the audience applauded

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Steve McQueen draws on the experience of his own unhappy youth in his portrayal of Henry Thomas, a would be singer who's recently paroled, as he tries to make it as the front man of a local string band in Columbus, Texas. His dysfunction as a husband, father and indeed, as a human being is poignantly demonstrated in his first appearance on screen with wife Georgette (Lee Remick), he merely shakes her hand. If you didn't know this was going to be a sad and depressing film, this would have been the first hint.As the viewer, one painfully relates to Lee Remick's character, desperately looking for a way to reconnect with her husband, but finally realizing that she must come to terms with her disillusionment and head for something better for herself and her young daughter (Kimberly Block). One's appreciation of the movie will have to come from the performances of the principal players and not the story itself as it's not a film that will leave you hopeful.What adds to the already somber tone of the movie was a pall that was cast during filming with the announcement of John F. Kennedy's assassination. For McQueen, who had met Kennedy earlier in his career, the event was as traumatic as for the rest of the cast and crew. Filming was interrupted for a number of days before shooting could resume, and it wouldn't be out of the question that the President's death had a subliminal impact on the tone of the story.

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.

*****warning spoilers***** Being a Remick fan this was on my list to watch, don't expect something like "Experiment in Terror" (probably the best Remick in my opinion) in terms of movie-making.The plot is not very well written and seems to be aiming nowhere. McQueen as an ex-con is somewhat ridiculous, he has preposterous fits of rage alternating with songs, yes songs, I defy anyone to think that the voice is really coming from him, the sliced in overdubs with a voice totally different than his are just ridiculous and from the first occurrence on it's impossible to take his character seriously.The character development of McQueen is quasi absent. His anger at the old women from the boarding house is left mostly unexplained, the scene where he stabs at her graves after she is buried is also ridiculous.There is a great beauty in Remick's sadness however, and we can relate to her being lost, she brings forth anxiety but it's hard to buy she was so in love with McQueen for most of the film, she then just moves on to yet another town perhaps realizing that he was a big mistake in her life. On that aspect I guess the film is successful. Her interactions with her daughter are at times poignant, especially when she stands with her in the winds and their hair get mixed together, (in the scene where McQueen tries to say goodbye before he his sent off to jail again) the bond of mother daughter strongest even in a dismal situation and poverty.The photography is great, especially for the outdoors sequences where we do feel "the south" as is the editing, a few awkward post grainy zooms on McQueen McQueen (who is a competent actor) is wasted...See it if you enjoy Remick, she delivers.

This is the kind of film which seems to struggle to find an audience outside of its immediate setting – in its case, the American Deep South. It's basically a familial drama where husband and wife are driven apart by the former's troubled persona – especially due to his own inclination to violence and the enigmatic relationship with his eminent but dying guardian. Director Mulligan had created an all-time classic with TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962): this updates the atmosphere (including a failed attempt to replicate the Gothic touch associated with Robert Duvall's Boo Radley character in that film) but still throws in a little girl at the core of the story. Steven McQueen goes through the whole 'Rebel Without A Cause' act to little lasting effect – the performance is even more hurt by the fact that, playing a wannabe rockabilly singer, he's forced to mimic to a number of tunes (including the title number). Similarly, co-stars Lee Remick and Don Murray have typical roles, and John Wayne regular Paul Fix also has a nice bit as a benign Judge. The film notches up some tolerable intensity with scenes where McQueen is beaten up, feverishly tries to dig up the old lady (for whatever purpose) and finally escapes custody – if only for a short while; otherwise, the greatest points of interest here are Ernest Laszlo's moody cinematography and Elmer Bernstein's eclectic score.