Raintree County (1957)

Director:

Edward Dmytryk

Writers:

Ross Lockridge Jr. (novel)
Millard Kaufman (screenplay)

Release Date:

20 December 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

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.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Beautiful Woman | Melodrama | Southern Belle | American Civil War

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations

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

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

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

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The town of Freehaven of the mythical Raintree County was created in 1956 on MGM's vast Backlot #3 at Jefferson and Overland Boulevards in Culver City, California, by re-designing a portion of an old western set and adding some new buildings such as the Freehaven Town Hall and its clock tower. In 1971, MGM's Lot #3 was demolished to make way for a new apartment and condominium complex which became known as "Raintree Estates," named for this motion picture. Several Chinese Golden Raintrees were planted around the new residential property and many of the complex's streets and buildings were named for various MGM productions.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Lincoln wins the election, John and Nell say good night in front of John's house. The same wagon with the same people in it pass by them twice in the background.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Shenandoah (1965)

Soundtrack:

Never Till Now

TCM showing restored Raintree.

One of my favorite films, and Turner Classic Movies began showing a "restored" version that includes deleted scenes. The film now runs 190 mins. Turner does some good work.