The Story of Temple Drake (1933)

A wealthy but neurotic Southern belle finds herself trapped in the hideout of a gang of vicious bootleggers. The gang's leader lusts after her, and is determined not to let anything stand in the way of his having her.

Director:

Stephen Roberts

Writers:

Oliver H.P. Garrett (screenplay), William Faulkner (novel),

Stars:

Miriam Hopkins, William Gargan, Jack La Rue

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Miriam Hopkins	...	Temple Drake
William Gargan	...	Stephen Benbow
Jack La Rue	...	Trigger
Florence Eldridge	...	Ruby Lemarr
Guy Standing	...	Judge Drake (as Sir Guy Standing)
Irving Pichel	...	Lee Goodwin
Jobyna Howland	...	Miss Reba
William Collier Jr.	...	Toddy Gowan
Elizabeth Patterson	...	Aunt Jennie
James Eagles	...	Tommy
Harlan Knight	...	Pap (as Harlan E. Knight)
Jim Mason	...	Van (as James Mason)
Louise Beavers	...	Minnie
Arthur Belasco	...	Wharton

Storyline

Temple Drake is a Southern belle who leads men on with her sexuality but usually leaves them wanting. She's loved by lawyer Stephen Benbow, whom she likes but doesn't love. 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. When another man is accused of a murder Trigger committed, Stephen defends him and sets out to find Trigger. But he isn't prepared for whom he finds with Trigger, or what she's become.

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Plot Keywords:

gang | murder | southern belle | boyfriend | courtroom | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

December 1933 (Austria)

Also Known As:

Sanctuary

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

70 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Was extremely controversial because of its content matter. It was banned in Pennsylvania and Ohio, and Production Code Administration head Joseph Breen ordered that the film never be re-released once the Production Code came into effect in mid-1934. The film did not resurface until the mid-1950s.

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Quotes

Maid: That Mr. Judge would sure know more about his daughter if he did her laundry!

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Connections

Referenced in Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood (2008)

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Soundtracks

"My Silent Love"
(uncredited)
Music by Dana Suesse

User Reviews

The notorious pre-code drama still packs a punch

The notorious and rarely-seen (it's not even listed in Maltin's book)1933 adaption of William Faulkner's "Sanctuary" was unveiled to NY audiences last week at the Film Forum. The film is beautifully shot, and has an amazing performance by Miriam Hopkins as the southern belle who gets kidnapped and raped by a gangster, but stays with him by choice. At the conclusion, there was a richly-deserved round of applause. The rights are owned by Universal Home Video now--start writing them to get this lost masterpiece onto the video shelves.