The dirt-town atmosphere is excellent, as is the feeling of being stuck in nowheresville in dumpy jobs with dispirited people. Lee Remick and the little girl who plays her daughter are a spark of happiness that we know will be doused eventually by Steve McQueen's slippery, sullen rock'n roll balladeer. Destiny quickly establishes that he'll be going back to prison and the family will break up. In a lame version of the same story, handsome and virtuous widower Don Murray would be there to take up the slack, but this is direct from the pen of Horton Foote, without interpretation. He's also the author of The Chase and Hurry Sundown.

Steve McQueen was stretching himself in search of more recognition as a serious actor, and Baby, the Rain Must Fall surely seemed a good choice. Henry Thomas sings his heart out, has nightmares about going back to prison and mentally jumps the rails when it looks like it's about to happen. But there's something lacking in the character. Henry seems totally normal with his family but skips away irresponsibly and indulges in behavior that's sure to cook his goose, like attacking roadhouse patrons. He's also a psychotic drunk, and practically catatonic when confronted by his stepmother, who has only one thing to tell him - he's bad. It's really Remick's film, practically the same character from Elia Kazan's Wild River, but this time helpless to effect any good.

The setup is really a Texas gothic - Mrs. Ewing has doomed her stepson Henry the same way Mrs Bates did her son Norman. Mrs. Ewing rests permanently in an upstairs bedroom, up some stairs similar to the Bates house. To Henry's horror, her "curse" reaches beyond the grave, for she's made the sheriff promise to return Henry to prison after she passes away. Naturally, under the pressure Henry behaves in exactly the way to make it look like prison is where he belongs. It's not much fun watching it happen, knowing Henry and his family will never see the trees they've planted grow into shade for their rented shack.

Ernest Laszlo's B&W photography is quite beautiful, and Elmer Bernstein has composed a restrained but effective score, including a title tune that became a hit single by Glenn Yarborough. Unfortunately, although Steve sings his heart out, his singing voice is dubbed rather obviously. The music scenes fall flat for this reason. Later pop sensation Glen Campbell (True Grit) can be seen as a member of Steve's band.

The little girl who plays Lee Remick's daughter is adorable, and together they conjure more memories of the wistful, elegant Wild River. Don Murray is sincere as the deputy still stuck on his wife three years gone. Estelle Hemsley is a creepy servant to Mrs. Ewing. The deputy's mother Miss Clara is played by Ruth White. When White rocks in her rocking chair on her front porch, viewers who remember her as the wicked old woman who raised Joe Buck in Midnight Cowboy will feel a chill go up their backs.

Columbia TriStar's DVD of Baby, the Rain Must Fall looks great and really benefits from 16:9 enhancement - you can almost feel the splinters in the wood. The clear audio billboards the score and makes the difference between McQueen's singing and speaking voices all too evident. There are no extras.

On a scale of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor, Baby, the Rain Must Fall rates:
Movie: Good
Video: Excellent
Sound: Excellent
Supplements: None
Packaging: Keep case
Reviewed: March 11, 2004