IMDb > Raintree County (1957)

Raintree County (1957) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.3/10   1,274 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 32% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Edward Dmytryk
Writers:
Ross Lockridge Jr. (novel)
Millard Kaufman (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Raintree County on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
20 December 1957 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Romance more
Tagline:
In The Great Tradition Of Civil War Romance
Plot:
A graduating poet/teacher falls in love with a Southern woman, and then the Civil War and her past create problems. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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Awards:
Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(3 articles)
The Death of Hollywood?
 (From t5m.com. 23 October 2009, 2:29 AM, PDT)
Eleven Gay Historical Figures Worthy of the "Milk" Treatment
 (From AfterElton.com. 4 February 2009, 8:14 PM, PST)
User Comments:
Civil War-era scandals and family skeletons... more (34 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Montgomery Clift ... John Wickliff Shawnessy

Elizabeth Taylor ... Susanna Drake

Eva Marie Saint ... Nell Gaither
Nigel Patrick ... Prof. Jerusalem Webster Stiles

Lee Marvin ... Orville 'Flash' Perkins
Rod Taylor ... Garwood B. Jones

Agnes Moorehead ... Ellen Shawnessy
Walter Abel ... T.D. Shawnessy
Jarma Lewis ... Barbara Drake
Tom Drake ... Bobby Drake

Rhys Williams ... Ezra Gray
Russell Collins ... Niles Foster

DeForest Kelley ... Southern officer
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
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Runtime:
USA:168 min (original version) | 188 min (Turner Library Print) | Australia:160 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.55 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
70 mm 6-Track (Westrex Recording System) (70 mm prints) | Mono (35 mm prints)
Certification:
Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | West Germany:12
Filming Locations:
Danville, Kentucky, USA more
Company:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Of the many films produced in the very wide aspect-ratio of (2.55:1) from 1953 to 1957, this was the last film released at that largest aspect-ratio; after this, films were reduced to merely (2.35:1). more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: After Lincoln's 1860 election, the crowd sings "The Battle Hymn of the Republic". However, Julia Ward Howe wrote the poem, on which the song was based, for the Atlantic Monthly in 1861. more
Movie Connections:
Edited into Shenandoah (1965) more
Soundtrack:
Raintree County more

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
7 out of 11 people found the following comment useful.
Civil War-era scandals and family skeletons..., 24 July 2006
6/10
Author: moonspinner55 from redlands, ca

Sprawling MGM production (the studio's attempt to outdo their own "Gone With the Wind"), based on Ross Lockridge Jr.'s book and featuring Elizabeth Taylor as a southern belle haunted by a family trauma. Montgomery Clift plays an Indiana schoolteacher who chances to meets belle Taylor in his beloved Raintree County, leading to a pre-marital affair (and pregnancy); they marry, but he finds living in her neck of the woods undesirable, and she's not welcomed graciously among the Yankees. The Civil War works as a catalyst to bring the two together, where Clift finds his passion for politics coming to the fore. Eva Marie Saint plays an unmarried, moral girl who loves Monty despite his mistakes, Lee Marvin is a tough rowdy who takes on all comers, Rod Taylor plays a political snake, and so on. The story is engrossing, occasionally over-heated and over-zealous, but seldom dull. Still, Taylor, despite getting an Oscar nod for Best Actress, disappears for a long stretch of the proceedings--and this isn't an attractive role for her anyway (she gets to play the insane bit, but it's a groaner). The movie really belongs to Clift, and his performance in the first hour is quite strong (an off-the-set car accident causes his acting in the second-half to be a bit timid). Far too long and predictable, "Raintree County" still isn't bad, with terrific cinematography by Robert Surtees and a sumptuous, Oscar-nominated background score by Johnny Green. **1/2 from ****

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Raintree County (1957)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
DVD??? rlapetina
RAINTREE COUNTY FESTIVAL '07 Robbyfilms
What an awful movie, disappointing sloanrules
What is it I don't get about Montgomery Clift? tarmcgator
Did anyone else not like Nell? npaxton-3
Death question... MrImportant
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