Au péril de sa vie

The film was not what I was expecting, especially with the likes of up and coming actors such as Angie Dickinson and Roger Moore starring in the film. The story takes place in the Belgian Congo where Nurse Rachel Cade who is young, beautiful and somewhat naive decides to set up shop with all the good intentions in the world to help the native people's with both their physical and spiritual needs. What the young Nurse Rachel lacks in the real world of hard knocks and love she makes up for with her perseverance and dedication to her nursing skills.

Of course the beautiful Nurse Rachel has not one but two men vying for her attention. As I explained earlier Rachel was somewhat naive and inexperienced with being in a serious relationship. But the Belgian Congo can be a lonely place for a beautiful women and all the preaching Rachel provides to the native people she finds herself in a compromising position and suddenly she needs to put her big girl pants on and make a few life changing decisions in a very short period of time.

I can't say I was overly impressed with Ms. Dickinson's "oh so very innocent soft sultry voice" but the native people love her for all she has contributed to their village. The middle of this picture runs rather slow and predictable, but if you choose to hang in there, the results and the ending are worth waiting for.

I give the film a decent 6 out of 10 IMDb rating.

Although The Sins Of Rachel Cade does present a realistic view of Africa which Hollywood was now doing after The African Queen and King Solomon's Mines the story never gets above the level of a Harlequin novel set in Africa. This story could have just as easily played out in the good old USA.

Which is where Angie Dickinson in the title role hails from, Kansas in fact, about as far from the Belgian Congo as you can get. She's been sent to aid Dr. Douglas Spencer who no sooner than when she arrives goes and dies on her. That leaves the inexperienced Angie to run the mission until God knows when.

District Commissioner Peter Finch tries to be of help, but he's in a tenuous position. It's never really brought out, but as his country has been overrun by the Nazis, his authority as a Belgian is severely limited. Belgium it is well known did not have a sterling record, in fact it had the worst colonial record of any European power. But Nazi racial doctrines did have a limited appeal to the natives there, so Finch is safe for the moment.

He's liking Angie, but when American doctor from Boston who is volunteering for the Royal Air Force played by Roger Moore drops from the skies, she's his. And her moral authority is put to the test when she has Moore's baby in violation of the beliefs she's been preaching to the natives.

The Sins Of Rachel Cade found a wealth of opportunity for prominent black actors like Woody Strode, Juano Hernandez, Errol John, and Rafer Johnson to play various tribal figures. Dickinson's interaction with them is far more interesting than the hackneyed romance she has.

I wish the film had been more about the politics and less about the romance in another girl done wrong film no matter how exotic the location.

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.

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.

The performances of the principles in this movie are really very good. The story is interesting and the presentation is balanced in regard to all of the characters. Both the native African and the missionary viewpoints are well presented and believable. The Head Witch Doctor, the chief of the tribe, and Rachel's chief assistant are both believable and representative of a different cultural viewpoint. The way in which she finally puts herself on the line to gain the trust of these people is compelling. Her guilt when she feels that she has failed to be true to her preaching and beliefs appears genuine. The difficult decisions she faces at the end seem to be realistic. All in all a very good movie.