Black Rainbow (1989)

Martha Travis (Rosanna Arquette) is a medium who makes contact with spirits "on the other side" and connects them with their loved ones still alive in public performances. Trouble begins when she gives a message to Mary Kuron (Linda Pierce) from her husband Tom (Olek Krupa). But Tom isn't dead... yet. And Martha not only knows he will die she also knows who killed him. And the murderer knows she knows...System Requirements:Running Time - 99 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLERS Rating: R UPC: 692865156338 Manufacturer No: T-1563 Product Description

Very interesting low budget offering from Mike Hodges

First let me say that this disc is far from being a great transfer. This is pan and scan, the print is somewhat damaged. However the sound is really pretty good. At the price, who can complain. Now, the movie: I am exploring the work of Mike Hodges, and this like the others I've seen is an interesting film. Rosanna Arquette is very good. Jason Robards is good, but he's repeating a role he played many times. Tom Hulce shows that Amadeus may have been a fluke in which he was very well directed. But the story is interesting and the the bones are there for a better movie. This is really a British movie about people in the US. The different viewpoint is always facinating.

Great cinema? No way. Worth a rainy night's viewing? For sure. And worth some study if you're a film buff. August 23, 2007

"We steal when we touch tomorrow."

Saying that Black Rainbow is one of its director's best films doesn't sound much of a compliment when you're talking about a man whose resume includes Morons From Outer Space and not one but two Clive Owen stinkers even if it is true. Mike Hodges' reputation these days rests solely on a gangster movie he made 35 years ago, and the fact that his subsequent efforts have either been too clinical to work (The Terminal Man), too flawed to completely satisfy (Pulp), outright awful (A Prayer for the Dying) or saw him fired early in production (Damien: Omen II) has done little to deter labelling him as a one-hit wonder. True to his run of luck, this neat little supernatural thriller was barely released, going straight to cable in the US and getting caught up in a distribution scandal in the UK, where Palace tried to get copies into video stores (selling it as virtual soft porn, believe it or not!) before the film even opened theatrically.

It's that old chestnut, the medium who sees too much - in this case getting messages from dead people who haven't died yet - and puts her life in danger, but it's rarely been done this well. Starting off as a sort of Emily Gantry as written by Eugene O'Neill (with Jason Robards playing another of his drunken pater familiases), it offers Rosanna Arquette her best role, and she certainly rises to the challenge. The premonition scenes carry a real frisson, there are neat humanising touches (the hitman for once has a family life and can't get a decent seat on an airplane) and Hodges' dialog is surprisingly good. But what really caries it is the characterization: these are all believably damaged people clinging onto any tenuous hope they can find, be it religion or the bottle, to prevent taking a good look at themselves - as one bereaved character puts it, "Maybe if we weren't so bothered about the hereafter we'd pay more attention to the here and now."

March 27, 2006

THE OTHER SIDE

An interesting premise and a talented cast can't save Mike Hodges' BLACK RAINBOW from its own contrivances. Rosanna Arquette stars as Martha Travis, a medium who claims to be able to talk to people who have died from the other side. Jason Robards plays her opportunistic father who hauls the girl around from church to church in order to make big bucks. Things take a sharp turn however when it appears that Martha can predict future deaths, most notably the killing of a local man by an obvious "hitman." Tom Hulce appears as a young reporter who is agnostic himself and doesn't believe in Martha's so called psychic abilities, but is ordered by his editor to get an interview.
Arquette does well with her role, going from a quiet seething teapot to an explosive kettle; Robards is fine as her alcoholic father and Hulce holds his own. Whether or not Arquette is a fake is up to the viewer; the narrative makes it seem she's the real thing. However, even though the film maintains a creepy momentum, it loses it in its enigmatic finale. The viewer has to decide if Martha is still alive--or is she a ghost? I found the ending an unsatisfying resolution to an otherwise decent film. January 19, 2006

A Diamond in the Rough...in Time

The beauty of film is that it captures a moment in time. "Black Rainbow" is such a film. Released in 1986 (nearly 20 years ago), this novel approach to psychic powers (a Medium) is just what the new Millennium ordered. Despite its frightful moments of peering into the future, it is refreshing to know that the same year my son was born, that this film was fresh and new like him. One part of the script says it all. "Why do serious things have to become entertainment?" Powerful! You will have to watch the film to understand.

The cast is superb. Rosanna Arquette is the medium. Her beauty is captured in a new light. Her mysterious aura sends chills and thrills down your spine all at once. What a hypnotic smile and dreamy eyes. Her father is portrayed by film legend Jason Robards. Upstart actor (at that time) Tom Hulce plays the agnostic reporter.

This film has a lot to offer even though its been on the shelves for nearly two decades.

In the thriller category (though dated) it receives a solid 5. The highlights in this film is are when Rosanna is on stage. As her followers flock to the church to witness her out-of-this-world gifts, she is convincing and sincere. A must see (even a rental) for psycho thriller fans. Good job Rosanna, Jason and Tom!!! February 12, 2005

Greatest movie of its genre

This is undoubtedly the greatest movie of its genre and Rosanna Aruqette shines with mystery and an aura that is realistic beyond your wildest imaginations. She is so convincing that she had me believing she was the character instead of a wonderful actress who makes movies. And Jason Robards was outstanding portraying her drunken father with guilt feelings about his dead wife and mother to Rosanna. STORY, PLOT, ACTING, COSTUME, EVERYTHING=PERFECT!

Of all the movies that I feel must be owned, I could not live without this one! I would have given it 6 stars rating but they don't offer it on Amazon. July 10, 2004

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