Raintree County movie storyline. It’s the mid nineteenth century in Freehaven, Raintree County, Indiana. John Wickliff Shawnessy (Montgomery Clift) has just graduated from high school at the top of his class, with a promising career as a writer. He is a romantic, principled, and an idealist, believing the story of the golden raintree – after which the county is named – growing somewhere, most likely in the county’s swamp area, searching for and locating it which would provide all the answers to one’s life questions.
An idea passed down from his father, John also has a strong sense of place as belonging, and as such there is much anticipation in the probable marriage between John and his sweetheart Nell Gaither (Eva Marie Saint), a born and bred Raintree girl. However, there is an undeniable mutual attraction on first sight between John and Susanna Drake (Dame Elizabeth Taylor), a visiting southern belle. Despite Susanna’s temporary stay in Raintree County which means that she and John may not have a future, they eventually do marry out of circumstance, leaving behind a heartbroken Nell.
As their relationship progresses, differences in their life outlooks mirroring the differences between the north and south start to emerge, and which are brought to the forefront, both personally and on a global level with the on-set of the American Civil War. Their relationship issues are also exacerbated by secrets, both facts and beliefs, Susanna is keeping about her family history, with her parents and her black nanny being killed in a mysterious house fire when Susanna was a child.
Raintree County is a 1957 American epic historical romance film adapted from the 1948 novel by Ross Lockridge Jr. The film was directed by Edward Dmytryk and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Set in the American South against the backdrop of the Antebellum South and the American Civil War, the film tells the story of a small-town Midwestern teacher and poet named John Shawnessy, who meets and marries a beautiful Southern belle named Susanna Drake; however, her emotional instability leads to the destruction of their marriage. The leading roles are played by Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, Eva Marie Saint, and Lee Marvin.
In July 1947, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer had purchased the film rights of Ross Lockridge Jr’s unpublished manuscript for Raintree County for $150,000. Carey Wilson was immediately signed as producer, and prominent actors were considered for leading roles. In January 1948, the book was released and became a national bestseller. In the following year, filming was delayed for two years as the project had grown too expensive. In 1955, the project was revived with Taylor and Clift signed for the two leading roles. Filming began in April 1956 and wrapped in October 1956. It would also mark the first use of a 65-millimeter widescreen process originally called MGM Camera 65.
Raintree County had its world premiere at the Brown Theatre in Louisville, Kentucky on October 2, 1957. In December 1957, the film was given a wide release in the United States, where it received mixed reviews from film critics, who praised the production values and the performances of Clift and Taylor, but were critical of the film’s plot. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards for Best Actress (Taylor), Art Direction–Set Decoration, Best Costume Design, and Best Score.
Raintree County (1957)
Directed by: Edward Dmytryk
Starring: Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, Eva Marie Saint, Nigel Patrick, Lee Marvin, Rod Taylor, Agnes Moorehead, Walter Abel, Jarma Lewis, Tom Drake, Rhys Williams, Russell Collins
DeForest Kelley as Southern officer
Screenplay by: Millard Kaufman
Production Design by: Edward Woehler
Cinematography by: Robert Surtees
Film Editing by: John Dunning
Costume Design by: Walter Plunkett
Set Decoration by: Hugh Hunt, Edwin B. Willis
Art Direction by: William A. Horning, Urie McCleary
Music by: Johnny Green
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release Date: December 20, 1957
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