A Face in the Rain (1963)

Although A Face in the Rain is a fairly routine war melodrama, it's a bit surprising that it's not better known. After all, director Irvin Kershner has his following, and leading man Rory Calhoun is hardly an unknown quantity. Plus, famed cinematographer Haskell Wexler added his special touch to the proceedings. Yet in spite of these talents, Face is only an adequate movie. Certainly a good portion of the blame rests with the screenplay, which sets up a viable melodramatic situation yet never really explores the possibilities; with such a surface treatment, the plot mechanics come across as overly trite. The characters also lack sufficient depth and there's not enough forward movement to keep audience attention at the heightened pitch that is required. Kershner's work is so-so; it gets the job done but doesn't try for anything new. Calhoun is fine within the limitations of the script, as is Marina Berti as "the woman," and Massimo Giuliani does very well as her son. Wexler's camerawork is the best thing about the film; while not on a par with his best work, it still is evocative and at times quite beautiful. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide