Sadie Thompson (1928)

A prostitute seeking a fresh start becomes the obsession of a religious extremist.

Director:

Raoul Walsh

Writers:

W. Somerset Maugham (story), Raoul Walsh (adaptation),

Stars:

Lionel Barrymore, Blanche Friderici, Charles Lane

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Lionel Barrymore	...	Alfred Davidson
Blanche Friderici	...	Mrs. Alfred Davidson
Charles Lane	...	Dr. Angus McPhail
Florence Midgley	...	Mrs. Angus McPhail
James A. Marcus	...	Joe Horn, the trader
Sofia Ortega	...	Ameena
Will Stanton	...	Quartermaster Bates
Raoul Walsh	...	Sergeant Timothy 'Tim' O'Hara
Gloria Swanson	...	Sadie Thompson

Storyline

Sadie Thompson arrives in Pago-Pago to start a new life, but when extremist missionary Davidson lashes out against her lifestyle and tries to force her back to San Francisco, she may lose her second chance.

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Plot Keywords:

south seas | reformer | u.s. marine corps | prostitution | written and directed by cast member | 

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Taglines:

Based On the Stage Success "RAIN"

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Release Date:

7 January 1928 (USA)

Also Known As:

La frágil voluntad

Filming Locations:

Santa Catalina Island, Channel Islands, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gloria Swanson Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min 91 min (reconstructed) 97 min (original)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Stills from the original shoot had to be used to approximate the eight-minute last reel because it had decayed while in storage.

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Quotes

Sadie Thompson: [screaming at Alfred Davidson] Who gave you the right to pass judgement on me? You psalm-singing louse! You'd tear out you own mother's heart, if she didn't agree with you, and call it saving her soul!

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Connections

Edited into Spisok korabley (2008)

User Reviews

Gloria Swanson, Movie Star

Gloria Swanson takes hold of the screen and does not for one minute let it go in this adaptation of a W. Somerset Maugham novella about a free-wheeling firecracker (read: prostitute) who comes under the tyranny of a self-appointed reformer (a frightening Lionel Barrymore) in a battle of wills over her salvation. Swanson received a Best Actress Academy Award nomination for her work in the very first year of Oscar's existence. She lost to Janet Gaynor, who was nominated for a trio of performances that first year, but I'm not so sure she shouldn't have won. Raoul Walsh, tough-guy director of later films like James Cagney's "White Heat" (1949), directed "Sadie Thompson" and stars in the film as Sadie's love interest. The whole thing unfolds in a tropical location during a downpour, and it captures the over-heated exotic atmosphere perfectly.

The film's impact is somewhat blunted because of its missing last moments. The version I saw reconstructed the final 10 minutes or so using still shots and title cards; one can only imagine what the actual footage was like. The film has a rather startling conclusion, not because I don't agree with it but rather because a mere ten years later (after enforcement of the Production Code) and for decades after, it wouldn't have been allowed to end the way it does, with Sadie exposing religion as a hypocritical sham and not changing her own racy tendencies one bit.

Grade: B+