ThiefHott Too much of everything

Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

jacobs-greenwood Directed by Norman Foster, this 80 minute drama gives one a real sense of the role of women in the pioneering days of the old West. Times were a lot different then, and women were expected to do chores from sun up to sundown with little thanks or appreciation while their menfolk cleared the land, farmed it, and caught or killed something for her to cook as their dinner.Loretta Young plays Rachel while William Holden plays the titled "stranger", a widower with a preteen son (Gary Gray), who "buys" her to replace his recently departed wife. His wife had wanted her son to be raised properly, as a boy in the East would be, despite the wilderness in which they lived.So, in order to provide the boy with the proper education and schooling, Holden's character marries a bonded (because she was repaying her deceased father's debt) woman, Rachel, after paying "18 (dollars) plus 4" (more later) for her. The parson (Tom Tully) and his wife (Sara Haden) had convinced him that living under the same roof with another woman wouldn't be proper unless they were husband and wife.Holden's character, David Harvey, proceeds in treating Rachel like chattel until his old friend, and wandering hunter Jim Fairways (Robert Mitchum) comes to call. Apparently David and Jim had competed for the affections of the woman that became David's first wife. She had married David because he was more proper, and less wild than Jim, who thus far had shown no willingness to settle down. Davey (Jr.) would love to do as Jim does, which was the main impetus for David to go and find a replacement "wife" in the first place, to respect his first's wishes and raise Davey proper.However, soon Jim has become a long-term guest of the Harveys, and (seeing the way that Jim treats his "in-name-only" wife) David begins to notice that Rachel is more than just his "slave", but a woman in her own right. He discovers that she has musical skills (Mitchum sings too!) like his first wife, and she makes it a point to secretly learn to shoot like his first wife could as well. It is the latter of these skills which wins over his boy Davey.Eventually, David and Jim are repeating their earlier pattern of competing for the same woman. Fortunately, some real Western action involving the native Cheyenne tribe is introduced into the story, which saves the film from stalling and wraps up the story nicely, if predictably.

fung0 This is one of my favorite westerns, certainly one of the very best in the light-hearted vein. It's enlivened by a lot of outdoor photography, a real feeling of frontier isolation, and by superlative performances from three of Hollywood's most enduring stars.The story is classic: a widower (William Holden) 'buys' a bondswoman (Loretta Young) to be his wife in-name-only, as a housekeeper on his remote farm and substitute mother for his young son. He takes the woman entirely for granted, until a likable drifter (Robert Mitchum) visits and shows a romantic interest in her.The film genuinely tugs at the heart-strings, and includes some moments of action and tension - yet it remains fundamentally warm and humorous. Holden is perfect as the befuddled farmer, who can't sort out his own feelings. Mitchum has one of his best roles, as the charming visitor. (Mitchum played this role of genial interloper multiple times, always to great effect - see also Holiday Affair, for example, or The Grass is Greener.) Loretta Young... what can one say? She's so immensely appealing here, that it's hard to understand why her name doesn't come up more often as one of the great leading ladies.This is truly one of those timeless films, that becomes more beloved with every viewing. It reminds me, in a distant way, of The Westerner, which is at heart also a love story. Or Along Came Jones, which also featured Loretta Young. But Rachel and the Stranger is more satisfying than those films; it works perfectly on multiple levels.Given it's high quality, I can only assume that Rachel and the Stranger is one of those many works that have been trapped in 'copyright limbo' by the idiotic intellectual-property legislation enacted in recent years. There's no other way to explain the lack of a properly-restored video release. TCM does show the film, fortunately, and there do seem to be various passable DVD editions floating around. But this film deserves better.If you love westerns, or good old Hollywood romantic comedies, definitely make some time for Rachel and the Stranger. You may not have heard of it, but it deserves to be remembered as a true classic.

wes-connors Loretta Young (she's Rachel) stars as a "bond woman" (white slave) who is sold for $18.00 to William Holden (he's Big Davey). Mr. Holden buys Ms. Young because he feels his son Gary Gray (he's Little Davey) needs a mother to grow up right. Robert Mitchum (he's Big Jim) plays Holden's pal and frequent overnight guest. By the way, Mr. Mitchum is a singing cowboy (and better than you may be thinking). Holden shows no sexual interest in wife Young, but with Mitchum around… Interesting premise, performed ably by the stars. The stronger scenes, I thought, occurred when several of the four players appeared in scenes with only one other actor For example, Young and Mitchum, Young and Gray, etc. The songs are done well. The drama doesn't really reach full potential, though. It's difficult to accept the exquisitely made-up Hollywood beauty Loretta Young as a 25-year-old slave woman. The script could have been re-written to fix that, and some other points. Some scenes between the principals would have been improved with re-takes.Young Mr. Gray holds his own among the "Big" stars. He plays very naturally, and lifts the movie considerably. As the film nears its climax, he disappears (it is explained); which makes the film suffer. The ending would have been more exciting with a little boy, and the family element could have been highlighted. There is some excitement in the ending, but it would have been better if more tension was built.Loretta Young's character says, at one point, "Two grown men fighting like a couple of wild Indians!" that's a good, brief description of the movie. ***** Rachel and the Stranger (1948) Norman Foster ~ Loretta Young, William Holden, Robert Mitchum

Ursula 2.7T Lightweight, predictable fare that's nothing to write home about, but a really enjoyable movie nonetheless that I gladly watch anytime it's on TCM.William Holden plays a recent widower who realizes his son needs a mother. He goes into town and "buys" a wife (Loretta Young), whom he treats with respect (he's a gentleman) but also quite aloofly (he's still deeply in love with his dearly departed wife and is not ready to move on). Predictably, the boy resents the presence of this new woman and isn't ready for her or anyone else to take his mother's place. (You just know the boy and Holden are gonna come around by the end of the flick and the three of them are gonna be one big happy family.) Add in charming, wandering, singing-and-guitar-playing rogue Robert Mitchum and you've got quite an enjoyable story. Mitchum appreciates Young and strikes up a friendship with her, which piques Holden's curiosity over this woman he's previously overlooked.Loretta Young is supposedly lovely in this film -- if you like her, that is. Personally, she's never caught my fancy and I've never understood her appeal, though I never let her presence in a movie keep me from watching it; that would be a shame and I'd miss some good flicks if I did! (OK, so ding this review if you're a LY fan and I dissed your lady, sorry! :) William Holden is ... well, um, drool, pant, sigh ... absolutely gorgeous in this movie. He is reason alone to watch it! Robert Mitchum isn't too bad either, and has a surprisingly nice singing voice (yes that's actually him doing all that singing).