''The Gentle Rain'' is a 1966 American-Brazilian

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

produced and directed by

Burt Balaban Burt Balaban (March 6, 1922 – October 14, 1965) was an American film producer and director. Biography Balaban was born to a Jewish family, the son of Tillie (née Urkov) from her first marriage, and stepson of Barney Balaban, longtime pres ...

and starring

Christopher George Christopher John George (February 25, 1931 – November 28, 1983) was an American television and film actor who starred in the 1960s television series '' The Rat Patrol''. He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 1967 as Best TV Star for his ...

Lynda Day Lynda Louise Day George (born Lynda Louise Day; December 11, 1944) is an American television and film actress whose career spanned three decades from the 1960s to the 1980s. She was a cast member on '' Mission: Impossible'' (1971–1973). She wa ...

and

Fay Spain Lona Fay Spain (October 6, 1932 – May 8, 1983) was an American actress in motion pictures and television. Early years Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Fay Spain was the younger of two daughters born to Robert C. Spain and Arminta Frances "Mick ...

. It became best known for its theme song " The Gentle Rain". It was the first production to star George and Day together; they would frequently appear together in both film and television roles throughout their careers, and they married in 1970. This was Balaban's final film; he died from cancer on October 14, 1965, several months before the film premiered.

Plot

Judy Reynolds is a young lady who considers herself romantically "frigid" but wants to find her sense of passion for life. She takes an airline flight, running away from her parents in New York City to relocate to Rio de Janeiro. There she meets an attractive architect working on a large construction project. He does not respond to her attempts to begin a conversation, so Judy apologizes for disturbing him and leaves. Judy's acquaintance Nancy explains that Bill is mute, caused by an accident in which his former girlfriend was killed. Following a party held for Americans who live and work in Rio, Judy accompanies Bill to his apartment where he feebly tries to play guitar for her. He then shows her a letter, the first he has written in years, that states that since their first meeting he has fallen in love with her. However, she doubts that Bill is truly in love. While the rain falls on Bill's window, he writes "Don't pity me" on the glass panes, then collapses in sadness onto his bed. Judy sits on the bed to comfort him. Using basic gestures, he explains the details of the accident that left him mute. Bill was unable to rescue his fiancée from the burning wreck, and following his last desperate scream as she died, he was left unable to speak. Judy continues to meet with Bill and their relationship begins to grow. After spending the day together touring Rio, they return to his home and make love that evening. When Judy wakes, she begins a one-sided conversation with Bill, confronting him with the truth that he can speak, but will not, because he has been punishing himself for the past three years. Judy leaves Bill alone in his room to face his inner demons. Bill realizes that he wants his relationship with Judy to continue but that he must reconcile his past to move forward in life. Bill considers phoning Judy to prove that he can indeed speak. Bill fears that he has lost Judy, and he stares at the phone that he must use to save the relationship. Grabbing his hair, he shakes as though shivering in great frustration.

Cast

as Bill Patterson *

as Judy Reynolds *

as Nancy Masters * Maria Helena Dias as Gloria * Lon Clark as Harry Masters * Barbara Williams as Girl Friend * Robert Assumpaco as Hotel Manager * Herbert Moss as Jimmy * Bert Caudle Jr. as Party Guest * Nadir Fernandes as Nightclub Girl * Lorena as Jewelry Girl

Production

''The Gentle Rain'' was primarily filmed in Brazil. During the shoot, costars

and

Linda Day Linda Day Varnum (born Linda Gail Brickner; August 12, 1938 – October 23, 2009)

renewed their friendship, begun while they worked for the same modeling agency, and would often meet for coffee.

Reception

The world premiere of ''The Gentle Rain'' was held at the Florida Theater in

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County, Florida, Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the ...

on February 10, 1966. The film was afforded a very limited American release in select markets. In a contemporary review in the ''

Miami Herald The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by McClatchy, The McClatchy Company and headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Founded in 1903, it is the fifth-largest newspaper in Florida, serving Miami-Dade, Broward County, Fl ...

'', critic George Bourke likened the style of ''The Gentle Rain'' to that of

French New Wave The New Wave (, ), also called the French New Wave, is a French European art cinema, art film movement that emerged in the late 1950s. The movement was characterized by its rejection of traditional filmmaking conventions in favor of experimentat ...

films and wrote: " alabanhas given his off-beat story ... thoughtful and at times tender treatment. In doing so, he may have prevented his film from getting the major attention it might have merited." In the ''

Fort Lauderdale News The ''Sun Sentinel'' (also known as the ''South Florida Sun Sentinel'', known until 2008 as the ''Sun-Sentinel'', and stylized on its masthead as ''SunSentinel'') is the main daily newspaper of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Broward County, and ...

'', reviewer Bob Freund called ''The Gentle Rain'' "a charming, idyllic film about young love", writing: "Soap opera? Well, yes, 'The Gentle Rain' might fit into that over-used description. But it is a beautifully sustained mood film. While it is too long for what it tells, the picture creates a genuine interest in its characters, due to the intelligent direction of the late Burt Balaban." Critic Bill Morrison of the

Raleigh Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

News and Observer ''The News & Observer'' is an American regional daily newspaper that serves the greater Triangle area based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The paper is the largest in circulation in the state (second is the '' Charlotte Observer''). The paper has be ...

'' panned the film: "A film should have a point of view and if successful will create and sustain a style that will make it linger in a viewer's memory. 'The Gentle Rain' fails. ... The film is just too erratic."

References

Bibliography

* K. E. Goldschmitt. ''Bossa Mundo: Brazilian Music in Transnational Media Industries''. Oxford University Press, 2019.

External links

*
''The Gentle Rain'' at AllMovie
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gentle Rain 1966 films 1966 drama films 1960s English-language films American drama films Films directed by Burt Balaban Brazilian drama films English-language Brazilian films Allied Artists films 1960s American films 1960s Brazilian films English-language drama films