Review of Rachel, Rachel (1968) by Walter M — 12 Nov 2010

Like many other people, Rachel Cameron(Joanne Woodward) has a tough time getting out of bed in the morning. Eventually, she does in order to go to her job as an elementary school teacher in a small town but not before her mother(Kate Harrington) asks her to buy her a candy bar. At work, her friend Calla(Estelle Parsons) gives Rachel a plant and Leighton(Bernard Barrow), the principal, aka The Groper, asks her to a dinner party he is hosting. Rachel declines, having to go home to cater her mom's bridge night before masturbating herself to sleep. It's a shame because Nick(James Olson), an old friend, was at the dinner party.

"Rachel, Rachel" is a sensitively told little drama that while daring for its time, might seem quaint to modern audiences, especially one word that could not be mentioned back then, and come to think of it, probably still cannot be in a movie. What's especially encouraging about the movie is that it never crosses the line by making its lonely heroine pathetic. A lot of that is due to Joanne Woodward's excellent performance, along with Paul Newman takng risks in his directorial debut in detailing the inner life and quiet desperation of somebody who is paralyzed by inaction. Mind the facile psychology but much of that has to do with Rachel being exposed at an early age to death, making her afraid of everything, especially being touched, no matter how innocent, and therefore any kind of human contact.