When an Indian nobleman returns to his homeland after
studying medicine in the United States, Rama Safti, played by Tyrone Power,
seeks to use his training to make the life of his people better through his
education and training. But things are not as easy as they appear to be in the fictional
city of Ranchipur, which is undergoing a prolonged drought. The citizens there
pray for relief in the form of rain.
Myrna Loy plays the part of Edwina Esketh, a young lady who
finds herself stranded in India and quickly becomes the target of the
affections of both Major Safti and Tom Ransome, played by George Brent, an
aristocratic womanizer. Their friendship is further strained by the flirtatious
Fern Simon, played by Brenda Joyce, the daughter of American missionaries.
As these relationships become entangled in a web of lies,
deceit and mistrust, the monsoons arrive, along with a devastating earthquake.
These events force all of the main characters to re-evaluate their own lives,
as well as the society in which they live, bringing the movie to an astonishing
conclusion about life, love and all that really matters.
Although there is not much “real” history in this film it is
interesting to note that the character of Edwina is supposedly based on
Edwina Mountbatten (wife to Lord Mountbatten, a known homo-sexual.) Lady
Mountbatten was known to prefer "men of color", just as the character
in the film does. In real life, Lady Mountbatten had a long term affair with a Jamaican
cabaret singer. Pretty good movie, and as always, Myrna Loy is a pleasure to
watch.
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