bkoganbing With the making of Rage, the Mexican film industry decided to do what the British have done for years. Get a Hollywood name for the lead and set the film in London with a British cast. That extra bounce of a name from the movie capital is good for box office.In this case they got two. Glenn Ford as a dissolute doctor and Stella Stevens as a working girl are in Mexico at a construction site, each practicing their own trade when Ford is bitten by a rabid dog.It's a simple story, they are out in the wilds and Ford has to reach civilization and fast before the case becomes incurable. With Stevens's help he sets out on the journey always as a medical professional looking out for the telltale signs of his condition going beyond the point of medical help.I saw Rage in theater back when it was released and after some showings on television it seems to have disappeared. Peter Ford's biography of his dad tells little about it.Ford and Stevens turn in some fine performances. Maybe this will be unearthed and put out on DVD soon.

STEVEN DANKO I remember seeing this movie when it aired on television 40-odd years ago. I found the premise intriguing. It's a shame they never released it on video or DVD because it's definitely a watchable film. The two lead actors are Glenn Ford and Stella Stevens and they both turn in tour de force performances here. Filmed on location in Mexico, the story revolves around a rural construction compound where Ford plays the company doctor, 'Doc' Reuben- a lonely, bitter, hard-drinking medical man who walks around feeling sorry for himself and doesn't seem to value his own existence or life in general for that matter.. Stella Stevens plays a very attractive and sensual "camp follower" named Perla. Her profession is not blatantly advertised but rather portrayed in a low-key understated manner. She finds herself attracted to Ford because he doesn't pursue her like every other guy within a ten mile radius. She is the prostitute with a heart of gold who knows a suffering man when she meets one. And that makes her want to get close to him, even though he appears to rebuff her at every turn. Into this situation comes an invisible enemy- invisible but deadly. An enemy whose very name inspires feelings of terror and dread. One of the Mexican laborers had a pet cat. The cat bit him. And in doing so, it delivered a death sentence. By the time the sickness manifested itself, it was too late to save him. The man is dragged into the camp bound with a series of ropes like a hogtied steer. He cries in pain and torment and has white foam around his mouth. Doc Reuben comes out and pours a glass of water on the ground in front of the man, who reacts violently at the sight of it. The man will soon be dead, the virus having reached his brain tissue. Doc Reuben will soon undergo his own trial by ordeal. He had a German Shepherd which had also been bitten by the infected feline before it succumbed. When the dog bites him and Doc Reuben learns that it was infected, he realizes he has approximately 72 hours to get to the nearest big city for medical treatment before the virus takes hold. With no automobile available, he is relegated to using a horse-drawn wagon as a means of transportation. With Perla accompanying him, they set out across the hot Mexican desert in a race against time. In stark contrast to his earlier manifestation as a washed-up drunk wallowing in self-pity, he is now a man who wants desperately to live. Now that his life may be taken from him, he quickly comes to realize just how precious life really is. Redeemed by Perla's love, he now has even more reason to want to live. But can they beat the ticking clock and the harsh desert to get to the serum in time?

peggyz-1 I really liked this movie. Glenn Ford has been completely believable in every role he's ever done. That is especially amazing when you look at the wide variety of roles that he has played. This role is definitely at one far end of the spectrum. He plays a drunken town doctor who has given up on his own life. He then meets a woman, the beautiful Stella Stevens, who makes him care again. She is attracted to Ford because he doesn't chase her because of her physical beauty like the other men do. When his life is in danger, he finds that he really wants to live but will he get help in time? This movie will put you on the edge of your seat but you'll also enjoy the sweet relationships of the characters. Glenn Ford and Stella Stevens are such a gentle pair here.I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.

nadja-7 I enjoyed this movie a great deal; it has an interesting development of characters set within a construction camp for a major highway in rural New Mexico. Early in the film a local herder is brought in dying of rabies; the veterinarian becomes involved in a search for the source of the disease and whether it is part of an epidemic. A major side plot in the movie is the relationship between the veterinarian and a construction camp prostitute. There is a great deal of character development, and the lady's occupation is so subtly portrayed that it is an acceptable moview for older children. There is a great deal of empathy for the hard lives lived in a construction camp and its surrounding rural poverty.Unlike most movies set in a rural atmosphere, the country people and blue collar workers are not cartoon buffoons or evil, violent troglodytes. This sensitive portrayal contrasts markedly with the brutal louts recently portrayed in a certain movie about commercial fishermen lost at sea, the Perfect Storm.