Stars: Bruce Jones, Ricky Tomlinson, Julie Brown, Tom Hickey, Gemma Phoenix

Director: Ken Loach

Summary: Unemployed Bob Williams will turn his hand to anything to supplement his meagre dole money. But now his van has been stolen, and his daughter needs new white clothes for her first communion...

RAINING STONES, in its quietly observant, almost documentary-like style, is typical of director Ken Loach's understated approach to his left-leaning politics. The film stars Bruce Jones as Bob, a man in an impoverished town in the north of England, struggling to survive on the dole while hustling for any odd jobs he can find, or otherwise pushing the envelope with edgy, foolhardy gigs, such as stealing sheep with his friend Tommy (Ricky Tomlinson) with the hope of reselling them--and when that plan fails, repackaging them as mutton for door-to-door sales. While he's looking the other way, his van is stolen, an event typical of Bob's chronic bad luck. When his wife, Anne (Julie Brown), reminds him of the forthcoming first communion of their daughter, Coleen (Gemma Phoenix), Bob insists that she will have a new dress, although the parish priest, Father Barry (Tom Hickey), advises him that a secondhand dress would be a wiser choice. Bob's quest to raise the money for the dress has surprising repercussions. A humane, extremely moving yet clear-eyed portrait of the rigors of working-class life, the film is devoid of sentimentality, as are its stoic characters. The soundtrack features music by the Police's Stewart Copeland.

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Raining Stonesis classic Ken Loach--an overtly bleak piece of drama shot through with defiant humour, a story of life beyond the edge of society. Bob (Bruce Jones in a role that foreshadows his more ludicrous Coronation Streetcharacter) is unemployed and struggling to make ends meet, especially with the added pressure of his young daughter's first communion and the expense involved. And that's it really--one man's struggle to maintain his dignity and provide for his family. Despite the film's frequent moments of comedy (more often than not provided by Loach regular Ricky Tomlinson), Raining Stonesis ultimately more than a little disheartening. The film is in many ways similar to Loach's previous film, Riff Raff(1991), but here the examples of a community pulling together are countered with backstabbing and exploitation. In the end, there are no winners or losers in Loach's world, only those who survive and those who don't. --Phil Udell

Aspect Ratio:	16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Interactive Menus, Scene Index, Theatrical Trailer
Subtitles:	English
Year:	1993
Release Date:	May 1, 2002
Runtime:	87 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	C C D 8845
Label:	Film Four Distributors
Keywords:	Comedy, General, Stones, Wide, Screen, Drama, Raining
Genre:	Drama