Rider on the Rain [Le Passager de la Pluie] *** (1970, Charles Bronson, Marlène Jobert, Annie Cordy, Jill Ireland) – Classic Movie Review 9,314

René Clément’s chilling 1970 French mystery thriller Rider on the Rain [Le Passager de la Pluie] is the film that turned Charles Bronson into a star in Europe.

Director René Clément’s 1970 French-Italian mystery thriller film Rider on the Rain [Le Passager de la Pluie] is one of several films Charles Bronson made in Europe before Death Wish turned him into a big international star in 1974. But this was the one that turned him into a star in France, where it was 1970’s third most popular movie, and the rest of Europe. His agent Paul Kohner opined that it was ‘the turning point for Bronson – and probably his best’.

It is a suspenseful, chilling French thriller that begins when Mélancolie Mau (Marlène Jobert) is raped in her home, shoots her masked attacker and tries to conceal the murder by dumping his body in the sea. The plot moves into Hitchcock territory with Bronson as Colonel Harry Dobbs, a US Army colonel in France, an enigmatic investigator on the trail of an escaped sex maniac prisoner.

A fascinating original screenplay by Sébastien Japrisot, credible performances and smooth, driving direction by Clément combine to keep the bizarre plot believable and the film satisfying, with notable music composed by Francis Lai and striking cinematography by Andréas Winding.

It won a 1971 Golden Globe for Best Foreign-Language Foreign Film, as well as the Special David of the David di Donatello Awards in 1970.

Also in the cast are Annie Cordy, Jill Ireland, Gabriele Tinti, Jean Gaven, Jean Piat and Corinne Marchand.

Filming began on 2 June 1969 on the Giens Peninsula on French Mediterranean coast and ended on 4 August 1969 on the French Riviera, with some scenes shot in Paris.

George Segal was original choice for Harry Dobbs.

The film was shot in English and French versions, and Bronson learned his lines in French phonetically. It was the last time his voice was heard on his European films, being dubbed in all subsequent films. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray by Kino Lorber (2019) (US). Optimum/Studio Canal’s UK 2009 DVD has both versions, with the English version running a few minutes shorter.

Francis Lai’s title song ‘Rider on the Rain’ with lyrics by Sébastien Japrisot is sung by French singer Severine. Peggy Lee wrote English lyrics for the song and recorded it on her 1971 album Make It With You as ‘Passenger of the Rain’.

Rider on the Rain [Le Passager de la Pluie] is directed by René Clément, runs 120 minutes, is made by Greenwich Film Productions and Medusa Distribuzione, is released by Compagnie Commerciale Française Cinématographique (CCFC) (1970) (France) and AVCO Embassy (1970) (UK) (US), is written by Sébastien Japrisot, shot by Andréas Winding, produced by Serge Silberman, scored by Francis Lai, and designed by Pierre Guffroy.

It was released on 21 January 1970 in France.

René Clément (18 March 1913 – 17 March 1996) also notably directed La Bataille du rail [The Battle of the Rails] (1946), Jeux interdits [Forbidden Games] (1952), Gervaise (1956), Plein Soleil [Purple Noon] (1960), Les Félins [The Love Cage] [Joy House] (1964), and Is Paris Burning? (1966). and La Maison sous les arbres [The Deadly Trap] (1971).

Marlène Jobert is the mother of Eva Green.

French actress Marlène Jobert (born 4 November 1940 married Swedish dental surgeon Dr Walter Green and have twin daughters, the actress Eva Green and Joy Green, a horse breeder in Italy. She retired from films in the mid-Eighties work and started a new career as author and narrator in children’s literature.

The cast are Charles Bronson as Colonel Harry Dobbs, Marlène Jobert as Mélancolie “Mellie” Mau, Gabriele Tinti as Tony Mau, Annie Cordy as Juliette, Corinne Marchand as Tania, Jill Ireland as Nicole, Jean Piat as M. Armand, Marcel Pérès as Station Master, Ellen Bahl as Madeline Legauff, Jean Gaven as Inspector Toussaint, Marc Mazza as The Passenger, and Marika Green as Hostess at Tania’s.

Earlier, the 1968 French-Italian heist crime film Adieu l’ami [Farewell, Friend] was a great success in Europe and helped Charles Bronson towards stardom there after his career as a supporting actor in Hollywood. It is also produced by Serge Silberman, with a screenplay by Sebastien Japrisot.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 9,314

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