Rider on the Rain Blu-ray - Charles Bronson

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

Directed by René Clément
France Italy 1970

From René Clément, the legendary director of Forbidden Games, Purple Noon, The Deadly Trap and And Hope to Die comes this stylish thriller starring screen legend Charles Bronson (Chino, Cold Sweat, Mr. Majestyk). When a beautiful young woman (Marlène Jobert, We Won’t Grow Old Together) in the South of France is stalked and then assaulted by a mysterious masked assailant, she kills the man in self-defense, and in a moment of misjudgment, she dumps his corpse over a cliff into the sea instead of calling the police. Trying to return to her life before the attack, her world is turned upside down when an American investigator (Bronson) shows up and, to her horror, seems to know everything about what she has done. Rider on the Rain showcases fine performances both from Bronson, whose mix of sympathy and aggression perfectly defines his character, and Jobert, who gains audience empathy with her touch of sexuality mixed with an innate, almost childlike innocence. Featuring a haunting and beautiful score by Francis Lai (Love Story) with wonderful supporting performances by Gabriele Tinti (Cannon for Cordoba) and Jill Ireland (Breakheart Pass). This special edition includes both the 114-minute U.S. cut and the 118-minute French cut.

***

Adapted from a novel by acclaimed mystery writer Sébastien Japrisot, this French/Italian nailbiter stars Marlène Jobert as Mélancolie "Mellie" Mau, a young woman stalked by on a rainy afternoon by a mysterious stranger. The man eventually breaks in on Mellie while her husband is gone and rapes her. She grabs a shotgun and kills her assailant, dumping the body into the ocean. When the body is recovered, American military officer Dobbs (Charles Bronson) accuses Mellie of the murder -- and of stealing the U.S. Army money that the rapist had been carrying with him -- and that's only the beginning. The plot piles one twist upon another, deliriously confounding the audience at every turn.

Excerpt from B+N located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: January 21st, 1970

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Review: Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Box Cover		CLICK to order from: Coming to 4K UHD by Kino in May 2026:
Distribution	Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Version	U.S. version	French version
Runtime	1:54:12.262	1:58:10.249
Video	1.78:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 42,910,084,710 bytes Feature: 20,657,326,080 bytes Video Bitrate: 20.96 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video	1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 42,910,084,710 bytes Feature: 21,160,716,288 bytes Video Bitrate: 20.96 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate US Blu-ray:
Bitrate French Blu-ray:
Audio	DTS-HD Master Audio English 1555 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1555 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit) Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps	DTS-HD Master Audio French 1555 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1555 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)
Subtitles	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Kino US: 1.78:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 42,910,084,710 bytes Feature: 20,657,326,080 bytes Video Bitrate: 20.96 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video French: 1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 42,910,084,710 bytes Feature: 21,160,716,288 bytes Video Bitrate: 20.96 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historians Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson • Theatrical Trailer (3:52) • US Teaser Trailer (1:14) • US Radio Spot (0:59) Blu-ray Release Date: April 9th, 2019 Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters 8 / 8

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

Kino Lorber bring René Clément's Rider on the Rain and the, longer, French version Le passager de la pluie to a new Blu-ray edition. These are separate transfers as they are different films with many of the same sequences shot alternately - it is not simply a DUB or censored/removed scenes plus there is different dialogue. It's on a dual-layered Blu-ray in 1080P with a supportive bitrates for both transfers. The, shorter, US version is decidedly green in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio and looks inferior to the much sharper French version in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio. It is a strange and remarkable difference - se the matched comparison captures below. The French version has some impressive detail in close-ups and looks more film-like where the US looks like video quality.

The audio is transferred in DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel - in French for the French version and, obviously, English for the English - both have DUBs where the quality is a bit distracting (more so on the English version). There is some aggressive scenes - a sexual assault and rifle-fire plus more. Francis Lai (And Hope to Die, Love Story, A Man and a Woman) did the score that can sounds unusual and inappropriate at times but is still engaging. The audio quality is decent and dialogue is hindered by the post DUBing. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles on this Region 'A' Blu-ray.

Kino offer a new audio commentary (on the English version only) by Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson who talk a lot about Clement, Bronson, the score and comparisons to Stanley Donen's Charade. I am only about 3/4 the way through. It has a lot of value although wish it was part of the superior-looking French version. It is worth listening to twice there is so many details discussed. There is also a theatrical trailer, US teaser trailer and a US radio spot.

Rider on the Rain is a fascinating film. I was amazed at the depth and marveled at the concept that, multiple times, has been tried to be remade in the West without success. Sébastien Japrisot did the original screenplay, adaptation and wrote the dialogue and although purposely convoluted without revealing excessive details in the first 1/3 of the film - Clement provides a Hitchcockain mystery/thriller that is gripping and suspenseful. The Blu-ray offers both versions (I preferred the French) and the commentary. WE strongly recommend this title regardless of the inferior looking English version.