For April, we are streaming movies with a rain motif or a rainy scene that’s impossible to forget. What movies come to mind when you think of rain? We’ve listed 22 films in chronological order with diverse themes and unique uses of rain in the story.
For some films, such as Key Largo or Hard Rain, rain is a dominant theme throughout the film. It controls the action and drives the plot.
In other films such as The Quiet Man, The Notebook, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, or Three Weddings and a Funeral, rain is a backdrop for romance culminating in passionate rain-soaked kisses we will never forget.
Rain and crime as well as rain and war are other themes. Rain can also be presented in the form of a natural disaster to show the forces of nature at work in a storm. It can be used for comedic effect as in Raising Arizona when prison escapees slip and slide through their escape covered in mud. Rain can also convey the message of washing us clean of our sins and our past as in The Shawshank Redemption. We hope you enjoy this selection of films. We’ve included three YouTube clips for your enjoyment.
Key Largo (1948) Heavy rains keep the action contained - the protagonists are stuck inside a hotel where a violent criminal and his henchmen are also sheltering. The setting becomes claustrophobic by design.
The Quiet Man (1952) Sean Thornton (John Wayne) and Mary Kate Danaher (Maureen O’Hara) share a passionate rain-soaked kiss in a cemetery in Ireland. In a twist, after Sean gives Mary Kate his jacket to protect her from the rain, his white shirt becomes see-through in the rain instead of hers.
Singing in the Rain (1952) Gene Kelly is so excited after finally kissing the girl of his dreams that he dances in the rain totally oblivious to getting soaked.
Seven Samurai (1954) The Samurai’s final battle with the marauders ends in a torrential downpour mixing water, blood, and lots of mud. This is one of Akira Kurosawa’s many films featuring rain as a dramatic device and a symbol of human passion.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) Paul (George Pepard) and Holly (Audrey Hepburn) scour the streets and alleyways of a rainy Manhattan looking for Holly’s cat. When they find it, the quarreling lovers reconcile with a kiss in the rain.
Network (1976) Veteran sportscaster Howard Beale (Peter Finch) is “mad as hell and he’s not going to take it anymore.” As Beal rants in the rain, he encourages his viewers to open their windows and shout the same message into the rain-filled streets of the city. The power of the rain matches Beal’s anger and disillusionment.
Blade Runner (1982) Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) is chased onto the rooftop of a building in the pouring rain by a dying replicant, Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer). Deckard attempts to jump to the next building but slips in the rain barely holding onto the wall. Batty makes the jump with ease and rescues Deckard before his own body fails. Batty’s final words are “All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.”
Raising Arizona(1987) jailbreak – John Goodman and William Forsythe – rain is comedic- they slip, fall, and get covered with mud.
Point Break (1991) Utah (Keanu Reeves) tracks down Bodhi (Patrick Swayze) to an Australian beach during a violent storm with gigantic waves. Instead of arresting him, Utah allows Bodhi to walk toward certain death and the wave of a lifetime.
Forrest Gump (1994) Rainy scenes accentuate the lush green of Vietnam and the muddy ugliness of war.
Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) Andie McDowell and Hugh Grant share a steamy kiss in the rain.
The Shawshank Redemption (1994) After Andy (Tim Robbins) escapes from prison through the filthy sewers, he emerges and embraces his freedom by letting the rain wash him clean. It’s symbolic of the horrors and degradation he experienced in prison and crawling through a sewer that he can be n to begin his new life
Se7en (1995) Mills and Somerset chase a killer and become disoriented in a blinding rainstorm. The killer gets the drop on Mills only to disappear under the cover of rain.
Saving Private Ryan (1998) Rain and war are recurring themes in this film.
Hard Rain (1998) As a torrential downpour hits the Midwest, a group of armed robbers speed in by boats determined to loot the city.
The Perfect Storm (2000) The crew of the Andrea Gail brace for an unimaginable storm at sea but are still unprepared for the ferocity of mother nature when it hits.
High Fidelity (2000) Rob sits outside Laura’s house on a bench in the pouring rain waiting for her to give him another chance.
Road to Perdition (2002) Michael Sullivan and John Rooney face off for the final time in the rain. Rooney acknowledges he’s been beaten by saying, “I’m glad it was you,” just before Sullivan shoots him. Rooney’s blood mixes with rainwater as it flows down the sewer drain.
Spiderman (2002) Spiderman (Tobey McGuire) and Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) share a passionate upside-down kiss while rain falls all around. It’s sexy, passionate, yet surprisingly gentle.
The Matrix Revolutions (2003) Neo and Smith battle in the rain. The battle is spectacular, but the rain adds an entirely new dimension to their confrontation.
The Notebook (2004) Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams share a passionate kiss in the rain.
The Day After Tomorrow (2004) A violent rainstorm batters New York.
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