Rain Slideshow for May, 2023

A Lion is in the Streets (1953) opens with a rainy scene and ends with a rainy scene.  But the rain in the first scene helps to express a joyful triumph.

The rain in the final scene helps to convey a grim defeat. 

The rain in both scenes was produced by the same machine.  So, what makes the scenes different?  In the first scene, Cagney reacts to the rain jubilantly.  We know from his smile, his open posture and his snappy steps that the rain feels refreshing and exhilarating.  But the situation is different in the later scene.  The wheels of Cagney's car have gotten stuck on a muddy rain-swept road.  Now, the rain renders Cagney cold and bedraggled.  The rain, once joyful, is now miserable and oppressive.  This suggests that the rain, itself, does not create a mood.  The mood is created by the performance, the lighting, the music, and the camera framing.  The lighting is dark, the music is ominous, and the framing is tight and confining.     

Reference sources: 

Marie Antoinette (1938) 

The Rules of The Game (1939) 

The Ladies of the Bois de Boulogne (1945) 

Leave Her to Heaven (1945) 

The Ladykillers (1955) 

The Pajama Game (1957) 

The Wayward Bus (1957) 

Serious Charge (1959) 

Burn, Witch, Burn! (1962) 

Intentions of Murder (1964) 

Man's Favorite Sport? (1964) 

Bed and Board (1970) 

Killer Nun (1979) 

Crossing Delancey (1988) 

Zandalee (1991) 

Damage (1992) 

Indecent Proposal (1993) 

As Good As It Gets (1997)