kckidjoseph-1 When I was in drama school, they were still talking about the verisimilitude and grittiness of this film, from subject matter to acting, and young thespians were dashing around eagerly doing "cuttings" as class exercises or more fully rendered stage presentations.If memory serves, the play and ensuing film grew from a an Actors Studio improvisation, but I can't verify that. But even the suggestion of that underscores its no-nonsense believability. It hit home then, and it does so now, with a vengeance.A rarity for its time _ 1957 _ the film's blunt depiction of the effects of morphine addiction on a returning Korean War vet was said to be medically and sociologically accurate.The film stars Eva Marie Saint, Don Murray, Anthony Franciosa (Oscar nominee for Best Actor), Lloyd Nolan and Henry Silva, and was adapted by Michael V. Gazzo, Alfred Hayes, and Carl Foreman from the play by Gazzo. (Foreman, who was blacklisted at the time of the film's release, had his name added to the credits by The Writers Guild of America in 1998, 14 years after his death). The film was directed by the much-respected Oscar-winner Fred Zinnemann ("High Noon," "From Here to Eternity," "A Man for All Seasons," "Julia"). The setting is a housing-project apartment in New York City near the Brooklyn Bridge. Johnny Pope (Murray) is a soldier just back from the Korean War, where a stay in a military hospital has left him addicted to morphine. His emotional distance and restlessness alienate him from the apartment's other residents _ Johnny's pregnant wife Celia (Saint) and his brother Polo (Franciosa). Celia is convinced that Johnny is having an affair, completely unaware that the truth is far more complex. Compounding the matter, Johnny and Polo's father, John Sr. (Nolan), arrives in town and stays with them in the small apartment.This is a fascinating film, both for its content and as a social document of the time in which it was made. It's well worth your time.

JLRMovieReviews I saw A Hatful of Rain and Bigger Than Life in the same evening, because they seemed to make the perfect double feature as they both dealt with addictions. (They had been on my short list of movies to see for a while.) I watched A Hatful of Rain first. It features good actors, who give good, thoughtful performances, but the film, on the whole, felt a little too stagy and like it was trying too hard to be self-important and/or preachy with its family dynamics. While it's rather respectful and tender in depicting Don Murray's morphine addiction and Eva Marie Saint's predicament in loving someone she can't altogether help, you begin to tire of its downbeat feel. Tony Franciosa is good as his brother who is tired of helping him out every single time and, at the same time, finds himself attracted to his wife. One may say that comparing this film to Bigger Than Life is not fair to this one, as I found it to be far superior to this, but, if you only have two hours to spare, watch Bigger Than Life first. Then, five minutes into this, you will see a world of difference, as A Hatful of Rain tries to be bigger than life.

rthayer-1 I saw this play-turned-film many years ago on late-night TV and have been wanting a copy for my collection. I miss that late-night discovery of motion picture history from my bed that I received back in my high-school days, when I'd watch whatever was on because they seemed to care to show good stuff on my local station and there was always something I'd never seen. I'd remembered Eva Marie Saint from "On The Waterfront", but she just blew me away in this film. And Tony Franciosa I new from TV. Was it "The Name of the Game"? Anyway, he was great in this film, as he was in "A Face in the Crowd". I wish more people remembered him. Don Murray was also very good. These were all actors hard at work with a great script. It has one of the most moving endings I've ever seen. Where's my DVD?

dga11105 I check at least once a month to see if this fabulous film has finally been released on video. Just like the way that "Days of Wine and Roses" tackled the subject of alcohol addiction, this film tackled the subject of drug addiction like none other before or since. Terrific performances by all, especially Don Murray and Anthony Franciosa as the two brothers, each held to a different standard by a overbearing father played by Lloyd Nolan. There is also an appearance by a very young William Hickey of "Prizzi's Honor" fame in one of his first roles. This film is a window back in time to life in New York City in the 50's. I urge whoever owns the rights to this film, please release it on DVD