(1960)2.5Craig ButlerA totally predictable soap opera with the benefit of an "exotic" setting, The Sins of Rachel Cade is better than its hokey title would suggest, but not enough so as to qualify as a good movie. Chief blame rests with Edward Anhalt's screenplay, although it's quite likely that the novel that served as its source is the real culprit. Certainly, Anhalt's screenplay does have dialogue that's slightly better than average for this kind of melodrama, indicating that the writer knew his story was pure, unadulterated hokum and so was trying to strengthen it in areas other than the plot. Anhalt also tries, to a lesser degree, to flesh out the conflict between the "modern" characters and the "primitives," although audiences viewing Cade today may still find the portrayal of the African tribesmen a bit naïve. Cade would have benefited from a director with a more personal stamp or specific interest in the project, but Gordon M. Douglas' direction is adequate and nothing more. In the title role, Angie Dickinson looks marvelous and does everything that is required of her, but she lacks any really distinctive spark. Roger Moore fares similarly, but Peter Finch does score as the man who truly loves Dickinson.