Protraph Lack of good storyline.

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Kinley This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

JohnHowardReid A leisurely and predictable tale that puts no strain on the intellect and that is carried to a large extent by the ingratiating portrayals of its four principal players. Waldo Salt has provided them with suitably realistic yet picturesque dialogue. The teaming of Holden and Mitchum is a masterstroke that produces some real sparks. It's a surprise that they were never teamed again. Loretta Young is quite effective in a much less glamorous and much more retiring role than usual. Gary Gray (whatever happened to him?) makes a personable and mighty lively youngster. Tom Tully and Frank Ferguson also make the most of their opportunities. Writer Aldo Salt has an unfortunate habit of signaling later plot developments well in advance which vitiates just about all the suspense, although the climax itself is well handled both in both writing and execution. (All the excitement coming in the last reel much have reminded Mitch of his Hopalong Cassidy roles). Foster's direction is characteristically deft with unobtrusive tracking shots enlivening many delightful scenes. The music score with its bright songs is also a charming addition to a charming production.

writers_reign This is an unpretentious 'little' film that succeeds in charming even a latter-day audience though back in the late forties it was probably very much in the mainstream. In probably nineteenth century rural Ohio William Holden is neglecting his farm and young son in favor of grieving for his late wife, recently (presumably) deceased as the film opens, victim of an unspecified ailment. Travelling 'hunter'cum-trapper, Robert Mitchum, a long-time friend of the family and one-time rival of Holden for the hand of the dead woman, makes a regular visit to the farm, learns the situation and advises Holden to do something about both the domestic chores and a maternal presence for his son. Holden addresses this problem by riding into the nearby town and 'buying' a 'bond' woman, Loretta Young, to handle both tasks. Back at the farm he treats her as little better than a skivvy, allowing his son to do the same. He appears to have little interest in sleeping with her and is, at best, awkwardly civil. The scene is now set for Mitchum to make a return visit but this time as hunter-trapper-catalyst; his treating of Young with both respect and as a desirable woman, triggers Holden's latent jealousy and paves the way for a happy 'bonding' with the bond woman. All three leads perform well and the result is a true, feel-good movie.

Claudio Carvalho In time of colonization of America, the widower David Harvey (William Holden) lives in an isolated farm in the woods with his son Davey (Gary Grey). Father and son miss their wife and mother Susan, who has recently died, and David concludes that he needs a woman to educate his son properly and to cook and clean the house. David decides to travel with Davey to the nearby fort to seek a woman and the reverend proposes the bond servant Rachel (Loretta Young) for him. David buys Rachel, and Davey overhears the negotiation; but the reverend demands that they should marry to each other to have a decent life in the same house. The trio travels back to the farm and David and Davey treat Rachel like a slave without any respect or affection. When David's drifter friend Jim Fairways (Robert Mitchum) visits them, he stays for a couple of days with the family and treats Rachel respectfully like a lady. Then Jim courts Rachel, and David feels jealous and realizes how important she is for him. "Rachel and the Stranger" is an adorable romance and I loved this western. I did not know the concept of indentured servant in America, and the humiliating situation of Rachel is heartbreaking, fruit of the unpaid debts of her father. Loretta Young has a fantastic performance and William Holden and Robert Mitchum have hilarious moments with their witty lines. My vote is nine.Title (Brazil): "Rachel e o Estranho" ("Rachel and the Stranger")

hcoursen This one reeks of improbability. The escape at the end strains credulity, and the soldiers running off after the Shawnee look more like Keystone Kops than defenders of the frontier. But the big question is -- Why should Loretta fall for Holden, who is cold, aloof, uncaring? It's too bad that Holden did not get a role with some personality attached -- but that was inherent in the formula plot. Mitchum is believable as a trapper whose interest in Young arouses Holden's sudden interest in her. He has a couple of good scenes with Young as they sing to her spinnet. But still -- why should Holden care? But Loretta Young is wonderful, and she makes this film worth watching.