El pecado de Raquel

It's 1939 Belgian Congo. Newly arrived nurse Rachel Cade (Angie Dickinson) finds local mistrust. Dr. Bikel runs the failing clinic and is quickly dead. Rachel starts gaining their trust and preaching the bible. Colonel Henri Derode (Peter Finch) is the local administrator. Paul Wilton (Roger Moore), an American doctor with the RAF, becomes her patient.

The old fashion bible preaching is a little off-putting. Back in the day, it would play well as the savages get civilized. It's very old school and pulpy romanticism and colonial jungleism. This may be longest that I stared into Angie's brown eyes. Also it may be the earliest star role for Roger Moore that I've seen. He's not even trying to change his accent. In a modern viewing, it's a little clunky and dated. Then there is the central and title theme. I'm glad that they do call it out with Rachel's "sins" and this is more than a simple white savior film.

Deep in the Belgian Congo in 1939, white missionary nurse Angie Dickinson--a virtuous woman who carries the Holy Bible like a shield--arrives in a small village just as the resident doctor dies of a heart attack. The natives believe this is the curse of their wrathful god who lives in the mountains, so it's up to Dickinson's Rachel Cade to teach them the word of Christ as well as earn their trust under her (limited) medical supervision. It would be easy for cynics to dismiss this adaptation of Charles Mercer's novel "Rachel Cade" as Hollywood hokum, but the conviction with which it is presented doesn't feel plastic. Dickinson's prayers for a new doctor are answered in the arrival of an RAF pilot (Roger Moore, with not one hair out of place); however, his attraction to her isn't romantic, rather lustful--desires which go against everything she stands for. The plot is soapy, certainly, and Peter Finch has the thankless role of an agnostic colonel who makes big entrances and exits yet seems pretty inefficient. The religious aspect is handled sensitively, while the "Sin" of the title refers to a personal shame which was a very real concern for single women in the early 1940s. Beautiful Warner Bros. production includes impressive J. Peverell Marley cinematography. **1/2 from ****

Definitely in line with IMDB majority opinion here in regarding this as a mostly bombastic (especially where religion is involved), dull film with occasional flashes of interest and a couple good performances, from Juano Hernandez and the always under rated Angie Dickinson in the title role. The main problem with it flows from the egregiously bad story decision by scenarist Edward Anhalt to soft peddle the most interesting conflict, namely that of Rachel versus the tribal hierarchy symbolized by Hernandez, and instead highlight the pale, bloodless love triangle between Dickinson, Peter Finch and truly one of the dullest British actors ever to trod the boards, Roger Moore. His romantic scenes with Dickinson act as built in bathroom and snack breaks. The ones between Finch and Dickinson are a little better because Finch is a ten times better thesp than Moore but, still, you weary of them and want more scenes like the African dance that arouses Finch's and Dickinson's carnal desire...and not just for each other. Yes, the scene is on the racist side with its not so subtle message that white passions can be unhealthily aroused by dark races, but it is also quite envelope pushing for 1961, a good seven or eight years before the code was sent a packing, and I'm sure got this movie at least semi banned or censored in the American South. Give it a C plus.

PS...Hard to say whose supposed accent was worse, Finch's Belgian or Moore's American.

I spent a good deal of "The Sins of Rachel Cade" confused, wondering whether or not I had already seen it. Or was I mixing it up with "The Nun's Story" - not hard to do, since Peter Finch, a brilliant, sexy actor apparently was cast in the same part over and over. It seems to me his role in this was similar to his role in "The Nun's Story." The story is similar to "The Nun's Story" and also to "Sister Kenny."

During World War II, Rachel Cade (Angie Dickinson), a beautiful young nurse, goes to the Congo to help in the hospital and to bring Christianity to the people. She meets two men, both of whom are interested in her - Colonel DeRode (Finch) and a downed airman who turns out to be a surgeon, Paul Wilton (Roger Moore). Cade suffers inner conflict as a result, and it changes her life.

I like Angie Dickinson in this - she gives a very simple performance, that of a dedicated spiritual woman with great inner strength, and one who really understands why the people of the Congo love her and respect her. But she's miscast. To put it bluntly, Dickinson is too hot a number for this role. If she were just beautiful in the Audrey Hepburn sense, she would be believable. But Angie's always been a sex bomb and how anyone thought she could work in darkest Africa and not spend 99% of her time fighting off men was crazy. Either someone a little older, like Jean Simmons, or with less sex appeal would have been more appropriate.

Peter Finch was very good, very appealing, but I just saw him do this role in "The Nun's Story." I'm still confused.

Two favorites of mine, Woody Strode and Juano Hernandez, are on hand as well and give excellent performances.

There are certainly interesting aspects to "The Sins of Rachel Cade," and it has some appeal, but in the end it leaves one feeling a little flat.

Soapy jungle set melodrama with a bit of a social conscience. Angie, who looks great, gives a good performance in the lead matched by Peter Finch as a military man who yearns for her. Mary Wickes has a small part that perks up the film whenever she appears which isn't nearly enough. The weak link is Roger Moore as a boorish doctor who literally crashes onto the scene, he's handsome but doesn't make much of an impact. It's not really his fault his role is poorly conceived. There's nice production values as well.

The film has a few too many plot threads that it dangles, picks up and drops throughout the picture's running time but is best when it focuses on Rachel's crisis of faith and also her gradual evolution from naive missionary to leader of a small village of people.

Not a great film but earnestly played with an interesting back story and some tortured romance at its core.