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IMDbPro

Sadie Thompson

  • 19281928
  • UnratedUnrated
  • 1h 37m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
2.7K
YOUR RATING
Sadie Thompson (1928)
  • Drama
A prostitute seeking a fresh start becomes the obsession of a religious extremist.A prostitute seeking a fresh start becomes the obsession of a religious extremist.A prostitute seeking a fresh start becomes the obsession of a religious extremist.
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
2.7K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Raoul Walsh
  • Writers
    • W. Somerset Maugham(story)
    • Raoul Walsh(adaptation)
    • C. Gardner Sullivan(titles)
  • Stars
    • Lionel Barrymore
    • Blanche Friderici
    • Charles Lane
Top credits
  • Director
    • Raoul Walsh
  • Writers
    • W. Somerset Maugham(story)
    • Raoul Walsh(adaptation)
    • C. Gardner Sullivan(titles)
  • Stars
    • Lionel Barrymore
    • Blanche Friderici
    • Charles Lane
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 26User reviews
    • 18Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars
      • 2 nominations total

    Photos30

    Gloria Swanson and Raoul Walsh in Sadie Thompson (1928)
    Gloria Swanson and Raoul Walsh in Sadie Thompson (1928)
    Gloria Swanson and Raoul Walsh in Sadie Thompson (1928)
    Gloria Swanson in Sadie Thompson (1928)
    Gloria Swanson in Sadie Thompson (1928)
    Gloria Swanson, SADIE THOMPSON, United Artists, 1928, **I.V.
    Gloria Swanson, SADIE THOMPSON, United Artists, 1928, **I.V.
    Gloria Swanson, SADIE THOMPSON, United Artists, 1928, **I.V.
    Sadie Thompson (1928)
    Sadie Thompson (1928)
    Gloria Swanson in Sadie Thompson (1928)
    Gloria Swanson and Raoul Walsh in Sadie Thompson (1928)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Lionel Barrymore
    Lionel Barrymore
    • Alfred Davidsonas Alfred Davidson
    Blanche Friderici
    Blanche Friderici
    • Mrs. Alfred Davidsonas Mrs. Alfred Davidson
    Charles Lane
    • Dr. Angus McPhailas Dr. Angus McPhail
    Florence Midgley
    • Mrs. Angus McPhailas Mrs. Angus McPhail
    James A. Marcus
    • Joe Hornas Joe Horn
    Sofia Ortega
    • Ameenaas Ameena
    Will Stanton
    Will Stanton
    • Quartermaster Batesas Quartermaster Bates
    Raoul Walsh
    Raoul Walsh
    • Sergeant Timothy O'Haraas Sergeant Timothy O'Hara
    Gloria Swanson
    Gloria Swanson
    • Sadie Thompsonas Sadie Thompson
    Charles Sullivan
    Charles Sullivan
    • Marineas Marine
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Raoul Walsh
    • Writers
      • W. Somerset Maugham(story)
      • Raoul Walsh(adaptation)
      • C. Gardner Sullivan(titles)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Gloria Swanson (as Sadie) swore several times on screen, but as the title cards don't reflect this and the film is silent, it was released without censorship.
    • Goofs
      At the beginning of the film, Mr. and Mrs. Davidson each write a quotation in the ship's autograph book. Their handwriting appears identical, revealing that neither actor actually wrote what is shown on screen.
    • Quotes

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

    • Alternate versions
      Originally released at 97 minutes. Out of circulation for decades because the final reel of the picture was destroyed due to film decay.
    • Connections
      Edited into Spisok korabley (2008)

    User reviews26

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    Gloria is Magic!
    In a number of different ways, "Sadie Thompson" shows how much guts Gloria Swanson had. In the first place, it wouldn't even exist if she hadn't turned down an extremely lucrative contract from Famous Players/Lasky in order to become her own producer at United Artists. There had been a gentlemen's agreement among the major Hollywood producers that none of them would buy the play "Rain," but Swanson was of course not a party to it. What she actually did was very clever and sneaky. She bought Maugham's original story "The Fall of a Leaf" -- not the stage adaptation by Clemence Dane -- and thus stayed under the radar. The theatrical producers didn't control movie rights to the story. Then she got Will Hays to approve an adaptation of that short story, keeping the wool over his eyes a bit and using all of her feminine charm. Hays was a Swanson fan (most men, I gather, were) and the lady got her way and put it over on Mayer, Laemmle, Zukor, et al. She did make some concessions, however, the most important one being that Lionel Barrymore not play a clergyman. If you notice, he's not called Reverend Davidson here, but Mister Davidson. It hardly matters, since nobody who saw the film ever thought of him as anything but a minister. Swanson's instincts were right on target in every department. She had hired Walsh to direct and suddenly realized he should be her leading man, and he's stupendous. They had a delightful, easy rapport, and although Walsh has sex appeal he's no movie Adonis, keeping it real. Swanson also dared to wear becoming but flashy and inelegant clothes, which was risky for the movies' most notable clotheshorse (the last time she had dressed dowdy, while under contract, the audiences stayed away, and the studio never let her do it again). Swanson's Sadie is able to live her life with good cheer because she genuinely likes men. This was certainly true of Swanson, whose father was out of the picture early, and who was always looking for a strong man. She was extremely curious, and always gravitated to the people at parties who knew the most -- usually the guys. Gloria Swanson as Sadie is kinetic. Her gaiety and charm are so incandescent that the biggest sin as you are watching the movie would have to be anything that dimmed her light. Davidson makes it go out, and that's exactly what happens to Swanson. When she "reforms," all the light goes right out of her. Barrymore is great, and we are so fortunate to have the movie in any form. It's probably Swanson's best performance outside of "Sunset Boulevard," and it's a great movie performance by any standard. Which brings to mind another point. No actress in Swanson's lifetime up to that point had ever given a more celebrated performance than Jeanne Eagels in "Rain," and Gloria dared to risk comparisons that would inevitably be made. We can't make those comparisons now, but you can't watch the movie and not feel that this lady, so made for the camera, so perfectly in control of all the tools of silent movie acting, gave Jeanne a run for her money.

    (Despite another comment here, Swanson's liaison with Joseph Kennedy did not give her "the clout to become her own producer." At the time Swanson went to UA, she hadn't even met Joe Kennedy, and she didn't meet him until after she had already produced "Sadie Thompson." Kennedy was a very minor player in the movies, and Swanson was one of the biggest stars in the world. If anything, she gave HIM clout. Indeed, when he did become her partner in Gloria Productions, he seems to have robbed her blind, even billing her production company for his own gifts to her. Kennedy, staunchly Catholic if hypocritical, strongly disapproved of "Sadie Thompson.")
    helpful•15
    4
    • ducdebrabant
    • Mar 29, 2007

    FAQ3

    • What is 'Sadie Thomspon' about/
    • Is 'Sadie Thompson' based on a book?
    • Where is Samoa?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 7, 1928 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Седі Томпсон
    • Filming locations
      • Two Harbors, Santa Catalina Island, Channel Islands, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Gloria Swanson Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $650,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 37 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Silent
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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