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 "excerpt": "Raining Stones is Ken Loach's 1993 British comedy-drama (screenplay Jim Allen) about unemployed Mancunian Bob Williams raising money for his daughter's communion dress; it won the ex-aequo Jury Prize at Cannes 1993 and a BAFTA Best British Film nomination.",
 "snippet": "Raining Stones is Ken Loach's 1993 British comedy-drama (screenplay Jim Allen) about unemployed Mancunian Bob Williams raising money for his daughter's communion dress; it won the ex-aequo Jury Prize at Cannes 1993 and a BAFTA Best British Film nomination.",
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 "markdown": "# Raining Stones\n\n*Raining Stones* is a 1993 British comedy-drama directed by [Ken Loach](https://www.edgepedia.org/ken-loach), about an unemployed Manchester man whose determination to buy a new first-communion dress for his daughter pushes him into increasingly risky schemes. It competed for the [Palme d'Or](https://www.edgepedia.org/palme-dor) at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival and won the Jury Prize (ex-aequo).<sup>[1](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/f/raining-stones/)</sup>\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Director / writer | Ken Loach; screenplay by Jim Allen<sup>[1](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/f/raining-stones/)</sup> |\n| Production | Parallax Pictures and Channel Four Films; producer Sally Hibbin<sup>[2](https://filmsandfestivals.britishcouncil.org/projects/raining-stones)</sup> |\n| Running time / country | 90 minutes, United Kingdom<sup>[1](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/f/raining-stones/)</sup> |\n| Principal cast | Bruce Jones (Bob), Julie Brown (Anne), Gemma Phoenix (Coleen), Ricky Tomlinson (Tommy), Tom Hickey (Father Barry)<sup>[3](https://www.larousse.fr/encyclopedie/film/Raining_Stones/8272)</sup> |\n| Cannes 1993 | Jury Prize (ex-aequo), from the official Competition<sup>[1](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/f/raining-stones/)</sup> |\n| Other honors | BAFTA 1994 nominee, Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film; Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Screenplay<sup>[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107920/awards/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[5](https://fcs-cdv.ch/download/MissedYou_presse.pdf)</sup> |\n| Critical standing | 100% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (11 reviews); 7.3/10 on IMDb from about 5,300 users<sup>[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/raining_stones)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107920/)</sup> |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot\n\nBob Williams (Bruce Jones) lives with his wife Anne ([Julie Brown](https://www.edgepedia.org/julie-brown)) and daughter Coleen (Gemma Phoenix) in a poor English town, supplementing his dole (British unemployment benefit payments) with whatever work or scam is on offer, from rustling sheep to rodding drains.<sup>[1](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/f/raining-stones/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[8](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/raining-stones/umc.cmc.2xe6gjb115m1lwqe2964lixs2)</sup> When Coleen approaches her first communion, she needs the traditional white dress, shoes, veil, and gloves, and Bob's van, his last means of subsistence, is stolen.<sup>[1](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/f/raining-stones/)</sup> The parish priest, Father Barry (Tom Hickey), suggests settling for a second-hand dress, but Bob insists on a new one.<sup>[8](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/raining-stones/umc.cmc.2xe6gjb115m1lwqe2964lixs2)</sup>\n\nWith his friend Tommy ([Ricky Tomlinson](https://www.edgepedia.org/ricky-tomlinson)), Bob takes odd and ill-advised jobs, including building a fireplace and stealing sheep, in hopes of quick cash.<sup>[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/raining_stones)</sup> When these fail, he borrows from loan sharks who terrorize his family, and a less scrupulous individual buys up his debt.<sup>[3](https://www.larousse.fr/encyclopedie/film/Raining_Stones/8272)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/raining_stones)</sup> Cornered, Bob resolves to kill his persecutor to protect his family. Following the loan shark's accidental death, Father Barry advises him to stay away from the police and say nothing about the event, telling him, \"You're not an evil man, Bob.\" <sup>[3](https://www.larousse.fr/encyclopedie/film/Raining_Stones/8272)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/raining_stones)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[14](https://www.subtitlecat.com/subs/393/Raining%20Stones%20(1993).html)</sup> The Los Angeles Times reported that outfitting Coleen properly would take close to 100 pounds.<sup>[9](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-09-21-ca-41028-story.html)</sup>\n\n## Production\n\nThe film was shot in an economically depressed area in the north of England familiar to screenwriter [Jim Allen](https://www.edgepedia.org/jim-allen), and was cast locally with nonprofessional actors.<sup>[9](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-09-21-ca-41028-story.html)</sup> It is set on a council estate in Middleton, on the outskirts of Manchester.<sup>[10](https://www.acmi.net.au/works/90994--raining-stones/)</sup> Barry Ackroyd was the cinematographer, [Stewart Copeland](https://www.edgepedia.org/stewart-copeland) composed the music, Jonathan Morris edited, and Martin Johnson handled production design.<sup>[1](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/f/raining-stones/)</sup> Production companies were Parallax Pictures and Channel Four Films (Film Four International).<sup>[2](https://filmsandfestivals.britishcouncil.org/projects/raining-stones)</sup>\n\n## Themes and reception\n\nLoach made the film during a period when unemployment and work precarity left his working-class characters helpless; the communion dress stands as a symbol of Bob's dedication to his faith and his position in his community.<sup>[11](https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/acting-hard-working-class-men-british-cinema)</sup> Critics noted the film's humor within desperation: Roger Ebert gave it 3.5/4, praising \"the underlying humor, even in this desperate situation,\" and Vincent Canby of The New York Times called it \"brisk, richly characterized fiction that cuts as deeply and truly as any documentary.\"<sup>[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/raining_stones)</sup> Kenneth Turan, writing in the Los Angeles Times, placed it in the tradition of Loach's *Cathy Come Home*, *Kes*, and *Riff-Raff*, and quoted the film's own line: \"When you're a worker, it rains stones seven days a week.\"<sup>[9](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-09-21-ca-41028-story.html)</sup>\n\nThe film's commercial reach was modest in the United States, grossing $7.2K in theaters, though it earned a 100% Tomatometer rating on Rotten Tomatoes.<sup>[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/raining_stones)</sup> Reviewers caution that the performers' thick Manchester accents can be hard for outside audiences to follow without subtitles.<sup>[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/raining_stones)</sup>\n\n## Loach and Cannes\n\nThe Jury Prize at Cannes was one of several festival honors Loach's work received there; his later films *Hidden Agenda* and *The Angels' Share* also won the Jury Prize.<sup>[12](https://mediarep.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/5815a13f-a514-4bf9-858f-afcf61cb16c5/content)</sup> The 1993 Cannes jury, which ranged from actress [Claudia Cardinale](https://www.edgepedia.org/claudia-cardinale) to filmmaker [Abbas Kiarostami](https://www.edgepedia.org/abbas-kiarostami), split the Palme d'Or between two films and handed out additional prizes including the one to *Raining Stones*.<sup>[13](https://www.csmonitor.com/1993/0528/28111.html)</sup> The Christian Science Monitor described the film as \"more feisty but equally moving,\" pursuing Loach's usual social and political interests through the story of a jobless man's determination to buy his daughter a new dress.<sup>[13](https://www.csmonitor.com/1993/0528/28111.html)</sup>\n\n## References\n\n1. [Raining Stones, Festival de Cannes](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/f/raining-stones/)\n2. [Raining Stones, British Council UK Films Database](https://filmsandfestivals.britishcouncil.org/projects/raining-stones)\n3. [Raining Stones, Larousse Dictionnaire mondial des films](https://www.larousse.fr/encyclopedie/film/Raining_Stones/8272)\n4. [Raining Stones (1993) Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107920/awards/)\n5. [Ken Loach filmography press dossier (Sorry We Missed You), Unifrance](https://fcs-cdv.ch/download/MissedYou_presse.pdf)\n6. [Raining Stones, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/raining_stones)\n7. [Raining Stones (1993), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107920/)\n8. [Raining Stones, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/raining-stones/umc.cmc.2xe6gjb115m1lwqe2964lixs2)\n9. [Kenneth Turan, \"'Stones': Pouring Out Passion of the Working Class,\" Los Angeles Times, 21 September 1994](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-09-21-ca-41028-story.html)\n10. [Raining Stones, ACMI collection](https://www.acmi.net.au/works/90994--raining-stones/)\n11. [Acting hard: working-class men and British cinema, BFI](https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/acting-hard-working-class-men-british-cinema)\n12. [The Angels' Share at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival (press dossier), mediarep.org](https://mediarep.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/5815a13f-a514-4bf9-858f-afcf61cb16c5/content)\n13. [Cannes Prize Jury Bestows Many Palms, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 May 1993](https://www.csmonitor.com/1993/0528/28111.html)\n14. [Raining Stones (1993) subtitles, 100+ languages (SRT), Subtitle Cat](https://www.subtitlecat.com/subs/393/Raining%20Stones%20(1993).html)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of 1990 to 1994 › Titles K to W*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n",
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