And, frankly, I'm not sure I see what the point of making this movie was. Boisterous gangster kingpin Bull Weed rehabilitates his former lawyer from his alcoholic haze, but complications arise when he falls for Weed's girlfriend. Temple (Miriam Hopkins) is a free-spirited girl being raised by a well-respected judge (Guy Standing) after the death of her mother. Temple Drake (Miriam Hopkins) is an extremely frivolous upper-class party girl who enjoys teasing her ever-growing number of hapless suitors. Even among the films of this period, “The Story of Temple Drake” was more than a little daring. When another man is accused of a murder Trigger committed, Stephen defends him and sets out to find Trigger. A young woman, sexually exploited all her life, decides to turn the tables and exploit the hapless men at a big city bank - by gleefully sleeping her way to the top. A naive girl just out of a cloistered orphanage finds that being a 'good fairy' to strangers makes life awfully complicated. Stars Miriam Hopkins, William Garage, Jack La Rue, Florence Eldredge. E. Pauline Degenfelder of Worcester Public Schools wrote that the characterization of Temple differs from that of the novel version,[8] and that the film gives her a "dual nature" of a dark nature and a light nature. Add the first question. Crime, Certificate: Passed [23], Several protests and critical articles in newspapers appeared after the production company had purchased the rights before the release of the film. Temple returns to her hometown, and near the conclusion of the trial, she begs Stephen to dismiss her from testifying. Es handelt sich um eine Verfilmung von William Faulkners kontroversem Roman Die Freistatt. Quite to the contrary.Miriam Hopkins, whom I know from a string of fluffy mildly suggestive Ernst Lubitsch-type comedies - The Smiling Lieutenant, Trouble in Paradise, Design for Living - gives a very impressive performance here as a Zelda Fitzgerald type who ends up being terrified out of her wits when she encounters a world of people very different from her native high-society circles. "[15], Miriam Hopkins, who was cast in the titular role of Temple Drake, was a newcomer at the time of filming, and had only begun establishing herself in two Ernst Lubitsch films: The Smiling Lieutenant (1931) and Trouble in Paradise (1932). Was this review helpful to you? Certificate: Passed Wed, Mar 15, 2017, 1:30 p.m. MoMA, Floor T2, Theater 2. (In the novel, the gangster, originally named Popeye, is impotent, and so likes to watch others do what he cannot do.) The Story of Temple Drake. From there, he takes her to the city and pimps her out. The car accident that follows turns into the threashold of hell, as Temple falls prey to a perverse gangster belonging to a band of bootleggers in a small town. When a troupe of danseuses becomes unemployed, one of them takes up burlesque dancing while another dreams of performing ballet. The Story of Temple Drake (Criterion Collection) DVD. Loosely adapted from William Faulkner’s controversial novel Sanctuary, this notorious pre-Code melodrama stars Miriam Hopkins as Temple Drake, the coquettish granddaughter of a respected small-town judge. Let’s try and get that past the Hays Office! Synopsis. At the speakeasy, Lee is arrested for Tommy's murder, and Stephen is appointed as his lawyer. Though some of the more salacious elements of the source novel were not included, the film was still considered so indecent that it helped give rise to th… With The Story of Temple Drake, the distributor has finally dipped their toes into the physical release of a pre-code drama and the results are spectacular. It tells the story of Temple Drake, a reckless woman in the American South who falls into the hands of a brutal gangster and rapist. Doctors Jo Wilson, April Kepner, and Andrew DeLuca share the episodes they think are essential to understanding their characters. [24] A review published in The Washington Times lambasted the film, describing it as "trash," while the New York American deemed it "shoddy, obnoxiously disagreeable...  trashy, sex-plugged piece. Temple has a wild streak and a taste for liquor and men she can bend to her will, and while principled lawyer Stephen Benbow (William Gargan) wants to … Even for a pre-Code movie, this is pretty tough stuff. With Miriam Hopkins, Jack LaRue, William Gargan. The gang's leader lusts after her, and is determined not to let anything stand in the way of his having her. Lillian relentlessly attempts to seduce a married man. [14], According to Filmink the fact the film ultimately "did little for La Rue’s career... served to give Raft a false idea of the quality of his instincts when it came to script selection. The Story of Temple Drake is an even more special case. The Story Of Temple Drake (1933) A wealthy but neurotic Southern belle finds herself trapped in the hideout of a gang of vicious bootleggers. . United States, 1933. The Story of Temple Drake (Criterion Collection) DVD Qty: Add to Cart. [1] Despite this, even before filming had begun, it was publicly condemned by U.S. women's leagues, an article in The New York Times, as well as the Roman Catholic Church. "[16], Will H. Hays, who was in charge of the Motion Picture Production Code, had objected to any film adaptation of Sanctuary, and, after the film was made, forbade any reference to it in advertising materials. "[29], The Story of Temple Drake largely remained unavailable to the public after its initial theatrical release,[30] never even receiving television airings in the United States. The gang's leader lusts after her, and is determined not to let anything stand in the way of his having her. Some fateful night, she leaves with one of them, who is drunk. She's loved by lawyer Stephen Benbow, whom she likes but doesn't love. Stephen tracks down Trigger to Reba's address, and finds Temple there, dressed in a negligee. 1933. Drama. In comparison to the clean, precise audio track, Karl Hajos and Bernhard … The Story of Temple Drake is based on the lurid novel Sanctuary by William Faulkner. Ruby, however, directs Stephen to search for Trigger at Reba's home. The Story of Temple Drake is a 1933 American pre-Code rape and revenge film directed by Stephen Roberts and starring Miriam Hopkins and Jack La Rue. [1], The relatively upbeat ending of the film is in marked contrast to the ending of Faulkner's novel Sanctuary, in which Temple perjures herself in court, resulting in the lynching of an innocent man. While out carousing with one of her beaux, she finds herself stranded with a gang of bootleggers, one of whom, Trigger, rapes her and makes her his sex slave. I caught this as "The Story of Temple Drake" on TCM last night in a good print. [1] Raft felt taking the role would be "screen suicide" as the character had no redeemable qualities,[13] and also demanded a salary of $2 million. “The Story of Temple Drake” was created during the so-called pre-code era, a brief period in the early 1930s when the Hollywood studios pushed censorship restrictions to provocative and mature lengths. The Story of Temple Drake is a 1933 American pre-Code rape and revenge film directed by Stephen Roberts and starring Miriam Hopkins and Jack La Rue. Becky and Amelia are girls at school together, but Becky is from a "show biz" ... See full summary ». Both the novel and film provide us with a fascinating deconstruction of the societal implications of the Prohibition era and gender politics. December 23, 2019. BLU-RAY REVIEW: Criterion; Drama; $29.95 DVD, $39.95 Blu-ray; Not rated. USA. On the night of a town dance, Temple declines Stephen's proposal for a second time, and instead goes out with one of her suitors, Toddy Gowan. … Es handelt sich um eine Verfilmung von William Faulkners kontroversem Roman Die Freistatt.Obwohl das Drehbuch im Vergleich zum Roman einige Aspekte abschwächte, entwickelte sich The Story of Temple Drake trotzdem zu einem Filmskandal … I’ll go ahead and warn you now, this is one where it’s impossible not to get bogged down into the details. Temple is sexually assaulted by murderer, bootlegger, and all-round bad man Trigger. Granted, it doesn't get into the most sordid aspects of Faulkner's novel - a pot-boiler that he wrote when his serious works failed to earn him any money - but it's still very somber: a Southern society girl out on a binge with a drunken playboy gets raped by a gangster, set up in a Memphis brothel, and then finally kills the gangster. Toddy, drunk and injured, attempts to fight Trigger, but Trigger knocks him unconscious. A divorcée leaves New York to visit her grandfather's farm and recover in the Midwest, where she unexpectedly falls in love with a married farmer. 1933, Drama, 1h 10m. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. [1] However, Joseph I. Breen, who was in charge of public relations for the Hays Office, stated the finished film was so tame in comparison to Faulkner's novel that patrons who had read it and watched the film would "charge us with fraud. Now for the first time somebody has the courage to frankly tell you about them! the story of temple drake. [23] The Museum of Modern Art restored the film in 2011 and subsequently screened it to the public. Directed by Stephen Roberts. Description. Steeped in southern-gothic shadows by influential cinematographer Karl Struss and shot through with moral ambiguity, The Story of Temple Drake is a harrowing vision of sin and salvation that boasts an astonishing lead performance from the fiery Hopkins, whose passage through the stations of terror, trauma, and redemption is a true tour de force of screen acting. While she awaits her fiancé, the vicious local police chief sets his sights on her. Toddy, who has been drinking, crashes their car near a dilapidated plantation home occupied by a speakeasy run by a man named Lee Goodwin. "[25] Edwin Schallert of the Los Angeles Times was similarly unimpressed, describing the film as "deliberately sordid, unsympathetic, and nearly offensive," as well as "crudely realistic. After Stephen leaves, Temple tries to escape, only to be attacked by Trigger. I don't know who would enjoy it.Which is not to say that it's a poorly made movie. While out carousing with one of her beaux, she finds herself stranded with a gang of bootleggers, one of whom, Trigger, rapes her and makes her his sex slave. 11 of 13 people found this review helpful. [18] According to biographer Allan Ellenberger, the mood on the set was "gloomy" due to the dark subject matter, and the cast members frequently played pranks on one another to lighten the mood. View production, box office, & company info. [11], George Raft was initially cast as the male lead of Trigger,[12] but dropped out of the production, which resulted in his being temporarily suspended by Paramount. The gang’s leader lusts after her, and is determined not to let anything stand in the way of his having her. [10] According to Pre-Code scholar Thomas Doherty, the film implies that the deeds done to Temple are in recompense for her immorality in falling into a relationship with the gangster instead of fleeing him. For a movie that came out in 1933, the same year as Larry King and Roman Polanski were born (not to equate those individuals), Paramount’s The Story of Temple Drake remains one of … Trigger proceeds to kidnap Temple, making her his gun moll, and brings her to a brothel in the city run by a woman named Reba. At dawn, Trigger shoots Tommy to death before raping Temple in the barn. She's loved by lawyer Stephen Benbow, whom she likes but doesn't love. Screenplay by Oliver H.P. 70. It's certainly worth seeing for Hopkins' performance, but it won't put you in a good mood. Obwohl das Drehbuch im Vergleich zum Roman einige Aspekte abschwächte, entwickelte sich The Story of Temple Drake trotzdem zu einem Filmskandal und war ein Anlass für die Durchsetzung des Hays Code ab 1934. [16] Hopkins herself would continually cite the role as one of her personal favorites due to its emotional complexity: "That Temple Drake, now, there was a thing. The Story of Temple Drake. [21][22], The Story of Temple Drake premiered theatrically in the United States on May 12, 1933. It was adapted from the highly controversial 1931 novel Sanctuary by William Faulkner. It tells the story of Temple Drake, a reckless woman in the American South who falls into the hands of a brutal gangster and rapist. Price Match Guarantee. The Story of Temple Drake (1933) was a scandalous pre-Code drama, adapted from William Faulkner's lurid 1931 novel Sanctuary. Stephen Roberts. Give me the complex ladies, and I'll interpret the daylights out of them. If you can call a rape artistically done, it was. He denies her wish, and forces her to take the stand in court, but, out of his love for her, he is unable to question her about Trigger. Garrett. [5], The credits only stated that Faulkner wrote the original novel. "[6] Degenfelder believes that he may have gotten inspiration for the sequel, Requiem for a Nun, from The Story of Temple Drake due to common elements between the two. It tells a gruesome story, and does nothing to keep it light. [1][19] These shots were allegedly only supposed to be included in rushes and not in the final cut, but were considered obscene enough that the Hays Office ordered Paramount to reshoot the rape sequence in a barn, and mandated that no footage of a corncob could be shown. After flipping the car Temple and Toddy find themselves under the gaze of Trigger’s (La Rue) flashlight. Stephen believes her, and serves them summons for Tommy's murder trial. THE STORY OF TEMPLE DRAKE. A wealthy but neurotic Southern belle finds herself trapped in the hideout of a gang of vicious bootleggers. Set in the small town of Dixon somewhere in the deep fried portion of the South, Temple Dra The Story of Temple Drake (1933) 05/06/1933 (US) Crime, Drama 1h 11m User Score. Criterion in December 2019: A Suppressed Gem and a Massive Director's Cut, My Favorite Pre-Code Films (1930-1934) (in order). The Story of Temple Drake starred Miriam Hopkins in the title role with William Gargan as the young lawyer in love with her, Sir Guy Standing as Temple’s grandfather, and William Collier, Jr. as good time Toddy, whom Temple uses for kicks. This earns her a reputation in the town as a seductress. You can certainly understand why the League of Decency went after this. Starring Miriam Hopkins, William Gargan, Jack La Rue, and Florence Eldridge. Despite his lack of questioning, Temple openly confesses everything that happened, including her witnessing Tommy's murder, her rape, and her murder of Trigger. Temple Drake is a Southern belle who leads men on with her sexuality but usually leaves them wanting. Temple Drake is a Southern belle who leads men on with her sexuality but usually leaves them wanting. Temple Drake is a fictional character created by William Faulkner. It tells the story of Temple Drake, a reckless woman in the American South who falls into the hands of a brutal gangster and rapist. The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 2. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? And The Story of Temple Drake, if you haven’t figured it out from just the scrawl above, is one of the most sordid, weird and deeply fascinating films of the pre-Code era. [2] As the public felt the novel had a racy reputation, the film received a new title as the plot had been made more mild and to avoid associating it with the source work. Es handelt sich um eine Verfilmung von William Faulkners kontroversem Roman Die Freistatt. [7] Phillips wrote that some critics, while acknowledging the murder of Trigger would be justifiable, believed that it was wrong for the film to justify it. While out carousing with one of her beaux, she finds herself stranded with a gang of bootleggers, one of whom, Trigger, rapes her and makes her his sex slave. [1] In the initial cut of the film, the rape took place in a corn crib, and featured shots in which a corncob is picked up by Trigger and examined after the rape. Lee's wife, Ruby, suggests that Temple sleep in the barn, and arranges for a young man named Tommy to stand watch. Although Vivian Revere is seemingly the most successful of a trio of reunited schoolmates, she throws it away by descending into a life of debauchery and drugs. To Temple turning men on is just a joke but when a date takes her to a dangerous bar, she's quickly held hostage by a bootlegger named Trigger (Jack LaRue) who will stop at nothing to feed his lust. [1] The scenes at Reba's home were also "portrayed too graphically," according to the Hays Office, and they ordered Paramount to excise footage and dialogue that indicated that the home was a brothel. Based on the novel by William Faulkner. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or in-store pick-up. A Roman soldier becomes torn between his love for a Christian woman and his loyalty to Emperor Nero. Despite her mother's objections, the naive young daughter of a show boat captain is thrust into the limelight as the company's new leading lady. [1] According to film historian Lou Sabini, it was one of the highest-earning films of the year. [20] Some lines were cut, while Ruby's use of the word "chippie" (a slang term for a woman of low morals) was occluded by a clap of thunder. 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