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

ADDITION: VCI Blu-ray (September 2022): VCI have transferred Lewis Milestone's Rain to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "new 4K restoration, produced from the original, uncut 94-minute version". The film has been in the Public Domain since 1960 and you were able to see it - predominantly the cut version - on TV and even YouTube. The benefits of this 4K-restoration are the grain textures, and some close-ups can look remarkably strong, contrast is good if not pristine and there is sporadic small damage and speckles. I'd say the resulting HD presentation is remarkable on a dual-layered disc with a very high bitrate.

NOTE: We have added 62 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, VCI use a lossy Dolby 5.1 surround track in the original English language. Rain was, obviously, produced with mono audio, so the lack of the option is a not ideal however the included track doesn't have any demonstrative separations. The actual rain is fairly lifeless - there is a score by Alfred Newman (History is Made at Night, Panic in the Streets, Heaven Can Wait, Man Hunt, Cry of the City, The Diary of Anne Frank, Bus Stop, Blood and Sand, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Song of Bernadette) - some may also recognize the St. Louis Blues and Wabash Blues. Dialogue is somewhat scattered - more a function of the production year - but a lossless transfer would have helped. VCI offer optional yellow font English subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The VCI Blu-ray offers a two audio commentaries. The first is by Mick LaSalle (author of Complicated Women: Sex and Power in Pre-Code Hollywood, Dangerous Men: Pre-Code Hollywood and the Birth of the Modern Man and he wrote the forward to Peter Cowie's Joan Crawford: The Enduring Star.) He describes the Pre-Code attributes pf Rain, how it shows a very early interracial relationship; Samoan Ameena (Mary Shaw) and American Joe Horn (Guy Kibbee), the prostitution and how it is dealt with and much more while occasionally letting the film run. He's knowledgeable and it has value. There is a second commentary by Richard Barrios (author of Screened Out: Playing Gay in Hollywood from Edison to Stonewall.) He discusses Lewis Milestone, Beulah Bondi (Mrs. Davidson), Crawford - her unhappiness with the final product - and much of the cast's careers, how Rain was strongly associated with Jeanne Eagels who had iconic-ly played the role on stage in 1922, other film versions of Rain Including the 1928 Gloria Swanson silent film and much more. I found his comments worthwhile. VCI also include the 1 1/4 hour Alternate "Cut Version" of the 1938 Atlantic Reissue, in 1080P. It looks a shade digitized and maybe even vertically compressed but the lossy audio is pretty strong and clear. It's inclusion is probably more of a curiosity. There is also a trailer, Poster and Photo Gallery plus a 10-minute color Betty Boop in Poor Cinderella cartoon. The package has a 12-page liner notes booklets with credits, photos and an essay reprinted from 'Views & Reviews Magazine' by author and film historian Jon Tuska.    

Lewis Milestone's Rain was a flop in its day - critically and financially - but has elevated its status significantly - notably because of its Pre-Code charms. It was from W. Somerset Maugham’s short story “Miss Thompson.” The film's themes are unbridled freedom and religious hypocrisy which may have been shockingly judgmental for the 30's audiences. Rain is highly interestingly shot with close-ups of the terrain and revealing body language of the 'preacher and prostitute' discussing personal philosophy's. Another film version of this story is 1953's, 3-D offered, Miss Sadie Thompson with Rita Hayworth in the titular role. Aside from the lossy audio black-mark, I am very happy to have seen this via VCI's Blu-ray in the 4K-restoration - Rain remains a highly fascinating critique of hypocrisy with appealing visual imagery. We absolutely recommend!

Gary Tooze