Weekend Watch 4/25-4/26

What I’m watching this weekend: Rachel and the Stranger (1948)- 1 hr 20 mins

The blu-ray just came in, and I am excited to finally get to watch this film! Set in the early 1800s in the colonial frontier of rural Ohio, recently widowed Davey Harvey (William Holden) “buys” and marries a bondswoman named Rachel (Loretta Young) to help on the farm and teach his son. The two take Rachel completely for granted, that is, at least, until family friend Jim Fairways (Robert Mitchum) comes for a visit and shows an obvious interest in Rachel.

Thoughts After Watching the Film

A western romance, Rachel and the Stranger has all of “the necessary complements of fine story spinning, subdued and natural characterizations and excellent moviemaking.”* It was thoroughly entertaining from beginning to end! This would mark the only pairing between any of these three actors, and it worked so well. I wouldn’t have thought to put these them all together, but they had wonderful chemistry and their character’s contrasted so well.

- Olivia

*https://www.nytimes.com/1948/09/20/archives/the-screen-in-review-pioneers-in-ohio.html

• Availability: Youtube, Amazon video, Googleplay, DVD, and Blu-ray.

  • Purchase DVD: https://www.bonanza.com/listings/Rachel-And-The-Stranger-1948-Loretta-Young-Robert-Mitchum-Dvd-All-Reg/816215357?goog_pla=1&gpid=339470924369&keyword=&goog_pla=1&pos=&ad_type=pla&gclid=CjwKCAjwkun1BRAIEiwA2mJRWXP-VMwGn79zOSzQ6ANDl6I2EBzGeZ-CID5tHa0oe6CrLXXOljaBCxoCtpsQAvD_BwE

  • Purchase Blu-ray: https://www.amazon.com/Rachel-Stranger-Blu-ray-Loretta-Young/dp/B085RTKHC6/ref=tmm_blu_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=