Finian's Rainbow

1968
G
2h 21m

IMDb RATING

6.1/10

4.3K

YOUR RATING

Fred Astaire, Petula Clark, Don Francks, and Tommy Steele in Finian's Rainbow (1968)

An Irish immigrant and his daughter move into a town in the American South with a magical piece of gold that will change people's lives, including a struggling farmer and African American citizens threatened by a bigoted politician.

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Classic Musical Family Fantasy Musical

An Irish immigrant and his daughter move into a town in the American South with a magical piece of gold that will change people's lives, including a struggling farmer and African American ci... Read allAn Irish immigrant and his daughter move into a town in the American South with a magical piece of gold that will change people's lives, including a struggling farmer and African American citizens threatened by a bigoted politician.An Irish immigrant and his daughter move into a town in the American South with a magical piece of gold that will change people's lives, including a struggling farmer and African American citizens threatened by a bigoted politician.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.1/10

4.3K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 2 Oscars
- 1 win & 9 nominations total

Sharecropper
(uncredited)

Sterling Clark

Sharecropper
(uncredited)

Robert Cleaves

Geologist
(uncredited)

Robert Cole

Sharecropper
(uncredited)

Willie Covan

Sharecropper
(uncredited)

Evelyn Dutton

Sharecropper
(uncredited)

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Many, including Fred Astaire, blamed director Francis Ford Coppola for cutting off Astaire's feet during filming of his dancing scenes, but it was Warner Bros. who decided, after the filming had been completed in 35mm, to convert the film to the wider 70mm and promote it as a "reserved-ticket roadshow attraction." This was achieved by cropping off the tops and bottoms of the film frame, including some shots of Astaire's footwork.

Goofs
In the song "Old Devil Moon" as Woody and Sharon dance through the stream, Woody has bare feet and his hands are in Sharon's. In the next shot, he has his shoes on, and it even looks as if his trousers are dry.

Quotes
Og: What fools these mortals be!

Crazy credits
introducing Barbara Hancock as "Susan the Silent"

Alternate versions
Filmed in 35mm, Warners decided afterwards to promote it as a "reserved-ticket roadshow attraction" and converted it to 70mm, creating a wider-screen aspect ratio by cropping away the tops and bottoms of the images, and cropping away Fred Astaire's feet during some of his dance scenes. Restored versions show the original aspect ratio.

Connections
Edited into The Kid Stays in the Picture (2002)

Soundtracks
Look To The Rainbow / How Are Things In Glocca Morra?
(1946) (uncredited)
(Main Title)
Played during the opening credits
Lyrics by E.Y. Harburg
Music by Burton Lane
Sung by Petula Clark ("Rainbow") and played by the Warner Bros.
Orchestra ("Glocca Morra") conducted by Ray Heindorf

User reviews73

Review

Featured review

8/10

Has its flaws, but it is worth watching and is perhaps Francis Ford-Coppola's most underrated film

I love musicals and have done for the longest time. Finian's Rainbow is not among the best of the film musicals, but it is hardly among the worst either. It does have a ridiculous story and some moments of awkward editing. That said, it is definitely worth watching and is for me Francis Ford-Coppola's most underrated film.

The editing aside, I like the production values a lot, as the sets and costumes are lovely and there is some good lighting. The score and songs are all wonderful, my least favourite The Begat is still very good, and Old Devil Moon, When the Idle Poor Became the Idle Rich and particularly Look to the Rainbow are timeless.

Coppola directs with assurance, the choreography is some of the best I've seen in a while and the script has a lot of funny, witty and heart warming parts. When it comes to favourite scenes, the Rain Dance Ballet, which is lovingly choreographed, and the scene where Al Freeman Jnr applies for the job of butler, which is hilarious, are the most memorable to me.

I can't fault the cast either, Fred Astaire can do no wrong in my eyes, Tommy Steele and Al Freeman Jnr steal every scene they're in and I don't think there is another film where Petula Clark is more perfectly cast. In conclusion, flawed but definitely worth the watch. 8/10 Bethany Cox