The Rainbow

Critics Consensus

No consensus yet.

Movie Info

Director Ken Russell returns to the D.H. Lawrence territory that had earlier served him well in Women in Love. Sammi Davis plays Lawrence's Welsh heroine Ursula Brangwen, daughter of a wealthy mine owner, who is first seen as a child given to literally chasing rainbows. Disappointed that she can never have the real thing, the older Davis seeks out figurative rainbows in the form of sexual fulfillment. Neither heterosexual nor homosexual affairs fully satisfy Davis, because no one lover can match the "ideal" the girl has created in her imagination. Davis' disappointment in the world is paralleled with the sorry lot of the wives of the local coal miners, who have adapted to their lives--something Davis can never do, will never do. Stately despite its raw subject matter, The Rainbow was filmed just before Russell's outrageous sword-and-sorcery fantasy Lair of the White Worm; since both films utilize many of the same cast members, the two pictures might make an astonishing double feature.

Rating:

R
Genre:

Drama, Romance
Directed By:

Ken Russell
Written By:

Vivian Russell, Ken Russell
In Theaters:

May 26, 1989 wide
Runtime:

105 minutes
Studio:

Vestron

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Cast

Sammi Davis
as Ursula Brangwen

Paul McGann
as Anton

Amanda Donohoe
as Winifred

Christopher Gable
as Will

David Hemmings
as Uncle Henry

Glenda Jackson
as Anna

Dudley Sutton
as MacAllister

Jim Carter
as Harby

Judith Paris
as Miss Harby

Kenneth Colley
as Mr. Brunt

Glenda McKay
as Gudrun Brangwen

Molly Russell
as Molly

Rupert Russell
as Rupert

Mark Owen
as Jim Richards

Ralph Nossek
as Vicar

Kate Buffery

Jon Finch

Nicola Stephenson
as Ethel

Jane Gurnett

Alan Edmondson
as Billy Brangwen

Imogen Stubbs

Richard Platt
as Chauffeur

Martin Wenner

Bernard Latham
as Uncle Alfred

John Tams
as Uncle Frank

Zoë Brown
as Ursula (age 3)

Amy Evans
as Baby Gudrun

Sam McMullen
as Winifred's Baby

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Critic Reviews for The Rainbow

All Critics (7) | Top Critics (2) | Fresh (5) | Rotten (2)

Davis, who came to the fore as the man-hungry teenager in Hope and Glory, throws herself into Ursula with all the physical and emotional energy she can muster. Donohoe is absolutely on the money as the liberated Winifred.

Jul 6, 2010 | Full Review…

Variety Staff
Variety
Top Critic
A very good, visually stunning film with undeniable flashes of genius. Looked at as a series of scenes it's perhaps as good as anything he ever made.

Oct 17, 2014 | Rating: 4.5/5 | Full Review…

Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Over-simplified, lackluster and cliche-ridden coming-of-age romantic drama that's based on the 1915 novel by D. H. Lawrence.

Feb 27, 2014 | Rating: C+ | Full Review…

Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Captivating as an ode to individualism.

Jul 9, 2003 | Full Review…

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice