Rachel, Rachel
Directed by Paul Newman
Written by Stewart Stern from a novel by Margaret Laurence
1968/US
IMDb link
Repeat viewing/Amazon Instant
[box] Nurse: The operation was a success. You’re out of danger.
Rachel Cameron: How can I be out of danger if I’m not dead?[/box]
1968 was a good year for sensitive, dramatic character studies. This film is a prime example.
Rachel Cameron (Joanne Woodward) is an elementary school teacher living with her mother in a small rural town. She was traumatized in her childhood from bullying for being the undertaker’s daugher. The mother is a piece of work who keeps Rachel under her thumb by continuous malingering. Rachel has withdrawn into a cocoon inside her head where she berates herself constantly. The few light-hearted moments in her day are spent with best friend Calla (Estelle Parsons), a fellow teacher. She fends off all masculine attention despite the fact that her mind is also filled with sexual fantasies.
Calla has been “born-again” and keeps begging Rachel to go to church with her. The denomination is kind of a blend of new age philosophy and Pentecostalist fundamentalism, complete with talking in tongues. A breakdown during the services and a disturbing encounter with Calla immediately afterwards shake Rachel to the core. This leaving her more open to the advances of a former classmate (James Olson) who has returned from the big city to be near his ailing mother. I will the end plot summary right here.
I enjoyed this a whole bunch, even more than my fond memory of it on original release. It might sound like a real sudser but never, ever crosses that line. Rachel is too quirky to be your standard movie old maid. Some of her lines are classic. All-in-all it’s a moving coming-of-age story for late bloomers. Recommended.
Newman directed his way to an Academy Award Best Picture nomination the first time out. Woodward and Parsons’ fabulous performances both richly deserved their Oscar nods. The film was also nominated for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.
This is such a beautiful love letter from Newman to his wife. Well worth a watch.
