Under the spell of a wandering charlatan named Starbuck, a lonely ranch girl blossoms into full womanhood in The Rainmaker. Katharine Hepburn (The Lion in Winter) garnered an Oscar nomination as the (believably plain yet magnificently beautiful) tomboy rancher, with Burt Lancaster (Elmer Gantry) brilliantly cast in the role of the smooth-talking con man who sells his rainmaking powers to unsuspecting, drought-ridden western towns. Writer N. Richard Nash (Porgy and Bess) meticulously enlarges his Broadway play to the big screen without losing any of the earthy, gut-wrenching emotions or the sheer, hilarious fun. The result is a genuinely appealing and beautifully executed romance directed by Joseph Anthony (The Matchmaker). Featuring Wendell Corey (I Walk Alone), Lloyd Bridges (Canyon Passage), Earl Holliman (Giant), Cameron Prud’Homme (Back from Eternity) and Wallace Ford (Flesh and Fury).

For thoughts on The Rainmaker, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/WMru7W_5gmc?t=2216]

Video Quality

Kino Classics presents The Rainmaker with a glorious new 1080p transfer remastered by Paramount sourced from a 6K scan of the 35mm VistaVision Original Camera Negative. For my money, this ranks among one of the strongest presentations I have ever seen for a classic film in the absence of a 4K UHD. The film features some miraculous colors within the settings and costumes that pop off the screen with a lovely vibrancy. The black levels are notably deep with a pleasing stability throughout. The level of detail and clarity is a showstopper with the appropriate amount of natural film grain intact. The film appears to be entirely free of dirt and damage, which almost makes it feel like it could have been made yesterday. There does not appear to be any unsightly digital anomalies such as compression artifacts, banding or any other such nuisances. This presentation is a highlight from Kino Classics.

Audio Quality

The film has been given a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio presentation that is very pleasing. Dialogue comes through clearly from beginning to end without being clipped by any competing elements. When the Alex North score kicks in, the track is in top form with its handling of the different core elements. The track balances vocals with the environmental sounds with tremendous clarity. There are a few odd moments where the track shows its age, but it is not a consistent issue. A very mild underlying hum is also noticeable for those who listen close enough. Despite this, Kino Classics has provided a stellar audio presentation that presents the film quite capably. The disc also comes with optional English (SDH) subtitles.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Film Historian and Writer Julie Kirgo provides a very informative commentary track in which she discusses the transition of this material from a stage play to a feature film, the amazing career of Burt Lancaster, the backgrounds of the various performers we see on screen, the thematic details of the story and more. This is a very enlightening track that is well worth a listen.

Trailers: The nearly two-and-a-half minute trailer for The Rainmaker is provided here. There are also trailers provided for Elmer Gantry, The Lion In Winter, The Tarnished Angels, and Lonelyhearts.

Final Thoughts

The Rainmaker is a captivating character-driven tale which finds the humanity at stake in the middle of an economic and ecological downturn for our characters. Burt Lancaster is a firework on screen, but he is matched quite capably by a Katharine Hepburn performance that is both fierce and heartbreaking in equal measure. One also cannot undersell the efforts of the remainder of the cast, especially the always-dependable Wendell Corey. Even at a rather robust length, the film flies by and keeps you glued to the screen at all times. This new Blu-Ray release from Kino Classics offers up one of the strongest A/V presentations for a classic film that I have seen along with a couple of special features. Any movie lover worth their salt should consider this release an essential part of their collection. Highly Recommended

The Rainmaker will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray on October 25, 2022.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.