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IMDbPro

L'arbre de vie

Original title: Raintree County
  • 1957
  • Tous publics
  • 3h 2m
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
4.7K
YOUR RATING
Elizabeth Taylor, Montgomery Clift, and Eva Marie Saint in L'arbre de vie (1957)
A student falls in love with a Southern belle, but their relationship is complicated by her troubled past and the on-set of the Civil War.
Play trailer2:23
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99+ Photos
Coming-of-AgeDramaRomanceWarWestern

A student falls in love with a Southern belle, but their relationship is complicated by her troubled past and the onset of the Civil War.A student falls in love with a Southern belle, but their relationship is complicated by her troubled past and the onset of the Civil War.A student falls in love with a Southern belle, but their relationship is complicated by her troubled past and the onset of the Civil War.

  • Director
    • Edward Dmytryk
  • Writers
    • Millard Kaufman
    • Ross Lockridge Jr.
  • Stars
    • Montgomery Clift
    • Elizabeth Taylor
    • Eva Marie Saint
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.3/10
    4.7K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Edward Dmytryk
    • Writers
      • Millard Kaufman
      • Ross Lockridge Jr.
    • Stars
      • Montgomery Clift
      • Elizabeth Taylor
      • Eva Marie Saint
    • 79User reviews
    • 19Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 4 Oscars
      • 1 win & 8 nominations total

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    Top cast80

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    Montgomery Clift
    Montgomery Clift
    • John Wickliff Shawnessy
    Elizabeth Taylor
    Elizabeth Taylor
    • Susanna Drake Shawnessy
    Eva Marie Saint
    Eva Marie Saint
    • Nell Gaither
    Nigel Patrick
    Nigel Patrick
    • Professor Jerusalem Webster Stiles
    Lee Marvin
    Lee Marvin
    • Orville 'Flash' Perkins
    Rod Taylor
    Rod Taylor
    • Garwood B. Jones
    Agnes Moorehead
    Agnes Moorehead
    • Ellen Shawnessy
    Walter Abel
    Walter Abel
    • T.D. Shawnessy
    Jarma Lewis
    Jarma Lewis
    • Barbara Drake
    Tom Drake
    Tom Drake
    • Bobby Drake
    Rhys Williams
    Rhys Williams
    • Ezra Gray
    Russell Collins
    Russell Collins
    • Niles Foster
    DeForest Kelley
    DeForest Kelley
    • Southern Officer
    Fred Aldrich
    Fred Aldrich
    • Townsman
    • (uncredited)
    Ruth Attaway
    Ruth Attaway
    • Parthenia
    • (uncredited)
    John Barton
    • Townsman
    • (uncredited)
    Oliver Blake
    Oliver Blake
    • Jake - Bartender
    • (uncredited)
    Nesdon Booth
    • Spectator
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Edward Dmytryk
    • Writers
      • Millard Kaufman
      • Ross Lockridge Jr.
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews79

    6.34.6K
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    Featured reviews

    6wes-connors

    Speak of Angels and Hear Their Wings

    Idealistic Montgomery Clift (as John Shawnessy) is distracted by buxom Southern belle Elizabeth Taylor (as Susanna Drake), and marries her instead of pretty sweetheart Eva Marie Saint (as Nell Gaither). Life with Ms. Taylor proves to be a cursed existence, so Mr. Clift takes refuge as a Union soldier, after the United States Civil War breaks out. Of course, Clift is on the winning side of the war - but, his personal search for happiness, in an Eden called "Raintree County", is a more difficult path to manage...

    Clearly, MGM was hoping for something approaching "Gone with the Wind" - and, they failed. However, "Raintree County" is not so bad, when viewed without the comparative eye. The big budget production values are beautiful; the obvious expense, and the cast, helps maintain interest in the relatively weak storyline. And, it does get better, as the starring triad (Clift, Taylor, and Saint) slowly draw you into their lives. Viewing will require some degree of commitment, though; it's a long movie.

    Early in the filming, Clift left a visit with friends at Taylor's home, and drove his car into a telephone pole. He nearly died, and his facial "reconstruction" is obvious throughout most of "Raintree County". Clift's performance is uneven, also - but, he was too good an actor to be completely derailed. And, Clift is better than you might have heard. Also, he, does not look as bad as many have claimed. The eventual toll on his "looks" was mainly taken by a growing dependence on alcohol and painkillers.

    Taylor, who is credited with saving Clift's life, shows some of the sparkle that would quickly make her one of the best actresses in the business, especially during the film's second half. Nigel Patrick, Lee Marvin, Rod Taylor, and Agnes Moorehead head up a strong supporting cast. Robert Surtees' savory cinematography is noteworthy. And, Nat King Cole sings the Johnny Green title song, a minor hit, very sweetly.

    ****** Raintree County (10/4/57) Edward Dmytryk ~ Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, Eva Marie Saint
    IRVIN8

    sumptuous and nostalgic

    An individual's life is formed by his memories. Books, music and - yes, movies - influence us. We remember the situations and the dialogue, we remember the sweet melodies. These memories enable us to react, as well as give us the ability to identify situations as they occur.

    I saw "Raintree County" when I was 15. Orphaned at six, I'd just departed from an orphans home in Dallas, after nearly nine years. Knowing virtually nothing of the outside world, I was receptive to everything, every person that I encountered. That summer of 1958, I sneaked into the Forest Park Drive-In to see Elizabeth Taylor, of whom I knew little, other than that she was a breath-taking beauty, and had been recently widowed when Michael Todd's chartered plane had crashed.

    The characters in the movie (when I was 15) were literal, if not visceral: the magnificence of Miss Taylor's satin gowns encased over crinoline, Lee Marvin's sharp, smart-alecky wit, the professor's lechery, Montgomery Clift's Yankee stoicism, Agnes Moorehead's curious detachment, were all primary colors.

    Forty-five years have passed. Those primary colors are now a multitude of blendings and shadings of secondary colors. Montgomery Clift's character is now a beautifully controlled young man who reflects his parents' stoicism, a young man whose intelligence and self control are at the core of the film, and upon whom all characters revolve.

    Originally, I thought that "Raintree County" was strictly Taylor's vehicle. She is the burr under the saddle, the exquisite seductress that interfers with Clift's heretofore regulated, almost predestined lifestyle upon his college graduation.

    'Raintree' is an achingly beautiful film, and Miss Taylor, who is the most gifted in her portrayal of anguished characters, blesses the movie. Norma Shearer could be beautiful in 'Marie Antoinette", but she lacked depth. Betty Davis portrayed Sturm und Drang, but was never a clothes horse. Taylor combines the two.

    Having read some of the other's comments, most of whom disliked the story, perhaps it helps to be Southern to truly love this film. And also, one wants to realize that it depicts two diametrically opposed cultures: North and South. When Northern chill mixes with Southern humidity, chaos results. And so it did, and it was known as The War Between the States.

    In conclusion, one wants to luxuriate in this film: Lockridge wrote a brilliant story, and for the most part, it is well delivered. It is rich in history and characterization.
    gregcouture

    Luxurious parts = lumpen whole.

    M-G-M assigned some pretty heavy-hitters to cobble together this almost indigestible attempt to tell a Civil War story without a producer like David O. Selznick to insist that the whole thing should somehow come together. Other comments on this site tell the sad story of miscasting, a seemingly unfocused script, apparently disinterested direction and the obvious tragedy of Montgomery Clift's catastrophic automobile accident during production and its effect on all the performances he was to give thereafter.

    Elizabeth Taylor is about the only central player who emerges relatively unscathed and her Academy Award nomination was deserved (and certainly more worthy of the Oscar she did win for "BUtterfield 8".)

    I bought reserved seat tickets for this before its initial engagement began and the reviewers' generally negative appraisals were available. M-G-M's new big screen process, MGM Camera 65 ("Window of the World" as they termed it, used only once again by the studio for "Ben-Hur"), afforded a handsome showcasing of all the expense lavished upon this production, but, even as a teenager, I squirmed in my seat as its oh-so-lengthy reels unspooled and I left the theater regretting that its makers hadn't somehow achieved something memorable for its quality and dramatic impact, rather than for its longueurs. Johnny Green's score (and Nat King Cole's rendition of the title song) did sound awfully good over the stereophonic sound system at that Beverly Hills, California theater and that's one aspect of this disappointment that is now probably lost forever.
    6silverscreen888

    A Beautiful Evocation of the North During the Civil War, and More

    I discovered Ross Lockridge Jr.'s attempt at the Great American Novel when I first saw "Raintree County" the film in 1957. I was aware that the story that was put on the screen was not perfect, although it is a beautifully-made and often-interesting film; so I read the novel, to discover what had been omitted. Because I have become an expert on both the book and the film, I appreciate even more what is right about cinematic achievement and find myself more willing to ignore the story's flaws. First, consider the direction, a near-miracle of taste, shot composition, blocking and work with actors achieved by Edward Dmytryk. Art direction, lighting, set design, Walter Plunkett's costumes, the low-key music by Johnny Greene, the theme song, the dialogue by Millard Kaufman, and some of the acting rate with Hollywood's finest. In particular, Eva Marie Saint's work as Nell Gaither, Nigel Patrick as Professor Stiles, Walter Abel as T.D. and Lee Marvin as Flash Perkins deserved Oscar nominations. The smaller parts in the film, from James Griffiths to De Forest Kelley to Tom Drake are all well-nigh flawless. And the memorable scenes such as the Southern ball, the visit to a bordello, the great July Fourth race, Johnny's misadventure in the swamp, the scenes on the Academy lawn, the handling of Johnny Shawnessey's house in Freehaven, Indiana, the war scenes, the great rally in 1860, Rod Taylor's office as Garwood Jones in Indianapolis, all are very well mounted. The flaw in the script, which has a story much-altered from the novel that has one philosophical error also (the author cannot accept American individualism as being not social but reality-based) was confirmed for me by Eva Marie Saint. In 1966, I complimented her acting then asked if the story might not have been handled more strongly, to reflect the novel. Sadly, she noted, "Oh no--they GAVE the picture to ELIZABETH!". A multi-million-dollar film had been made to wangle an undeserved nomination for an Academy Award for Elizabeth Taylor, who tries hard but lacks the classical dimension. But, there is a way to enjoy this superbly-made film that renders the problem of Johnny Shawnessey's obsession with the Taylor character smaller: watch it in 'thirds'. The film then becomes Young John Shawnessey; Johnny and Susannah Drake; Aftermath. It was shown this way on a Los Angeles TV station once, and the structure became much more evident. As the central character, Montgomery Clift starts well but the accident he had during the film and his miscasting vitiate some later work; he gets by with most of his very-demanding role, however, and his work in the last third of the film has some real power. I would not have missed this film for anything; it has been part of my life for fifty years; why not make its power, haunting successful scenes and many lovely attainments a part of yours also.
    8Nazi_Fighter_David

    Susanna Drake is among Taylor's most colorful and intelligent characterizations

    Liz is a disturbed New Orleans belle with a vision that she's part black… She's the beautiful femme fatale to Eva Marie Saint's inevitable cowardly heroine… As in "A Place in the Sun," Liz is used as the symbol of a particular social class and a particular kind of woman… She sets her mark on an idealistic young man John Wickliff Shawnessy (Montgomery Clift) who's looking for the mythical rain tree that contains the secret of the meaning of life…

    Trapping him into marriage with the lie that she's pregnant, and then proceeding to lose her hold on her sanity, Susanna detains the good and helpless John for eight years… He is released, able to return to his magnificent dream and to his pure childhood sweetheart, only after tragic events…

    Retaining the essence of Ross Lockridge, Jr. best-seller, the movie states the equality of the unhappy romance with the Civil War: the personal drama is therefore a reflection of the nation's wounds… According to the top-heavy symbolism, Susanna Drake represents the South, corrupting and dragging down the North; she's the Body contaminating the poet's Soul…

    Taylor plays Susanna Drake's character with an intensity that exceeds all her earlier work… Montgomery Clift as the unlucky poet and Eva Marie Saint as his high school sweetheart and true love are on the remote side, but the scenes with Liz strike fire in a wonderfully brilliant way…

    With its battles and its formal balls, its magnificent riverboats and decayed mansions, its bordellos and madhouses, its childbirth and deathbed scenes, and its evacuation of Atlanta, Edward Dmytryk's "Raintree County," like its source, has undeniable epic dimension

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The scenes which Montgomery Clift shot for this movie just before his accident represent the only color footage available of him before he was disfigured. All of his previous movies had been shot in black-and-white.
    • Goofs
      After Abraham Lincoln's 1860 election, the crowd sings "The Battle Hymn of the Republic". However, Julia Ward Howe wrote the poem on which the song was based for the Atlantic Monthly in 1861.
    • Quotes

      Susanna Drake: That 4th of July race... what happens when you win?

      John Wickliff Shawnessy: Well, according to a friend of mine, if I win, a beautiful girl will place a garland of oak leaves on my sun-colored locks.

      Susanna Drake: I'd like to be that girl.

      John Wickliff Shawnessy: Maybe it can be arranged?

      Susanna Drake: Oh, it can be arranged, all right. *I'll* arrange it.

    • Alternate versions
      The longer Roadshow version was released on VHS by Warner, where it was labeled as Reconstructed Original Version. It has also been shown on Turner Classic Movies cable channel. This version contains nearly 15 minutes of additional material not found on the General Release Version.
    • Connections
      Edited from Autant en emporte le vent (1939)
    • Soundtracks
      Raintree County
      Music by Johnny Green (uncredited)

      Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster

      Sung by Nat 'King' Cole

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    • Which scenes were filmed before and after Montgomery Clift's car accident that left his face disfigured?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 24, 1958 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • El árbol de la vida
    • Filming locations
      • Danville, Kentucky, USA
    • Production company
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $5,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $6,543
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      • 3h 2m(182 min)

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