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Black Rainbow

  • 19891989
  • RR
  • 1h 43m
IMDb RATING
5.9/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Rosanna Arquette in Black Rainbow (1989)
Official Trailer
Play trailer1:41
1 Video
44 Photos
  • Horror
  • Thriller

A christian medium sees a vision of a hitman killing his target. The vision turns true, and the same hitman is assigned to kill her. Her drunk father/manager doesn't believe she got the gift... Read allA christian medium sees a vision of a hitman killing his target. The vision turns true, and the same hitman is assigned to kill her. Her drunk father/manager doesn't believe she got the gift, and a curious journalist tries to protect her.A christian medium sees a vision of a hitman killing his target. The vision turns true, and the same hitman is assigned to kill her. Her drunk father/manager doesn't believe she got the gift, and a curious journalist tries to protect her.

IMDb RATING
5.9/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Mike Hodges
  • Writer
    • Mike Hodges
  • Stars
    • Rosanna Arquette
    • Jason Robards
    • Tom Hulce
Top credits
  • Director
    • Mike Hodges
  • Writer
    • Mike Hodges
  • Stars
    • Rosanna Arquette
    • Jason Robards
    • Tom Hulce
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 22User reviews
    • 25Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 5 wins & 6 nominations

    Videos1

    Black Rainbow
    Trailer 1:41
    Black Rainbow

    Photos44

    Rosanna Arquette in Black Rainbow (1989)
    Rosanna Arquette in Black Rainbow (1989)
    Rosanna Arquette in Black Rainbow (1989)
    Rosanna Arquette in Black Rainbow (1989)
    Black Rainbow (1989)
    Rosanna Arquette in Black Rainbow (1989)
    Ed Grady in Black Rainbow (1989)
    Jason Robards in Black Rainbow (1989)
    Tom Hulce in Black Rainbow (1989)
    Black Rainbow (1989)
    Jason Robards in Black Rainbow (1989)
    Black Rainbow (1989)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Rosanna Arquette
    Rosanna Arquette
    • Martha Travisas Martha Travis
    Jason Robards
    Jason Robards
    • Walter Travisas Walter Travis
    Tom Hulce
    Tom Hulce
    • Gary Wallaceas Gary Wallace
    Mark Joy
    Mark Joy
    • Lloyd Harleyas Lloyd Harley
    Ron Rosenthal
    • Lieutenant Irving Weinbergas Lieutenant Irving Weinberg
    John Bennes
    • Ted Silasas Ted Silas
    Linda Pierce
    • Mary Kuronas Mary Kuron
    Olek Krupa
    Olek Krupa
    • Tom Kuronas Tom Kuron
    Marty Terry
    Marty Terry
    • Mrs. Adamsas Mrs. Adams
    Ed Grady
    Ed Grady
    • Editor, Geoff McBainas Editor, Geoff McBain
    • (as Ed L. Grady)
    Jon Thompson
    • Jack Callowas Jack Callow
    Helen Baldwin
    Helen Baldwin
    • Eva Callowas Eva Callow
    Darla N. Warner
    • Shirley Harleyas Shirley Harley
    Christopher L. Gray
    • Choirmasteras Choirmaster
    Lucy Williams
    • Choirladyas Choirlady
    Peter Townes
    • President Hotel, Clerkas President Hotel, Clerk
    Dan Cox
    • Terminal Hotel, Clerkas Terminal Hotel, Clerk
    William Brown
    • Hal Faberas Hal Faber
    • Director
      • Mike Hodges
    • Writer
      • Mike Hodges
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Martha Travis is a medium who makes contact with spirits "on the other side" and connects them with their loved ones still alive, in public performances. Trouble begins when she gives a message to Mary Kuron from her husband, Tom. But Tom isn't dead - yet. And Martha not only knows he will die, she also knows who killed him. And the murderer knows she knows. Her exploitative elderly alcoholic father and manager, Walter Travis, and Gary Wallace, a skeptical investigative reporter fascinated by the story who eventually falls for Martha, try to protect her, and so does the skeptical police - or do they. —Yuval Kfir <yuval.kfir@Indigo.co.il>
    • topless female nudity
    • bare breasts
    • wobbling breasts
    • sex scene
    • garter belt
    • 65 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • She has just witnessed a murder that hasn't happened yet.
    • Genres
      • Horror
      • Thriller
    • Certificate
      • R
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Writer and director Mike Hodges' couldn't find an actress willing to play the lead until Martin Scorsese convinced Rosanna Arquette to take it.
    • Quotes

      Martha Travis: Men lie with me, not to me!

    • Connections
      Features White Heat (1949)
    • Soundtracks
      HE'S SO WONDERFUL
      Lyrics by Barry Mason

      Composed by Christopher L. Gray

      Performed by Lucy Williams

    User reviews22

    Review
    Top review
    This was worth watching.
    The script is filled with a series of chilling twists which Hodges plays with an absolute and certain confidence - the eeriness as Arquette's first vision starts to come, and her agitation and attempts to cover as what she is performing turns to real; the second vision where she reels off a list of names of the dead trying to contact the living and said people still alive in the audience start standing up puzzled. Hodges' depiction of a seedy con-job slowly becoming darker is beautifully written. The imagery as Arquette's vistas of heavenly meadows and tranquil afterlife cliches start to change into impressions of cancers, empty lives and of people suffering is a stunning and powerful one. The final soliloquy Arquette gives, coming out to taunt the audience - how they want there to be an afterlife so they can confirm their own lives, how if there wasn't an afterlife and what they had was all that they were given, then wouldn't that make her a fake ? - is superbly written and utterly rivetting in delivery. Arquette's performance in the film is exceptional.
    helpful•7
    6
    • trupie
    • Dec 21, 2001

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 5, 1991 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Black Rainbow - Schwarzer Regenbogen
    • Filming locations
      • Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
    • Production company
      • Goldcrest Films International
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $7,000,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 43 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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