Baby, the Rain Must Fall (1965)

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

I have read some of the reviews for this film, some people state that this is one of the greatest films that Steve McQueen appeared in, not at all in my opinion, it's a good film, but it certainly isn't one of his best. Other people state that it's a terrible film, one reviewer even goes as far as saying that it's the worst film that he's ever seen, we all have our own opinions, but the worst film that he has ever seen? His film collection must be fairly small. Baby the Rain Must Fall is not one of Steve McQueen's most well known films, nor one of his most action packed films, but it is somewhat of an obscure little gem. Again, upon reading reviews, it is clear that people have mixed views about Steve McQueen's performance in this film, one of the weakest parts of the film is the overdubbing, clearly Steve McQueen does not sing, but he cannot take any blame for this, so putting that aside I would say that McQueen does a fine job of portraying Henry Thomas. There are one or two stand out scenes for me, in which he excels, but I won't give anything away, the other actors also gave strong performances, Lee Remick playing the role of Georgette Thomas very well, I think that both of the leading actors complimented each other brilliantly.I watched this late at night, in darkness, not expecting to see a typical Steve McQueen film, judging by some reactions to the film, others may have watched this film with preconceived notions, which is foolish. This is not a movie to watch with a group of friends, it's not a popcorn movie, it's a dark and unique drama, which was shot in some interesting locations. As a fan of Steve McQueen, I quite often watch one of his films, the reality is he appeared in two or three obscure films, that happen to be very good in my opinion, Soldier in the Rain is a personal favourite of mine, The War Lover is a good film, Hell is for Heroes is an underrated war film, I enjoyed Baby the Rain must Fall, but I would rather watch the other three films that I mentioned, and they wouldn't be in my list of the top five McQueen films. I really don't think that Baby the Rain must Fall is as good as others have said it is, but it is no way near as bad as some people have made it out to be, it's a good film that's worth watching.

The movie had all of the components to be a great film: A list actors with McQueen, Remick, and Murray, legendary director and producer, a hit song, and a good screenplay. There were many problems but the glaring one was McQueen producing the worst lip-synching ever seen in a movie. Since McQueen could not sing and apparently had no feel for music it was decided to use Billy Strange to sing the songs and his voice is not a close match to McQueen's speaking voice.More puzzling is why the producers chose to use Strange's version of the title song over Glenn Yarbrough, who had a major hit with the title song, which plays over the credits of the movie.Since the major story line of the movie centered around the singing career of McQueen's character, the producers should have sought out an actor who could sing. The ironic back story of the film is Elvis Presley wanted to play Henry Thomas (McQueen) but he was never a consideration of the film's producers.However, Presley could have handled the music (the title song was in Presley's wheelhouse) and his best movie performances were playing characters like Henry Thomas. Despite McQueen's stature at that time, he was miscast in the film.Remick and Murray are the high points of the movie while a lot of McQueen's scenes were badly done. On top of the obvious lip-synching, the bar band scenes look awkward and unconvincing. Another problem area is the unrealistic fight scenes.A bright spot of the movie is capturing the bareness and weariness of rural Texas. Filming on location was a smart decision because it helped sell the futile feeling that Thomas felt while trying to escape his hopeless situation.It is an interesting film despite its flaws and has more strong points than weak points.

Beautiful performances from Steve McQueen and especially Lee Remick highlight this rather sad rambling film of the type Hollywood doesn't make anymore. A small personal drama that explores the lives of regular people just struggling to make a place for themselves in the world. Nothing blows up, it's all about emotions here. Horton Foote's screenplay, based on his play, shows his customary understanding of how people react and interact with each other while Ernest Laszlo stark black and white cinematography evokes the dusty small town Texas setting in a way color never could. Something that you'd find either on the indie circuit or maybe on cable today certainly not in major markets as this was and hardly with stars of this magnitude.

Based on a short-lived Horton Foote play "The Traveling Lady", this character study focuses on faithful wife Remick, who is reuniting with her husband McQueen who has just been released from prison after several years following a stabbing. Arriving in his hometown, she is surprised to find that he has actually been released for close to a month and is working for room and board at a local couple's home while pursuing a career as a honky-tonk singer at night. Overseeing his behavior with great dismay is his decrepit foster mother Simmons, who prefers him to attend night school in order to make a living. As McQueen struggles to readjust to life on the outside, now with a family to support, he longs for Simmons' approval of his dream to sing for a living. Meanwhile, as Remick begins to break under the weight of McQueen's issues, local Deputy Sheriff Murray provides support, even as he is grappling with the loss of his own spouse. Remick, an actress who usually exuded brains and sophistication, tries hard here to present a simple and plain character and generally succeeds. McQueen takes on a role that is almost autobiographical in terms of the character's past. He is quite authentic and believable except when it comes to the singing. Here he is notably poor at lip-synching and effectively rendering the musical numbers in the film. It's a shame because, otherwise, this is among his best work as a legitimate actor. Murray is amiable and sensitive. Block gives a very unaffected and naturalistic performance as McQueen and Remick's little girl. (This is her only screen credit.) A number of talented character actors dot the cast, though most of them could do a lot more than for what they are called upon. It is perhaps not the most arresting movie since very little actually happens over the course of it, but it does contain some committed acting work from its cast, sports some nice black and white photography, has a vivid, weary, small-town atmosphere and begins with Saul Bass-inspired credits. Also, the title tune (a hit single for Glen Yarbrough) and another one or two numbers are heard. Impatient viewers may bail out long before the end, though fans of the stars should see it and will likely enjoy it.