Mike Hodgers is a reputable British director made great pictures as Get Carter (my favorite ever), Terminal Man, Flash Gordon, A Prayer for the Dying just named a few, according his own words he starts devise a sketch over North Caroline state starting a point concerning a poorest place in America, the large majority people left the fields to works in majors cities letting the smallest cities empty, he focuses in black people heavily exploited by richest white man, they are devoted to Christian faith as foregoing on movie, later Hodgers watching a documentary about a British medium Doris Strokes he brought together on early sketch this metaphysical figure to complete his story, then came up Black Rainbow.
A medium Martha Travis (Rosanna Arquette) managed by his alkie father Walter Travis (Jason Robards) touring every single year on America southeast thru smallest towns where Martha performs at stage upon a crowed place her visions concerning someone on audience, she predicts things that matches with the person pick up from the crowd, it somehow baffled the audience in each accuracy, however one day Martha predicts for a woman that his husband is dead, which the woman denies such thing saying that his husband is at home, puzzling the public, in same night such man is killed by a hitman.
Then enters an agnostic newspaper Gary Wallace (Tom Hulce) delving into the strange happening, he got in touch with Martha to find out the name of the killer dealing with so famous medium that allegedly foresaw the killing scene, although the mastermind sent one more time the same gunman squelch Martha for good, weary and mentally deranged Martha squeeze his father about the saved money in the bank, sadly she discovers that Walter a compulsive gambler lost the money, shuddering the already worn out teaming.
I saw this picture on TV in 1984, a bit disturbing offer about a harsh partnership, actually Walter never believe that Martha has no gift, as her mother as well, in other hand Martha has a lewd behavior, in this poisoned environment unfolding the bleak storyline, the final is too disappointing, utterly running from the metaphysical standard still paved by many years of study and understanding over so stinging subject.
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First watch: 1994 / How many: 3 / Source: TV-DVD / Rating: 7.
