A Walk in the Spring Rain

Terrible! This middle-aged romance served as a late vehicle for Ingrid Bergman as a professor's wife who embarks on a disasterous affair with a Tennessee Mountain Man, (an over-the-top Anthony Quinn in full-throttle Zorba mode). It was based on a novel by Rachel Maddux which Stirling Silliphant thought enough of to produce and do the screenplay but by 1970 love stories were for the Ryan O'Neals and Ali McGraws of this world and not for a couple of over-the-hill old fogies from yesteryear so the film flopped and disappeared. As Bergman's husband, Fritz Weaver isn't at all bad but otherwise "A Walk in the Spring Rain" is a film no-one might want to keep on their C.V's.

The only "suspense" is whether Ingrid & Anthony will really hook up or not and be found out. The violence is the encounters between Anthony and his rebellious son, in the "I see .... you want to fight the old man eh" vein. It's more like a combo of The Bridges of Madison County and Li'l Abner, but infinitely worse ! Madison was more romantic and had better dialog and at least Li'l Abner had good tunes. Ingrid Bergman remains dignified throughout; Anthony Quinn is once again channeling Zorba, but with less gusto and a slow Appalachian drawl; Virginia Gregg as his wife, doing a bitter old Mammy Yokum impression, is the (unintended) comic relief, as is the"repartee" between the father and the rebellious son every time they meet. The only actor more or less perfect for the part is Fritz Weaver, a rather stodgy actor, in the type of part he often played in movies. Not a film that anyone involved can be proud of.

Ingrid Bergman was totally devoted to getting this film right - as she was with all her films. She spent a lot of time "thinking" while waiting for takes. I agree with the other people who commented, so there's not a lot to add. Perhaps I could just say that Ingrid didn't want her character to commit adultery and that was why the romance with Cade came to nothing. By 1969 films were so much more open about sex and this lovely film was, in a way, rejected by audiences of the time. In 1940 it would probably have been a big hit - "Brief Encounter" style. For Ingrid Bergman fans this film is a must see and must have on video! I would VERY MUCH like to see it on DVD, as it would almost complete the Bergman series on DVD. If anyone has any influence in this field, perhaps you could pass on the wish! Compare Ingrid's "Goodbye Again" of 1960 - another film which doesn't end satisfactorily for her character, but which had European style and is probably a better film, as "film". Mary

A good-looking soap opera buoyed by veteran star power with a rather relentlessly melodious score by Elmer Bernstein and plush photography by Charles Lang; which when not taking in the vibrant Smoky Mountain local colour is concentrating upon the noble features of glamorous grannie, the eternally radiant Ingrid Bergman. She's stuck with dry, pipe-smoking hubby Fritz Weaver (on sabbatical to write what sounds like a spectacularly dreary academic book), when fate sends her as her handyman sensitive hunk Anthony Quinn, who declares "You're full of love, ain't you Miss Roger?". What follows manages to be both melodramatic yet curiously passionless.

How easy it is for the children to take their parents for granted? The key moment in the film is when the mother character(Ingrid Bergman) asks her daughter, if she has ever thought about her mother as a person. This is in response to her daughter's request that she leave her Smokey Mountains paradise(and new found love), so that she can take care of her grandchild while her daughter can be free to pursue her own law career. At the same time Anthony Quinn- Bergman's lover, is presented with a similar situation with his brutish son, who eyes the blossoming relationship with growing hostility. This is probably the main theme in this wonderfully shot and pleasantly paced drama. By todays standards the ending may be a little sad, but its far more realistic.

Libby Meredith (Ingrid Bergman) is the dutiful wife of college professor Roger Meredith. They are traditional and do not approve of their daughter's personal pursuit away from her family obligations. Roger is on sabbatical writing a book. The couple leaves New York City for the country where Libby finds flirtatious neighbor Will Cade (Anthony Quinn). There is a promise of an epic romance. It has the great pairing of Bergman and Quinn. It should be incredible. Libby as a conservative matriarch is set up to join the sexual revolution. I like the conflict between mother and daughter. I don't buy Anthony Quinn as an American, let alone a southerner. This should be a battle for Libby's heart and mind by the two men. There is a sudden twist that short-circuits the confrontation. In short, I don't like the twist which comes out of nowhere. Otherwise, the two leads and the premise provide interesting viewing.