Editing Rachel, Rachel

{{short description|1968 film by Paul Newman}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Rachel, Rachel
| image          = Rachel, Rachel (1968) poster.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| alt            = 
| director       = [[Paul Newman]]
| producer       = Paul Newman
| screenplay     = [[Stewart Stern]]
| based_on       = {{based on|''[[A Jest of God]]''<br>1966 novel|[[Margaret Laurence]]}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Joanne Woodward]]
* [[James Olson (actor)|James Olson]]
* [[Estelle Parsons]]
* [[Geraldine Fitzgerald]]
}}
| music          = [[Jerome Moross]]
| cinematography = [[Gayne Rescher]]
| editing        = [[Dede Allen]]
| studio         = Kayos Productions
| distributor    = [[Warner Bros.-Seven Arts]]
| released       = {{Film date|1968|08|26}}
| runtime        = 101 minutes<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/rachel-rachel-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0ynjk5mzm|title=Rachel, Rachel|website=[[British Board of Film Classification]]|date=August 7, 1968|access-date=January 26, 2025}}</ref>
| country        = United States
| budget         = $780,000
| gross          = $3,000,000 (rentals)<ref>"Big Rental Films of 1968", ''Variety'', January 8, 1969 p 15. Please note this figure is a rental accruing to distributors.</ref>
}}

'''''Rachel, Rachel''''' is a 1968 American [[drama (film and television)|drama film]] produced and directed by [[Paul Newman]]<ref>''[[Variety Film Reviews|Variety]]'' film review; August 21, 1968, page 6.</ref> and starring his wife, [[Joanne Woodward]], in the title role and co-starring [[Estelle Parsons]] and [[James Olson (actor)|James Olson]]. The screenplay, by [[Stewart Stern]] based on the 1966 novel ''[[A Jest of God]]'' by Canadian author [[Margaret Laurence]], concerns a schoolteacher in small-town Connecticut and her sexual awakening and independence in her mid-30s. The film was nominated for four [[Academy Awards]] ([[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]], [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]], [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]] for Woodward, and [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]] for Parsons) and won two [[Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globes]]: [[Golden Globe Award for Best Director|Best Director]] and [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama|Best Actress (Drama)]].

==Plot==
Rachel Cameron is a shy, 35-year-old, unmarried schoolteacher living with her widowed mother in an apartment above the funeral home once owned by her father in a small town in Connecticut. School is out for summer vacation, and Rachel anticipates a typically boring summer at home with her mother. Fellow unmarried teacher and best friend Calla Mackie persuades Rachel to attend a [[revival meeting]], where a visiting preacher encourages Rachel to express her need for the love of Jesus. Rachel is overwhelmed by the experience, expressing so much suppressed emotion that she is embarrassed. Calla tries to comfort Rachel and suddenly kisses her passionately. Rachel is shocked and runs home and then begins to avoid Calla.
[[File:Ritz Theatre, Baseline Drive-in Ad - 27 November 1968, CA.jpg|150px|left|thumb|Advertisement from 1968]]
Nick Kazlik, Rachel's high-school classmate who now teaches at an [[inner city]] school in [[the Bronx]], arrives for a short visit. Nick's first appearance in the film happens in a flashback to Rachel's childhood, when he and Rachel talked right after his dead twin brother was carried into Rachel's father's funeral home in a basket.

Upon first seeing the adult Rachel many years later, Nick makes a crude pass that Rachel rebuffs, but after the episode with Calla, she succumbs to his charms and has her first sexual experience. Mistaking lust for love, she begins to plan a future with Nick, who tries to rebuff her gently by showing her a photo of a young boy who looks exactly like him that Rachel thinks is his son. Through a telephone call to Nick's mother, Rachel later discovers that he never married. The child in the photograph who looked exactly like Nick must have been Nick's twin brother, and he must have carried the loss with him into adulthood, perhaps keeping him from having close relationships.

Believing that she is pregnant, Rachel plans to leave town and raise the child. With Calla's assistance, she finds a teaching job in Oregon, but before the summer ends, she learns, to her great disappointment, that she is not pregnant and that her symptoms are the result of a benign cyst. After undergoing surgery to have the cyst removed, Rachel tells her mother that she is moving to Oregon (where her sister lives with her husband and children), and that her mother may accompany her if she wishes. Her mother reluctantly agrees to accompany her. Rachel sets out with hope for the future, having learned that she has choices, that she is able to give and receive sexual pleasure, and that it is possible for her to actively embrace life rather than waiting for it to find her. On the bus ride she fantasizes about walking along the beach holding the hand of a young child.

==Cast==
{{cast listing|
* [[Joanne Woodward]] as Rachel Cameron
* [[James Olson (actor)|James Olson]] as Nick Kazlik
* [[Kate Harrington]] as May Cameron
* [[Estelle Parsons]] as Calla Mackie
* [[Donald Moffat]] as Niall Cameron
* [[Terry Kiser]] as Preacher
* [[Frank Corsaro]] as Hector Jonas
* [[Bernard Barrow]] as Leighton Siddley
* [[Geraldine Fitzgerald]] as Reverend Wood
}}

==Production==
The film marked [[Paul Newman]]'s directorial debut. It was filmed in August 1967 in various Connecticut locations. including Bethel, Danbury, Georgetown and Redding.

Newman and Woodward's daughter [[Nell Potts]] portrays Rachel as a child in flashback scenes. 

Additionally their younger daughter Claire appears in the final scene as Rachel's baby boy. Claire was barely two years old during filming, her face isn't seen because she was crying and was afraid of the waves crashing since she couldn't swim.

== Reception ==
In a contemporary review for ''The New York Times'', critic [[Renata Adler]] called ''Rachel, Rachel'' "the best written, most seriously acted American movie in a long time" and wrote "The direction is mainly sensitive and discreet, but now and then the whole thing goes awash in excess of sentimentality or even ambition. You cannot convey the quality of life in this sort of town, through Rachel's perspective, without losing proportion in melodrama and glop. Petty tragedies, faithfully portrayed, are a little embarrassing...If this were a less ironic age, it might work seriously and completely—like a kind of American cinema [[Honoré de Balzac|Balzac]]."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Adler |first=Renata |date=1968-08-27 |title=The Screen: 'Rachel, Rachel,' Portrait of a Spinster |page=36 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

''Time'' wrote: "Stewart Stern often gets too close to the novel, adopting where he should adapt. Rachel is shackled with prosy monologues that should have been given visual form. Despite its failings, ''Rachel, Rachel'' has several unassailable assets...It is in the transcendent strength of Joanne Woodward that the film achieves a classic stature. There is no gesture too minor for her to master. She peers out at the world with the washed-out eyes of a hunted animal. Her walk is a ladylike retreat, a sign of a losing battle with time and diets and fashion. Her drab voice quavers with a brittle strength that can command a student but break before a parent's will. By any reckoning, it is [her] best performance."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,900352,00.html |title=New Movies: Rachel, Rachel|work=Time Magazine|date=September 6, 1968}}</ref>

''Variety'' called ''Rachel, Rachel'' an "offbeat film" that "moves too slowly" and added "There is very little dialog—most of which is very good—but this asset makes a liability out of the predominantly visual nature of the development, which in time seems to become redundant, padded and tiring...Direction is awkward. Were Woodward not there the film could have been a shambles."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1967/film/reviews/rachel-rachel-1200421575/|title=Rachel, Rachel|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=December 31, 1967}}</ref>

[[Review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]] reports that 92% of 12 critics gave a positive review of the film, with an average rating of 7.1 out of 10.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rachel_rachel |title=Rachel, Rachel (1968) |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]] |access-date=September 11, 2022 }}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film holds a [[weighted average]] score of 74 out of 100 based on nine reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rachel, Rachel Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/rachel-rachel |access-date=June 12, 2023 |website=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[Fandom, Inc.]]}}</ref>

==Accolades==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Award
! Category
! Nominee(s)
! Result
! Ref.
|-
| rowspan="4"| [[41st Academy Awards|Academy Awards]]
| [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]]
| [[Paul Newman]]
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="4"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1969 |title=The 41st Academy Awards (1969) Nominees and Winners |publisher=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] |date=December 21, 2014 |access-date=August 25, 2011}}</ref>
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| [[Joanne Woodward]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]]
| [[Estelle Parsons]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Screenplay – Based on Material from Another Medium]]
| [[Stewart Stern]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[22nd British Academy Film Awards|British Academy Film Awards]]
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role|Best Actress in a Leading Role]]
| Joanne Woodward
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1969/film |title=BAFTA Awards: Film in 1969 |publisher=[[British Academy Film Awards]] |access-date=October 29, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| [[21st Directors Guild of America Awards|Directors Guild of America Awards]]
| [[Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film|Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures]]
| Paul Newman
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dga.org/Awards/History/1960s/1968.aspx?value=1968 |title=The 21st Annual DGA Awards |publisher=[[Directors Guild of America Awards]] |access-date=October 29, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[26th Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Awards]]
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama|Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama]]
| Joanne Woodward
| {{won}}
| align="center" rowspan="2"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/rachel-rachel |title=Rachel, Rachel |publisher=[[Golden Globe Awards]] |access-date=October 29, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Director|Best Director – Motion Picture]]
| Paul Newman
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Kansas City Film Critics Circle|Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards]]
| Best Actress
| rowspan="2"| Joanne Woodward
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://kcfcc.org/kcfcc-award-winners-1966-69/ |title=KCFCC Award Winners – 1966-69 |date=December 11, 2013 |publisher=[[Kansas City Film Critics Circle]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240114032635/https://kcfcc.org/kcfcc-award-winners-1966-69/ |archive-date=January 14, 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[Laurel Awards]]
| Top Female Dramatic Performance
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="2"| 
|-
| Top Female Supporting Performance
| Estelle Parsons
| {{won}}
|-
| [[National Board of Review Awards 1968|National Board of Review Awards]]
| colspan="2"| [[National Board of Review: Top Ten Films|Top Ten Films]]
| {{draw|5th Place}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/1968/ |title=1968 Award Winners |publisher=[[National Board of Review]] |access-date=October 29, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| [[1968 National Society of Film Critics Awards|National Society of Film Critics Awards]]
| [[National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| Joanne Woodward
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://nationalsocietyoffilmcritics.com/about-2/ |title=Past Awards |publisher=[[National Society of Film Critics]] |date=December 19, 2009 |access-date=July 5, 2021}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[1968 New York Film Critics Circle Awards|New York Film Critics Circle Awards]]
| [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
| Paul Newman
| {{won}}
| align="center" rowspan="2"| 
|-
| [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| Joanne Woodward
| {{won}}
|-
| [[21st Writers Guild of America Awards|Writers Guild of America Awards]]
| [[Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written Drama|Best Written American Drama]]
| Stewart Stern
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wga.org/awards/awardssub.aspx?id=1551 |title=Awards Winners |publisher=[[Writers Guild of America Awards]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121205095022/http://www.wga.org/awards/awardssub.aspx?id=1551 |archive-date=December 5, 2012 |access-date=June 6, 2010}}</ref>
|}

==Home media==
Warner Home Video released the film on Region 1 DVD on February 17, 2009.

==See also==
* [[List of American films of 1968]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Rachel, Rachel}}
* {{IMDb title|0063483}}
* [https://www.allmovie.com/movie/rachel-rachel-am46697 ''Rachel, Rachel'' at AllMovie]
* {{tcmdb title|id=87530}}
* {{AFI film|id=22952|title=Rachel, Rachel}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|rachel_rachel}}

{{Paul Newman}}

[[Category:1968 films]]
[[Category:1968 drama films]]
[[Category:1968 LGBTQ-related films]]
[[Category:American drama films]]
[[Category:American LGBTQ-related films]]
[[Category:1960s feminist films]]
[[Category:Films about virginity]]
[[Category:Films based on Canadian novels]]
[[Category:Films directed by Paul Newman]]
[[Category:Films featuring a Best Drama Actress Golden Globe–winning performance]]
[[Category:Films scored by Jerome Moross]]
[[Category:Films set in Connecticut]]
[[Category:Films shot in Connecticut]]
[[Category:Films whose director won the Best Director Golden Globe]]
[[Category:Films set in funeral homes]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Stewart Stern]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. films]]
[[Category:1968 directorial debut films]]
[[Category:Films based on works by Margaret Laurence]]
[[Category:1960s English-language films]]
[[Category:1960s American films]]
[[Category:Films about educators]]