertaining enough, even though Myrna Loy's acting leaves much to be desired. Since she started her career playing loose women, you'd think she'd know how to behave, even after a dozen Thin Men movies. She's in good company, since no one but Brenda appears to try at all. The monsoon scene is what everyone's waiting for, so the drama and the class politics feel like a filler until the fun happens, even though those parts make up most of the movie. This is definitely worth watching, just for the special effects. And don't even think about watching the remake, The Rains of Ranchipur; it's terrible despite the A-list cast.