| Before the Rains | 
 enlarge | Actors: John Standing, Linus Roache, Satheesh Poduval, Rahul Bose, Nandita Das
Studio: Lions Gate
Category: DVD
List Price: $27.98
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Avg. Customer Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 8433
Format: Ac-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 98
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.4 x 0.7
MPN: LGED23853D
UPC: 031398101345
EAN: 0031398101345
ASIN: B001BNFR76
Theatrical Release Date: 2007
Release Date: September 16, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 09/16/2008 Run time: 98 minutes Rating: Pg13
Amazon.com
Set in India's colonial past, circa 1930, Before the Rains is a period drama exploring how imbalanced socio-economic landscapes negatively affect the personal lives of those seeking to function in corrupt systems. Director Santosh Sivan's intricate love story begins as a passion play and quickly unravels into a crime scene which has the entire police force searching for an innocent victim. Set mostly on British spice planter Henry Moores' (Linus Roache) plantation, the viewer learns from the outset of his affair with servant Sajani (Nandita Das). Sajani's marriage to an despicable Indian villager spells danger, though it's not until Henry's wife, Laura (Jennifer Ehle) comes to visit that one discovers how the infidelity destroys the lives of both participants. Worst off is Henry's other servant, T.K. Neelan (Rahul Bose), torn as witness between covering for his employer and helping his vulnerable female neighbor. Though it is easy to sympathize with Sajani, Before the Rains does well to show Moores as a character worthy enough of redemption, as he constantly checks his moral temperature and is nearly undone by guilt. Charles Humphries (John Standing), Moores' boss heading up plans to build a road into the village for increased production, serves as the capitalist swine, coloring Moores less oblivious to the Indian position. Aside from being a tale about the high cost of colonial endeavors, Before the Rains is a human tale of how love can be confused by what is foreign or forbidden. --Trinie Dalton
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 Beautiful Movie, Poor Casting October 30, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Before the Rains beautifully captures the tragedy of sexual attraction between a master and his slave. The slave never wins! Nandita Das turns in a commendable performance as an infatuated young woman who perceives the attention of the debonair British man as true love
The main problem I have with this movie is the casting of Rahul Bose. It is almost painful to hear his malayalam (being a malayalee myself). Given the plethora of fantastic Malayalam movie industry actors some of whom were cast in this movie why choose him?
"No one gets lost on a straight road" October 25, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
"Before the Rains" is a sumptuous period drama set during the waning days of British imperialism in India. Most of the natives are clamoring for freedom from the colonialists yet the British carry on with their enterprises - one such enterprise is by Henry Moores [Linus Roache], a British tea planter who hopes to build a road to transport spices from the Indian state of Kerala. Moores is ably assisted by his loyal right-hand man TK [Rahul Bose] who tries to maintain a balance between two worlds, East and West, often precariously. Moores' family is back in England and from the beginning of the movie, viewers are made aware of his illicit affair with his beguiling maidservant, the married Sanjani [Nandita Das].
When a tryst between the two is discovered by two village kids, it sets off a calamitious chain of events - Moores' family [consisting of Jennifer Ehle as his wife and a young son] return only to find things have changed, Sanjani's brute of a husband tries to physically beat the truth out of her, and TK is stuck between his loyalty to Moores and his desire to do what is right. A tragic incident acts as a catalyst that propels the story towards its inevitable conclusion.
Some may feel the story is all too predictable - the 'evil' colonialist who takes advantage of the innocent local woman, the Indian assistant who wishes to straddle both worlds but finds himself not fully belonging to either one etc, but "Before the Rains" is more than that. Moores' character as played by Linus Roache does show traces of redemption, and neither is Nandita Das' Sanjani just a plain old gullible village woman. This is a woman who fully knows the repercussions of her actions and is altogether willing, albeit naive. TK as credibly portrayed by Rahul Bose shows us the inner conflict in a man who believes in unity between the colonialists and Indians, yet finds that in the end, he does need to make a choice - as his father tells him "No one gets lost on a straight road".
The cinematography is achingly beautiful [not surprising given that the director Santosh Sivan is a successful one himself] and the score is haunting -it captures the beauty of Kerala [which happens to be one of the most beautiful states in Southern India] in all its resplendent glory. All in all, I'd recommend this to those who love period dramas, and also fans of Merchant-Ivory productions.
 Beautiful cinematography September 26, 2008
Before the Rains is an enjoyable movie with everything going for it. Breathtaking visuals complimented with good acting and a strong storyline makes it a winner. There may be some scenes which wouldn't make much sense to a Western mind but I do think the movie is true to it's timeline of India before independence, the fragile Brit-Indian relationship and finally the endless superstitions some of which continue to prevail to this day.
Love It! September 21, 2008
This movie was amazing... The writing was great, the acting perfect and the directing superb! Linus Roache shines as always. Just remember to look for hidden meanings and always expect the unexpected!
In a Lovely, Evocative Time and Place September 19, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
"Before the Rains" is a recently-released, Anglo-Indian film, set in South India during the waning days of the British colonial Raj; a lovely, evocative time and place that exerts a certain fascination, still; and has been looked at by a number of British films, and several --really slow-moving---films of the Merchant-Ivory film-making school. It's exquisite to look at, while actually boasting a plot that moves right along, and stars some gorgeous people giving us a passionate, moving story of a mature interracial love affair.
Linus Roache( "Batman Begins") stars as Henry Moores, an Englishman who's big in the spice trade: he's settled on an estate in India, and hopes to build a road that would enable him to greatly expand the productivity of his plantations. The beauteous Jennifer Ehle ("Pride and Prejudice") turns in a restrained performance as his wife Laura. Rahul Bose turns in a thoughtful performance as TK Neelan, a resident of the local village, caught between his respect for the past, and his hopes for a bright English-assisted future. The always reliable veteran John Standing is Charles Humphries, a grandee of the local expat English community. And the beautiful Nandita Das is stunning as Sajani,the servant who catches Moores' eye, with disastrous results for all concerned.
Add a star if you are a particular fan of the Raj; and, whatever you do, keep the tissues handy.
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