The Rainbow (1989)

TOMATOMETER

71%

——

Critic Consensus: No consensus yet.

AUDIENCE SCORE

58%

Want to See

Not Interested

Add Rating
My Rating    

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.

Watch it now

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
Tom Bell
Mark Owen
as Jim Richards
Kate Buffery
Ralph Nossek
as Vicar
Jon Finch
Nicola Stephenson
as Ethel
Alan Edmondson
as Billy Brangwen
Jane Gurnett
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
View All

Critic Reviews for The Rainbow

All Critics (7) | Top Critics (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
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…
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…
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Captivating as an ode to individualism.

Jul 9, 2003 | Full Review…
Spirituality and Practice
View All Critic Reviews (7)

Audience Reviews for The Rainbow

There are no featured reviews for The Rainbow at this time.

View All Audience Reviews

The Rainbow Quotes

There are no approved quotes yet for this movie.

News & Features