TeenzTen An action-packed slog

Seraherrera The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

Teddie Blake The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Adeel Hail Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

fung0 This is one of my favorite westerns, certainly one of the very best in the light-hearted vein. It's enlivened by a lot of outdoor photography, a real feeling of frontier isolation, and by superlative performances from three of Hollywood's most enduring stars.The story is classic: a widower (William Holden) 'buys' a bondswoman (Loretta Young) to be his wife in-name-only, as a housekeeper on his remote farm and substitute mother for his young son. He takes the woman entirely for granted, until a likable drifter (Robert Mitchum) visits and shows a romantic interest in her.The film genuinely tugs at the heart-strings, and includes some moments of action and tension - yet it remains fundamentally warm and humorous. Holden is perfect as the befuddled farmer, who can't sort out his own feelings. Mitchum has one of his best roles, as the charming visitor. (Mitchum played this role of genial interloper multiple times, always to great effect - see also Holiday Affair, for example, or The Grass is Greener.) Loretta Young... what can one say? She's so immensely appealing here, that it's hard to understand why her name doesn't come up more often as one of the great leading ladies.This is truly one of those timeless films, that becomes more beloved with every viewing. It reminds me, in a distant way, of The Westerner, which is at heart also a love story. Or Along Came Jones, which also featured Loretta Young. But Rachel and the Stranger is more satisfying than those films; it works perfectly on multiple levels.Given it's high quality, I can only assume that Rachel and the Stranger is one of those many works that have been trapped in 'copyright limbo' by the idiotic intellectual-property legislation enacted in recent years. There's no other way to explain the lack of a properly-restored video release. TCM does show the film, fortunately, and there do seem to be various passable DVD editions floating around. But this film deserves better.If you love westerns, or good old Hollywood romantic comedies, definitely make some time for Rachel and the Stranger. You may not have heard of it, but it deserves to be remembered as a true classic.

zava_t I loved this movie. I thought the banter between Holden and Mitchum were subtly hilarious. The facial expressions were spot on from Holden. Young was formidable in this part as well. I think it takes a strong cast to make a movie that revolves around four sole characters. It was a great romantic comedy. I liked the chemistry between Mitchum and Young on screen. I also thought that Gary Gray added the right amount of drama/comedy to the whole show. I loved the scenes in the woods with Mitchum and Holden bickering and making their pleas to Young. All in all, I think this is a good movie, and definitely worth the time of watching.

Michael_Elliott Rachel and the Stranger (1947) *** 1/2 (out of 4) Highly entertaining western/comedy/drama has a man (William Holden) losing his wife but buying a slave woman (Loretta Young) and marrying her so that she can school his kid. Things get complicated when he doesn't pay her too much attention and his friend (Robert Mitchum) comes back from the hunting season. For the most part this is your typical love triangle but the incredible performances from the three leads makes this incredibly hard not to love. You've just gotta love a movie that opens with Mitchum walking through the woods singing and playing a guitar. Young and Mitchum also do a duet later in the film that is quite nice. The chemistry between the three stars makes this film work a lot better than it probably should have. There's some nice laughs at the end when the two men finally fight over her as well as suspense during an Indian attack.

MCL1150 "Rachel and the Stranger" has been one of my favorite "little" films over the years. I only say little because my mother and I are the only two fans of it that I actually know of, but I'm sure there are hundreds of fans out there who love "Rachel and the Stranger" as much as we do. TCM runs it two or three times a year and I try not to miss it. I guess it was a big hit in its time even though it's not as well known today, but my advice is to watch it if you ever get the chance. At about 90 minutes it doesn't wear out its welcome and seems to be over as fast as it began. And with three great stars like Loretta Young (WOW!), William Holden and Robert Mitchum, you really can't go wrong. All three are perfect in their roles. The film is a traditional Western in many ways, but what I like most about it is the humor that's woven in throughout. One sequence even develops into slapstick, but it works. Overall, a really wonderful and enjoyable movie. This is the kind of film that you just end up counting among your favorites even though it's likely that no one you know has ever seen it. And it's the kind of film that you want everyone to see so you can strike up a conversation about how much you love it! Watch it and enjoy!