Although this film directed by the versatile William Wellman is not essentially different from many other fallen women pictures of the early talkie era, it has elements that lift it out of the ordinary. For contemporary viewers it's an opportunity to see Dorothy Mackaill in a starring role. She was a beautiful and self-possessed actress whose career came and went too quickly. At times she looks so much like Marion Davies that you could easily mistake them for twins. Here she plays a prostitute fleeing the law with a young fellow who loves her. He deposits her in a hotel on a steamy Caribbean island inhabited by escaped male criminals. There is the appealing shock of seeing two African-American actors actually speaking and behaving in a dignified and even admirable manner: Nina Mae MacKinney and Clarence Muse as a hotel proprietress and porter, respectively. Muse speaks the King's English better than the blonde leading lady and comports himself in a far more civilized manner than any of the white men. MacKinney is spectacular. She holds her own no matter who she is playing against and even sings a spirited round of "Sleepy Time Down South" as she pours wine for a large table of diners. Another case of wasted talent in the old Hollywood days.
56 Reviews
Another fascinating pre-code gem
JohnSeal5 April 2000
Safe In Hell is is a cross between Sadie Thompson and The Getaway, with Dorothy Mackaill in stunning form as the 'bad girl' who runs away to a remote Caribbean island to escape her past. Director William Wellman delivers another quality picture, and we get to see Nina Mae McKinney's star power on display (including one hot jazz number!). The story is silly but fans of early thirties cinema need to see this.
Hell? Yes Safe? No
howdymax14 December 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Robert Osborne talked about this being one of Wild Bill Wellman's pre-code classics, so naturally, it immediately got my attention. But I wasn't prepared for this. An amazing story of a hooker played by Dorothy Mackaill who is sucked into "the life" by one of the most vicious, but underrated movie villains ever on screen. The quirky, psycho, delicious Ralf Harolde.
The story is unusual. Gilda the hooker falls in love with a sailor. He accepts her warts and all. She gets into confrontation with Ralf Rotten and thinks she killed him. Her sailor boyfriend helps her lam out to an island to hide out. They marry in a private ceremony and he ships out. Meanwhile, she is left to fend for herself on this island, surrounded by a half dozen lecherous criminals. She holds her own until Ralf suddenly shows up by accident. It seems he didn't die after all, but had to lam out himself after pulling off a scam. In an ironic twist, he tries for a rematch and she actually does kill him. Up till now, the story was almost poetic, but the last twenty minutes had my head spinning. She is about to be found innocent when she finds the Jefe de Policia is going to frame her for another crime and ravish her in his prison. In order to be true to her "husband" she convinces the court that she, in fact, is guilty of murder so she can be hanged. Her line to El Jefe is something like: "The only time you will touch me is when you put the noose around my neck." I've seen lots of pre-code movies. Mostly WB, and they can be pretty raunchy, but this one leads the pack. Dorothy Mackaill puts in an "A" performance in a decidedly "B" movie. It has the feel of the movie "Rain", but it seems less stylized and more authentic. I recommend it for a lot of reasons, but keep your eyes open for Ralf Harolde. Once you've seen him, I think you are going to want more.
The story is unusual. Gilda the hooker falls in love with a sailor. He accepts her warts and all. She gets into confrontation with Ralf Rotten and thinks she killed him. Her sailor boyfriend helps her lam out to an island to hide out. They marry in a private ceremony and he ships out. Meanwhile, she is left to fend for herself on this island, surrounded by a half dozen lecherous criminals. She holds her own until Ralf suddenly shows up by accident. It seems he didn't die after all, but had to lam out himself after pulling off a scam. In an ironic twist, he tries for a rematch and she actually does kill him. Up till now, the story was almost poetic, but the last twenty minutes had my head spinning. She is about to be found innocent when she finds the Jefe de Policia is going to frame her for another crime and ravish her in his prison. In order to be true to her "husband" she convinces the court that she, in fact, is guilty of murder so she can be hanged. Her line to El Jefe is something like: "The only time you will touch me is when you put the noose around my neck." I've seen lots of pre-code movies. Mostly WB, and they can be pretty raunchy, but this one leads the pack. Dorothy Mackaill puts in an "A" performance in a decidedly "B" movie. It has the feel of the movie "Rain", but it seems less stylized and more authentic. I recommend it for a lot of reasons, but keep your eyes open for Ralf Harolde. Once you've seen him, I think you are going to want more.
I want to see this again.
lynch-dennis13 December 2007
I caught this film on TCM in Dec. of 2007. It was being shown as part of their William Wellman festival. I had not heard of it before, and didn't recognize any of the cast names. The story is a bout a woman accused of a murder in New Orleans, who is helped by her sailor boyfriend to an island in the Caribbean. This is a refuge for scoundrels and criminals. Romantically, the sailor marries her in a very private ceremony, and then he leaves her behind while he sails away for work. Clearly, the focus is on her, since he has very little screen time. The bulk of the film is the long time she has to wait for his return, fending of the lecherous advances of the motley criminals and a corrupt lawman. The ending was dark and surprisingly odd for any Hollywood film. And I was so surprised that I need to see it again, just to make sure I didn't imagine it. It is a somewhat slow film, but it is also intriguing in ways that only pre- code features can be. It seemed even modern in it's dark sensibilities. Also, the lead role, portrayed by Dorothy MacKaill, is a fascinating mix of spunky and trashy, showing more depth and complexity than one might expect from a standard H'wood feature. I'll be looking for her in other films. Definitely a noir predecessor. The black major-domo and the woman running the bar are terrific, too.
Pre-code film about a prostitute on the lam...
Doylenf8 March 2011
DOROTHY MACKAILL is a name unknown by today's moviegoers but she was a pretty good actress judging by her work as a prostitute on the lam in SAFE IN HELL. It's the kind of tough gal role that would have suited someone like Barbara Stanwyck, but Mackaill is a pretty blonde who nails her character completely.
After giving her ex-lover rough treatment and thinking he's dead after his apartment catches fire, she's advised to flee to a tropical island where there's no extradition to the United States for criminals. What she discovers is that the island is a living hell and all of its inhabitants are fugitives from the law.
There's such a ring of familiarity about the whole story that I can swear it must have been remade years later, perhaps for an Ann Sheridan movie or a vehicle for Jean Harlow. I'll have to check it out, but I'm sure I've seen this whole story before in a later version.
For pre-code fans, this is a "must see." All of the situations are racy enough to send the censors reeling and some of the dialog is crisp and believable in a way that most films of the '30s never achieve.
About as downbeat as any film about sinners, it's directed in forthright fashion by William A. Wellman, with some decidedly unpleasant looking men cast in supporting roles as island outcasts. Worth a watch for the performances of Dorothy Mackaill and Nina Mae McKinney in the only femme roles.
Only other recognizable cast member for me was IVAN SIMPSON, who had a brief scene in THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD where he played the proprietor of Kent Road Tavern who admits Maid Marian so that she can inform Robin's men about his capture.
After giving her ex-lover rough treatment and thinking he's dead after his apartment catches fire, she's advised to flee to a tropical island where there's no extradition to the United States for criminals. What she discovers is that the island is a living hell and all of its inhabitants are fugitives from the law.
There's such a ring of familiarity about the whole story that I can swear it must have been remade years later, perhaps for an Ann Sheridan movie or a vehicle for Jean Harlow. I'll have to check it out, but I'm sure I've seen this whole story before in a later version.
For pre-code fans, this is a "must see." All of the situations are racy enough to send the censors reeling and some of the dialog is crisp and believable in a way that most films of the '30s never achieve.
About as downbeat as any film about sinners, it's directed in forthright fashion by William A. Wellman, with some decidedly unpleasant looking men cast in supporting roles as island outcasts. Worth a watch for the performances of Dorothy Mackaill and Nina Mae McKinney in the only femme roles.
Only other recognizable cast member for me was IVAN SIMPSON, who had a brief scene in THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD where he played the proprietor of Kent Road Tavern who admits Maid Marian so that she can inform Robin's men about his capture.
Grim Pre-Coder doesn't pull punches.
st-shot16 April 2011
William Wellman makes the most of pre code freedom in the dark and cynical Safe in Hell. With an on the run hooker in the lead hiding out on a rogues island with a disreputable bunch of sex starved thieves and wheeler dealers Wellman serves up ample helpings of society's underbelly with some effective and subversive pokes at society in general.
New Orleans "escort" Gilda has to blow town fast after possibly committing murder and burning down an apartment building. Her seaman lover spirits her away to an island until things cool off where she shares a fleabag hotel with some male dregs of humanity. Her lover plans to return and marry her but the local law and the hangman who also has designs on her confiscates his letters giving her the feeling she's been deserted. Keeping the boys at arms length most of the picture she is forced to shoot and kill one of the miscreants. Found innocent of murder she must nevertheless do some time on the weapons charge thus delivering her into the grimy paws of the hangman.
Nearly all the white male characters in Safe in Hell are low lifes of the first order. Criminals without conscience, lusting voyeurs they all want a piece of the action and when Gilda feels she's gotten the brush off she lowers her guard. With a telling sense of irony Wellman provocatively juxtaposes their loutishness with the films only refined respectful well spoken character, a black porter (Clarence Muse) as well as infer miscegenation with the inn keeper (Nina Mae McKinney) who dazzles the boys with a touch of Bessie Smith.
Dorothy Mackaill plays Gilda with a glamor less tragic resignation as well as most of the hard boiled molls permeating early sound poverty row films. Morgan Wallace's lascivious Mr. Bruno the hangman is convincing enough to makes Gilda's rash action that determines her fate certainly understandable as Wellman's uncompromising take leaves her little alternative.
New Orleans "escort" Gilda has to blow town fast after possibly committing murder and burning down an apartment building. Her seaman lover spirits her away to an island until things cool off where she shares a fleabag hotel with some male dregs of humanity. Her lover plans to return and marry her but the local law and the hangman who also has designs on her confiscates his letters giving her the feeling she's been deserted. Keeping the boys at arms length most of the picture she is forced to shoot and kill one of the miscreants. Found innocent of murder she must nevertheless do some time on the weapons charge thus delivering her into the grimy paws of the hangman.
Nearly all the white male characters in Safe in Hell are low lifes of the first order. Criminals without conscience, lusting voyeurs they all want a piece of the action and when Gilda feels she's gotten the brush off she lowers her guard. With a telling sense of irony Wellman provocatively juxtaposes their loutishness with the films only refined respectful well spoken character, a black porter (Clarence Muse) as well as infer miscegenation with the inn keeper (Nina Mae McKinney) who dazzles the boys with a touch of Bessie Smith.
Dorothy Mackaill plays Gilda with a glamor less tragic resignation as well as most of the hard boiled molls permeating early sound poverty row films. Morgan Wallace's lascivious Mr. Bruno the hangman is convincing enough to makes Gilda's rash action that determines her fate certainly understandable as Wellman's uncompromising take leaves her little alternative.
The most risqué film of is time
DangerAwesome12 October 2013
Warning: Spoilers
"Safe in Hell" is by far the darkest, most risqué film of its time period that I have yet seen. Even by today's standards it is far from tame. The atmosphere of sexual predators is overwhelming.
There is a great ensemble performance in this film. Gilda (Mackaill), the hotel manager (McKinney), and the general (Varconi), are all highlights. The best performance though is Morgan Wallace as Mr. Bruno. A good case could be made that he is one of the most evil villains in the history of cinema. The movie is worth watching if only for him.
The overall story and drama is the only part of the movie I would call less than spectacular. The main plot point is how in love Gilda (Mackaill) and Carl (Cook) are, and how far she is willing to go to stay with him. Yet we never see them together for more than a few minutes. Had the romance angle been a little better it would have made the drama part of the picture much stronger.
The best reason to watch this movie is the atmosphere. One beautiful white girl on an island of criminals. One by one trying their moves on her, while the others sit in a row of wicker chairs watching to see how the other one does. The thin shred of civilization being the only thing stopping pure lust from taking over.
This is a movie that simply wouldn't exist if it hadn't been pre-code. If that's something that intrigues you, then Safe in Hell is exactly what you are looking for.
There is a great ensemble performance in this film. Gilda (Mackaill), the hotel manager (McKinney), and the general (Varconi), are all highlights. The best performance though is Morgan Wallace as Mr. Bruno. A good case could be made that he is one of the most evil villains in the history of cinema. The movie is worth watching if only for him.
The overall story and drama is the only part of the movie I would call less than spectacular. The main plot point is how in love Gilda (Mackaill) and Carl (Cook) are, and how far she is willing to go to stay with him. Yet we never see them together for more than a few minutes. Had the romance angle been a little better it would have made the drama part of the picture much stronger.
The best reason to watch this movie is the atmosphere. One beautiful white girl on an island of criminals. One by one trying their moves on her, while the others sit in a row of wicker chairs watching to see how the other one does. The thin shred of civilization being the only thing stopping pure lust from taking over.
This is a movie that simply wouldn't exist if it hadn't been pre-code. If that's something that intrigues you, then Safe in Hell is exactly what you are looking for.
amazingly bleak
hildacrane21 August 2005
I saw this for the first time a few years ago in a festival of pre-Code films, and it was a revelation--Dorothy Mackaill was new to me and she is excellent as the "loose woman" who finds a very strange salvation on a Caribbean island that is a stand-in for hell, if not in fact the real thing. The atmosphere is palpable--you can almost feel the heat and smell the sweat. This movie is uncanny in being both intensely grim and very funny. Sort of like a painting by the German Expressionist George Grosz come to life. Wonderful camera set-ups, such as the front-on shot of the row of seated disreputable lechers, legs spread and ogling Dorothy as she climbs the rickety stairs to her hotel room. Also unusual for a film of that time is the respectful treatment of Black characters--there is a very nice camaraderie between Dorothy and the woman who works at the hotel.
A fate worse then death
sol-kay10 March 2011
Warning: Spoilers
***SPOILERS*** No holds barred and uncompromising, in not resorting to a phony feel good ending, movie about an ex-hooker on the run from the law ending up in a place far worse then any US prison: The Caribbean island of Tortuga knows as "Hell Island" that has no extradition treaty with the United States. Since being there is like being in hell itself!
Going to a New Orleans hotel room to entertain a customer, or John, Gilda Carlson, Dorothy Mackaill,is shocked to find out that the person she's to entertain is her former boyfriend Piet Van Sall, Ralf Harolde, who forced by, getting Gilda fired from her job, her into the white slavery, prostitution, business in the first place! Trying to have his way with her Gilda bops Piet over the head with a liquor bottle that sets the place on fire with an unconscious Piet in it! It's just then that Gilda's sailor boyfriend Carl Erickson, Donald Cook, shows up at her pad proposing marriage to her since he was just promoted with a higher pay status in the US Navy.
Realizing just what kind of a the fix that Gilda is in Carl sneaks her onto his ship that's headed for Tortuga where he feels she'll be safe and plans to marry her there before he embarks back out to sea. It soon comes to the attentions of some of the fugitives from justice on Tortuga that Gilda, single white female, is available and they all try to make a play for her. It's in fact the island's "Minister of Justice" as well as the local hangman Bruno, Morgan Wallace, who really gets turned on to Gilda and unlike the local male inhabitants of Tortuga he has both the means and the ways to make his dream, in making Gilda his woman, come true!
***SPOILERS*** Things soon turn in Gilda' favor when she runs into another fugitive from justice Piet Van Saal no less whom she thorough she killed in that hotel fire back in New Orleans! With Carl soon to show up on shore leave Gilda plans to go back with him to the states a free woman but the scheming Bruno has other plans for her. Setting Gilda up to kill, for a second time, Piet Bruno provides her with a firearm that's illegal for anyone but law enforcement personnel on the island. With Piet getting good and drunk on island rum, 159% proof, he tries to finish the job, attack and rape Gilda, that he started back in New Orleans only to get blown away by her in self-defense.
On trial for the murder of Piet Van Saal Gilda is a shoo-in to be fond innocent in her lawyer Jones', Charles Middleton,brilliant defense of her. But it's the weapon charge that Jones can''t get Gilda off on and it's that what Bruno is counting on to put her in his prison and keep her all for himself as his personal sex slave for the time, six months, she's to serve there!
****MAJOR SPOILER****Making the ultimate sacrifice in not hurting the man that she loves and is married to, Carl Erickson, Gilda does the unthinkable in giving up her life so she won't betray Carl in having Bruno have his way with her the way he wants not the way he's soon forced, by the law he sworn to uphold, to do.
Going to a New Orleans hotel room to entertain a customer, or John, Gilda Carlson, Dorothy Mackaill,is shocked to find out that the person she's to entertain is her former boyfriend Piet Van Sall, Ralf Harolde, who forced by, getting Gilda fired from her job, her into the white slavery, prostitution, business in the first place! Trying to have his way with her Gilda bops Piet over the head with a liquor bottle that sets the place on fire with an unconscious Piet in it! It's just then that Gilda's sailor boyfriend Carl Erickson, Donald Cook, shows up at her pad proposing marriage to her since he was just promoted with a higher pay status in the US Navy.
Realizing just what kind of a the fix that Gilda is in Carl sneaks her onto his ship that's headed for Tortuga where he feels she'll be safe and plans to marry her there before he embarks back out to sea. It soon comes to the attentions of some of the fugitives from justice on Tortuga that Gilda, single white female, is available and they all try to make a play for her. It's in fact the island's "Minister of Justice" as well as the local hangman Bruno, Morgan Wallace, who really gets turned on to Gilda and unlike the local male inhabitants of Tortuga he has both the means and the ways to make his dream, in making Gilda his woman, come true!
***SPOILERS*** Things soon turn in Gilda' favor when she runs into another fugitive from justice Piet Van Saal no less whom she thorough she killed in that hotel fire back in New Orleans! With Carl soon to show up on shore leave Gilda plans to go back with him to the states a free woman but the scheming Bruno has other plans for her. Setting Gilda up to kill, for a second time, Piet Bruno provides her with a firearm that's illegal for anyone but law enforcement personnel on the island. With Piet getting good and drunk on island rum, 159% proof, he tries to finish the job, attack and rape Gilda, that he started back in New Orleans only to get blown away by her in self-defense.
On trial for the murder of Piet Van Saal Gilda is a shoo-in to be fond innocent in her lawyer Jones', Charles Middleton,brilliant defense of her. But it's the weapon charge that Jones can''t get Gilda off on and it's that what Bruno is counting on to put her in his prison and keep her all for himself as his personal sex slave for the time, six months, she's to serve there!
****MAJOR SPOILER****Making the ultimate sacrifice in not hurting the man that she loves and is married to, Carl Erickson, Gilda does the unthinkable in giving up her life so she won't betray Carl in having Bruno have his way with her the way he wants not the way he's soon forced, by the law he sworn to uphold, to do.
Wellman's proto-noir masterpiece
mgconlan-114 June 2010
"Safe in Hell" proved to be a stunning movie in many respects, a major precursor of film noir both thematically and stylistically. Wellman and cinematographer Sid Hickox stage many of the scenes in chiaroscuro darkness, and even the opening title — in which the words "SAFE IN HELL" appear as cutouts in a black field with fire billowing forth from behind the letters — is visually stunning and sets the mood for the film instead of merely announcing what it's called. (The title and the director's name — in small print on the same card — are the only credits we see at the outset; the other credits are relegated to the end, in the fashion that's now become standard but was highly unusual in 1931.) The script requires the actors, Mackaill and Cook in particular, to make some pretty abrupt hairpin turns in emotions and motivations, but it's a testament to their skill (especially Mackaill's — Cook's is a pretty straightforward good-guy lead and his only spectacular sequence is the early one in which his loathing suddenly turns into desperate protectiveness and love when she's about to be arrested) that all the emotional turns are quite credible and she's equally believable as a bad girl and a good one. Like Charles Vidor's "Sensation Hunters", made for Monogram two years later and the closest film I could think of to the mood of this one, "Safe in Hell" manages to convey the oppressiveness of the environment and the desperation with which the heroine is faced in trying to maintain (what's left of) her virtue in the face of the economic and sexual pressures on her.
It also features two remarkable characters, the Black proprietess of the hotel on Tortuga where most of the action takes place (Nina Mae McKinney, the femme fatale of "Hallelujah!" here cast as a positive character) and her assistant, Newcastle (Clarence Muse). The screenwriters wrote the lines for McKinney and Muse in phony dialect but they actually delivered them in normal English. (Score one for William Wellman for allowing them to get away with that!) McKinney also gets to warble the song "When It's Sleepy Time Down South," ostensibly to a recording — no doubt the song got in the film because her Black co-star Muse co-wrote it with Leon and Otis René! Originally released with an advisory that the film was "Not for Children" (anticipating the Hollywood rating system that would ultimately displace the Production Code), "Safe in Hell" is a great movie, a forgotten gem that deserves to be better known than it is and an example of the Hollywood studio system working on all cylinders and producing something that acknowledged the clichés and yet also defied them quite movingly. Why Warner Home Video didn't include this on the boxed set of Wellman's pre-Code films for Warners — when it's a better movie than any of the ones they DID include — is beyond me.
It also features two remarkable characters, the Black proprietess of the hotel on Tortuga where most of the action takes place (Nina Mae McKinney, the femme fatale of "Hallelujah!" here cast as a positive character) and her assistant, Newcastle (Clarence Muse). The screenwriters wrote the lines for McKinney and Muse in phony dialect but they actually delivered them in normal English. (Score one for William Wellman for allowing them to get away with that!) McKinney also gets to warble the song "When It's Sleepy Time Down South," ostensibly to a recording — no doubt the song got in the film because her Black co-star Muse co-wrote it with Leon and Otis René! Originally released with an advisory that the film was "Not for Children" (anticipating the Hollywood rating system that would ultimately displace the Production Code), "Safe in Hell" is a great movie, a forgotten gem that deserves to be better known than it is and an example of the Hollywood studio system working on all cylinders and producing something that acknowledged the clichés and yet also defied them quite movingly. Why Warner Home Video didn't include this on the boxed set of Wellman's pre-Code films for Warners — when it's a better movie than any of the ones they DID include — is beyond me.
pretty good film... some similarities to RAIN..1932
ksf-24 August 2018
Dorothy Mackaill and Donald Cook are Gilda and Carl. Starts out as a sordid affair... Gilda is hiding after accidentally killing an attacker. they run off and make it respectable. The african americans are portrayed as quite well educated and well spoken, which was rare for a film of this time! some fun scenes where the "locals" of the hotel sit around and chew the fat, sing, and spout out aphorisms, all of which have nothing to do with the story, except to show us how awful the place is. The story is pretty tight... Gilda has her ups and downs, and it all comes down to a trial near the end. Good stuff. A good example of the "south sea exotic films", which were all clearly filmed on the back lot, but have the appearance and feeling of life far away on an island. some surprises near the end, but I won't give away spoilers. Watch it for yourself. John Fay is in here, he died pretty young at 53, but just about everyone did back then. Mackaill had started films in the early 1920s, made a bunch of talkies, then stopped suddenly around 1937. Mackaill looks and sounds just like Joan Blondell, but of course, Mackaill came first! Director Wellman had started with silent films, and very successfully moved on to talkies. Oscar for 1937 version of Star is Born. This one is pretty good. Love, dedication. started out as a play by houston branch.
Director William Wellman at his best ...
sws-325 August 1999
A case can be made that director William Wellman did his best work at Warner Bros-First National from 1931-1933. "Safe in Hell" is a prime example. There isn't much plot in this saga of a "bad" woman (Mackaill) redeemed by love, but the atmosphere of sin, desperation , and hope is efficiently evoked. The compositions are continually inventive, and the camera movements are as energizing as Wellman pulled off the same year in "The Public Enemy". He also coaxed fine work from the beautiful Mackaill; it's telling that this tough guy director seemed to work so well with actresses. In his Warner Bros. tenure, Wellman did great films with Barbara Stanwyck, Loretta Young, and Ruth Chatterton, too. Look up his resume, and check out the films.
One of the top 10 films to define pre-code.
mark.waltz10 July 2019
Warning: Spoilers
There is no doubt in my mind that this is one of the seediest films to come out of Hollywood during the early sound era. There is nothing clean or decent about it, yet it is a fascinating view of sinners stuck together and the codes that they must follow in order to be safe in the hell that keeps them free but imprisoned, surrounded by water. There is also the threat of biting centipedes, and the only religious leader on the island has just passed away, his replacement not due for a month. By the time this is over, they haven't even arrived yet, and shocking occurrences give the indication that there is no escape for heroine Dorothy Mackaill.
I first discovered Ms MacKaill in the early to mid 90s when I began to see a series of pre-code dramas, usually made by eyes are Warner Brothers or Paramount, and starting actors like herself, Ruth Chatterton, Nancy Carroll, Helen Twelvetrees, Tallulah Bankhead, Sylvia Sidney, Joan Crawford, Kay Francis and many others. These women all suffered due to their characters be in grave sinners, usually involved with the wrong men, and often selling themselves to make ends meet.
It is very clear in this film at the very beginning that MacKaill is a prostitute, and when one of her clients (Ralf Harolde) turns out to be a married former lover, it is obvious how she got where she is. She believed she accidentally kills him (in a rather brutal scene), and the one man who loves her (Donald Cook) deposits her on an island of forgotten sinners who cannot be extradited. The only other woman on the island is Nina McKinney, a charming, well spoken hostess whose only sin in society in the 1930's is that she is black. There's also Clarence Muse and Noble Johnson , and it is very apparent that the writers wanted to present the black characters as sympathetically as possible while the wife characters are mostly far from noble.
It is interesting to watch MacKaill initially segregate herself from everybody on the island, but eventually, she is made the toast of the hotel, gaining protection from the one lecherous man who will not leave her alone until he is forced to. Twists and turns make this have a seemingly tragic outcome, and it is quite shocking what is insinuated at the very end. MacKaill has been discovered only because these films have gotten festival showings or cable television exposure, and she truly comes off as quite modern and not a woman to be messed with. This is beautifully filmed and directed by William Wellman, but it has such a dour theme that it is not one to get through easily. However, it certainly is not one that anybody who does see it in its entirety will ever forget, as I have not since first seeing it at the Nuart pre-code festival back in West Los Angeles in the early 1990's, and later seeing on TCM as that channel became my daily go to guide for great, forgotten cinema, which this definitely can be considered.
I first discovered Ms MacKaill in the early to mid 90s when I began to see a series of pre-code dramas, usually made by eyes are Warner Brothers or Paramount, and starting actors like herself, Ruth Chatterton, Nancy Carroll, Helen Twelvetrees, Tallulah Bankhead, Sylvia Sidney, Joan Crawford, Kay Francis and many others. These women all suffered due to their characters be in grave sinners, usually involved with the wrong men, and often selling themselves to make ends meet.
It is very clear in this film at the very beginning that MacKaill is a prostitute, and when one of her clients (Ralf Harolde) turns out to be a married former lover, it is obvious how she got where she is. She believed she accidentally kills him (in a rather brutal scene), and the one man who loves her (Donald Cook) deposits her on an island of forgotten sinners who cannot be extradited. The only other woman on the island is Nina McKinney, a charming, well spoken hostess whose only sin in society in the 1930's is that she is black. There's also Clarence Muse and Noble Johnson , and it is very apparent that the writers wanted to present the black characters as sympathetically as possible while the wife characters are mostly far from noble.
It is interesting to watch MacKaill initially segregate herself from everybody on the island, but eventually, she is made the toast of the hotel, gaining protection from the one lecherous man who will not leave her alone until he is forced to. Twists and turns make this have a seemingly tragic outcome, and it is quite shocking what is insinuated at the very end. MacKaill has been discovered only because these films have gotten festival showings or cable television exposure, and she truly comes off as quite modern and not a woman to be messed with. This is beautifully filmed and directed by William Wellman, but it has such a dour theme that it is not one to get through easily. However, it certainly is not one that anybody who does see it in its entirety will ever forget, as I have not since first seeing it at the Nuart pre-code festival back in West Los Angeles in the early 1990's, and later seeing on TCM as that channel became my daily go to guide for great, forgotten cinema, which this definitely can be considered.
Nutty early talkie with a startling starlet...
moonspinner5512 March 2008
Director William Wellman moved from silent pictures to talkies with considerable skill, and he handles the sordid goings-on here with aplomb, aided no doubt by saucy Dorothy Mackaill as his leading lady. The plot, taken from Houston Branch's play, is an odd one: pretty call-girl, under the belief she has killed one of her johns, hides out in the tropics with a group of resident criminals. Eyebrow-raiser from MGM predictably has dated and clunky trappings when viewed today, but Mackaill is stunning; sultry, funny, dreamy-eyed, she lays on the fruit-loop melodrama with verve. Enjoyable feature for Hollywood buffs, the script might have been ripe material for Crawford or Davis eight or nine years later. **1/2 from ****
Pre-Code, For Sure
dougdoepke27 August 2018
Plot-- A prostitute thinks she killed her cunning corrupter and flees to a Caribbean island to escape extradition, but not before marrying her departing sailor true love. Trouble is the island's full of lecherous men bent on nailing her, the island's only white woman. So should she risk staying or risk leaving.
That opening scene's a grabber that fairly shouts 'prostitute'. If it didn't help bring down Production Code censorship (1934), I don't know what would. Except for the goofy antics of the unshaven oglers, this 1931 cheapo almost amounts to a sleeper. Actress Mackail delivers the tough gal with soul, in spades. Too bad she's so obscure, her acting career mainly in silents. Here, she fends off the many lecherous men in convincing Joan Blondell style. And catch Charles Middleton in a surprisingly nuanced role; that is, a few years before his Ming The Merciless menaced Flash Gordon's serial universe. The movie's also distinguished by a surprise ending. But keep in mind that the subtext is about crime and redemption, along with true love. These themes are interwoven in subtle fashion such that the conclusion may prompt some thought.
Anyway, it's one of legendary director Wellman's early talkies, which in characteristic fashion he doesn't sentimentalize. And, oh yes, maybe my favorite scene is when the true lovers conduct their spooning through a fortunate crack in a shipping crate. Good thing she could get out before the cranes came. Note too, that the lovers' marriage is conducted without benefit of presiding cleric or official marriage certificate. Yet the couple treat their enduring love as all the ceremony they need. Thus church and government are bypassed as unnecessary despite long tradition and heavy legalisms. No wonder the screenplay is pre-Code. All in all, the 70-minutes is definitely meaningful and worth thinking about. So catch up with it despite the long ago era.
That opening scene's a grabber that fairly shouts 'prostitute'. If it didn't help bring down Production Code censorship (1934), I don't know what would. Except for the goofy antics of the unshaven oglers, this 1931 cheapo almost amounts to a sleeper. Actress Mackail delivers the tough gal with soul, in spades. Too bad she's so obscure, her acting career mainly in silents. Here, she fends off the many lecherous men in convincing Joan Blondell style. And catch Charles Middleton in a surprisingly nuanced role; that is, a few years before his Ming The Merciless menaced Flash Gordon's serial universe. The movie's also distinguished by a surprise ending. But keep in mind that the subtext is about crime and redemption, along with true love. These themes are interwoven in subtle fashion such that the conclusion may prompt some thought.
Anyway, it's one of legendary director Wellman's early talkies, which in characteristic fashion he doesn't sentimentalize. And, oh yes, maybe my favorite scene is when the true lovers conduct their spooning through a fortunate crack in a shipping crate. Good thing she could get out before the cranes came. Note too, that the lovers' marriage is conducted without benefit of presiding cleric or official marriage certificate. Yet the couple treat their enduring love as all the ceremony they need. Thus church and government are bypassed as unnecessary despite long tradition and heavy legalisms. No wonder the screenplay is pre-Code. All in all, the 70-minutes is definitely meaningful and worth thinking about. So catch up with it despite the long ago era.
"The story of a little girl who tried so hard to be good and the world wouldn't her."
utgard1415 September 2014
A prostitute (Dorothy Mackaill) accidentally kills a man. With help from her sailor boyfriend, she escapes to a Caribbean island with no extradition. He leaves her but promises to return for her later. Because there's no place safer to leave the woman you love than an island full of criminals. Anyway, she vows to stay chaste for him and not fool around with any of the men. Oh, brother. Here's where the movie gets really weird and leads to an ending that defies belief.
Seamy Pre-Coder from William Wellman is certainly interesting, I'll give it that. Even though it's nowhere near as graphic as movies today, you still might feel the need to bathe after watching it. The performances are all good and the bleak script is solid. Possibly the coolest opening title shot of any early '30s movie I've seen. If you enjoy Pre-Code films you'll definitely want to check this one out.
Seamy Pre-Coder from William Wellman is certainly interesting, I'll give it that. Even though it's nowhere near as graphic as movies today, you still might feel the need to bathe after watching it. The performances are all good and the bleak script is solid. Possibly the coolest opening title shot of any early '30s movie I've seen. If you enjoy Pre-Code films you'll definitely want to check this one out.
Why does everything bad have to happen to her?
jcaraway35 August 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Poor Dorothy Mackaill just can't catch a break. After falling into the prostitution racket, she accidentally kills the man who was partially responsible for her line of work in the first place (or so she thinks).Her sailor boyfriend smuggles her onto an island with a bunch of weirdos to avoid arrest. Things get a little complicated when (SPOLIERS!) the man she thought she killed shows up on the island. This is a decent pre code drama, however, it is very draggy in some parts, (featuring many scenes of the half drunken old criminals sitting around in wicker chairs) ,has the production values of a poverty row flick, and drifts off into fairly standard early 30s courtroom drama by the third act. But the last ten minutes or so provide a couple of moving, powerful scenes, and the depressing, but effective ending more than makes up for the rest of the movie being slow. It also helps that the two black actors, Noble Johnson and Nina Mae Mckinney, aren't total stereotypes, which is remarkable for a film of this age.
So don't be fooled by the seemingly endless "sitting around on an island" scenes. Just wait til the end, it'll be worth it.
So don't be fooled by the seemingly endless "sitting around on an island" scenes. Just wait til the end, it'll be worth it.
The Isle of Exile
lugonian11 April 2023
SAFE IN HELL (First National Pictures, 1931), directed by William A. Wellman, stars Dorothy MacKaill in possibly her best movie role. Considering the fact that her screen career dates back to the silent era (1920s), it's actually hard to detect what other movies in which she appeared are as good as SAFE IN HELL. With some of her early talkies from her home studio unearth decades after its theatrical release shown on Turner Classic Movies, many cannot compare to the pre-code frankness of SAFE IN HELL. Even its title is red hot! As much as her character could have or might have been enacted by tough acting gals of either Barbara Stanwyck or Joan Blondell, MacKaill's Gilda is very much her role as Scarlett O'Hara was Vivien Leigh's in GONE WITH THE WIND (1939). Regardless of its age, SAFE IN HELL holds up very well, even today,
The story opens in New Orleans where Gilda Carlson (Dorothy MacKaill), a call girl, is assigned by Angie (Cecil Cunningham) to "entertain" a man whose wife is out of town and wants a good time. Coming to the Claybridge Apartments, Gilda discovers her "date" to be Peit Van Staal (Ralf Harolde), a former acquaintance. After forcing his attentions on her, Gilda knocks him out with a bottle and leaves before a fire starts. Learning the next morning by Angie that the Claybridge Apartments has burned down and Van Stall perished in the fire, fearing arrest for his murder, Gilda decides to leave town just as her seaman voyager boyfriend, Carl Bergen (Donald Cook), now promoted officer, returns and wants to marry her. Learning what has happened, Carl smuggles Gilda aboard ship bound for an island in the Caribbean where criminals roam free, no questions asked. Arriving at the hotel run by Leonie (Nina Mae McKinney) and Newcastle (Clarence Muse), Gilda, having been left behind while Carl goes on his next voyage, finds she is the only white woman living with five criminals all wanted on individual charges. Going crazy staying in her room alone to avoid their bedroom eyes, she breaks out one night in celebration with these men to break the monotony and nothing else. Met by a pleasant surprise by the island's next visitor, Gilda soon finds that she'd be "safe in hell" rather than cater to Bruno (Morgan Wallace) the island executioner, who knows everything there is about her. Also in the cast are John Wray, Ivan Simpson, Victor Varconi, Charles Middleton, Lionel Bellmore and Gustav Von Seyffertitz.
At first viewing, SAFE IN HELL is full or surprises, one of them being the natural and non-stereotypical performances by black performers, Clarence Muse and Nina Mae MacKinney. The charming and beautiful McKinney, best known for her co-lead performance in HALLELUJAH (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1929), sings "Sleepy Time Down South" quite pleasingly. Another being several scenes not permitted on screen after the production code by 1934 was enforced. The underscoring (a big plus) sets the mood, making the finish as mesmerizing as any climax can be. SAFE IN HELL also has the distinction of being one of the few films produced in 1931-32 to open with just its title, leaving the cast and staff credits for its finish, a practice commonly used in movies decades later. Material later revamped as MEN IN EXILE (Warner Brothers, 1937) starring Dick Purcell, June Travis and Victor Varconi (again).
Out of circulation for decades, SAFE IN HELL has enjoyed cable television rediscovery in the 190s on Turner Network Television (TNT), before becoming a regular fixture on Turner Classic Movies. While this is considered to be Dorothy MacKaill's strongest performance, it was also her last. Films that followed, with the exception of the seldom seen LOVE AFFAIR (Columbia, 1932) opposite a very young Humphrey Bogart, and the frequently revived NO MAN OF HER OWN (Paramount, 1932) starring Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, MacKaill's career was virtually finished by 1937. With availability on DVD, and sensitive performance given by Dorothy MacKaill, SAFE IN HELL, at 72 minutes, is highly recommended for anyone curious about "pre-code" movies such as this one. (***)
The story opens in New Orleans where Gilda Carlson (Dorothy MacKaill), a call girl, is assigned by Angie (Cecil Cunningham) to "entertain" a man whose wife is out of town and wants a good time. Coming to the Claybridge Apartments, Gilda discovers her "date" to be Peit Van Staal (Ralf Harolde), a former acquaintance. After forcing his attentions on her, Gilda knocks him out with a bottle and leaves before a fire starts. Learning the next morning by Angie that the Claybridge Apartments has burned down and Van Stall perished in the fire, fearing arrest for his murder, Gilda decides to leave town just as her seaman voyager boyfriend, Carl Bergen (Donald Cook), now promoted officer, returns and wants to marry her. Learning what has happened, Carl smuggles Gilda aboard ship bound for an island in the Caribbean where criminals roam free, no questions asked. Arriving at the hotel run by Leonie (Nina Mae McKinney) and Newcastle (Clarence Muse), Gilda, having been left behind while Carl goes on his next voyage, finds she is the only white woman living with five criminals all wanted on individual charges. Going crazy staying in her room alone to avoid their bedroom eyes, she breaks out one night in celebration with these men to break the monotony and nothing else. Met by a pleasant surprise by the island's next visitor, Gilda soon finds that she'd be "safe in hell" rather than cater to Bruno (Morgan Wallace) the island executioner, who knows everything there is about her. Also in the cast are John Wray, Ivan Simpson, Victor Varconi, Charles Middleton, Lionel Bellmore and Gustav Von Seyffertitz.
At first viewing, SAFE IN HELL is full or surprises, one of them being the natural and non-stereotypical performances by black performers, Clarence Muse and Nina Mae MacKinney. The charming and beautiful McKinney, best known for her co-lead performance in HALLELUJAH (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1929), sings "Sleepy Time Down South" quite pleasingly. Another being several scenes not permitted on screen after the production code by 1934 was enforced. The underscoring (a big plus) sets the mood, making the finish as mesmerizing as any climax can be. SAFE IN HELL also has the distinction of being one of the few films produced in 1931-32 to open with just its title, leaving the cast and staff credits for its finish, a practice commonly used in movies decades later. Material later revamped as MEN IN EXILE (Warner Brothers, 1937) starring Dick Purcell, June Travis and Victor Varconi (again).
Out of circulation for decades, SAFE IN HELL has enjoyed cable television rediscovery in the 190s on Turner Network Television (TNT), before becoming a regular fixture on Turner Classic Movies. While this is considered to be Dorothy MacKaill's strongest performance, it was also her last. Films that followed, with the exception of the seldom seen LOVE AFFAIR (Columbia, 1932) opposite a very young Humphrey Bogart, and the frequently revived NO MAN OF HER OWN (Paramount, 1932) starring Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, MacKaill's career was virtually finished by 1937. With availability on DVD, and sensitive performance given by Dorothy MacKaill, SAFE IN HELL, at 72 minutes, is highly recommended for anyone curious about "pre-code" movies such as this one. (***)
Nina Mae McKinney and Clarence Muse give rare non-stereotypical performances of the era in Safe in Hell
tavm4 February 2019
In looking at the list of movies Nina Mae McKinney appeared in on this site, it mentioned that her part in this movie-as well as that of fellow African-American player Clarence Muse-had them speaking normal English as opposed to the stereotypical dialect associated with their race in films during this period. They do indeed sound normal-actually Muse seemed British when he spoke-and refreshingly non-stereotypical. One other player of their race has a silent role as a guard-Noble Johnson who would two years later appear in a more-iconic movie called King Kong. The story itself, about a New Orleans prostitute who gets smuggled to an uncharted island after killing the man responsible for her situation, was quite compelling especially when she encounters both Nina and Clarence there as possibly the only people who seemed concerned for her well-being. There are some white counterparts who are like them but many of them have sordid pasts like that of that prostitute. In summary, I'll just say Safe in Hell was quite a compelling pre-Code drama. P.S. The song Ms. McKinney performs here-"When It's Sleepytime Down South"-was co-written by Muse.
And A Chance For Redemption
boblipton4 April 2023
Dorothy MacKaill kills the man who raped her and turned her to a life of prostitution. Sailor Donald Cook loves her and believes her. With the police close on her heels, he stows her away aboardship and smuggles her to a Caribbean island with no extradition treaty with the US, marries her as well as he can with no clergy, and leaves her in a hotel to await his return. But the hotel is filled with leering men who are wanted criminals in their own country, and she is the only White woman on the island.
For decades, this was only available in copies derived from 16mm prints. The copy that played today on Turner Classic Movies is restored from a 35mm copy, and while still slightly soft, is a lot clearer and cleaner than it has been in decade.
When I refer to cleanliness, I'm writing about the print. This is a pre-code movie directed by William Wellman, so there's a lot of grotesquerie in it. That's because Miss MacKaill is not only the protagonist, she's the point-of-view character, and her weary, uncertain efforts at redemption are the issue of the movie. The only admirable White characters are Cook, who seems naively in love; and in a rare turn as a good guy, Charles Middleton as her defense attorney. All the other White men -- and there are no White women in the film -- are venal, slovenly and/or lustful. Nina Mae McKinney as the hotel operator and Clarence Muse as the porter are cynical but ultimately decent people, in fine, rare dramatic roles in major productions.
For decades, this was only available in copies derived from 16mm prints. The copy that played today on Turner Classic Movies is restored from a 35mm copy, and while still slightly soft, is a lot clearer and cleaner than it has been in decade.
When I refer to cleanliness, I'm writing about the print. This is a pre-code movie directed by William Wellman, so there's a lot of grotesquerie in it. That's because Miss MacKaill is not only the protagonist, she's the point-of-view character, and her weary, uncertain efforts at redemption are the issue of the movie. The only admirable White characters are Cook, who seems naively in love; and in a rare turn as a good guy, Charles Middleton as her defense attorney. All the other White men -- and there are no White women in the film -- are venal, slovenly and/or lustful. Nina Mae McKinney as the hotel operator and Clarence Muse as the porter are cynical but ultimately decent people, in fine, rare dramatic roles in major productions.
Welcome to the hotel
dbdumonteil1 July 2008
"Safe in hell" what a title! When you watch it,you will agree that the title was thoroughly justified.
It was hard to be a hero (or a heroine ) in Wellman's brilliant movies of the thirties:from the wild boys of the street to Lilly Turner ,they all got a raw deal.
Gilda leaves a macho world to wind up in another macho world even more awful than the one she left behind.
The movie is short (about 70 minutes) and there are only two "happy" scenes in the whole story: the "wedding" ,a peak of romanticism and restrained emotion,and the short moment when the lovers meet again ,a scene very Borzagesque (there's a similar scene in "street angel" when Janet Gaynor asks the cop for one hour to say goodbye to the one she loves).
As for the rest ,it's a ruthless depiction of hateful males who only know one rule:theirs.The arrival of Gilda in this seedy place could only be filmed in the pre -code Hayes days: those men salivate like Pavlov's dogs ,getting an eyeful as Gilda comes up the stairs.
Like Tom in "heroes for sale" ,Gilda wants to keep her promise ;like him she gave everything;Tom hits the road and becomes a tramp ;Gilda's fate will be more terrible than his.
Another unusual melodrama by one of the past masters of the American cinema of the thirties/forties.
It was hard to be a hero (or a heroine ) in Wellman's brilliant movies of the thirties:from the wild boys of the street to Lilly Turner ,they all got a raw deal.
Gilda leaves a macho world to wind up in another macho world even more awful than the one she left behind.
The movie is short (about 70 minutes) and there are only two "happy" scenes in the whole story: the "wedding" ,a peak of romanticism and restrained emotion,and the short moment when the lovers meet again ,a scene very Borzagesque (there's a similar scene in "street angel" when Janet Gaynor asks the cop for one hour to say goodbye to the one she loves).
As for the rest ,it's a ruthless depiction of hateful males who only know one rule:theirs.The arrival of Gilda in this seedy place could only be filmed in the pre -code Hayes days: those men salivate like Pavlov's dogs ,getting an eyeful as Gilda comes up the stairs.
Like Tom in "heroes for sale" ,Gilda wants to keep her promise ;like him she gave everything;Tom hits the road and becomes a tramp ;Gilda's fate will be more terrible than his.
Another unusual melodrama by one of the past masters of the American cinema of the thirties/forties.
Safer in Heaven
AAdaSC14 July 2019
Dorothy Mackaill (Gilda) is a prostitute who gets assigned a client by her madam Cecil Cunningham (Angie). She turns up at the designated apartment and it's someone she knows and dislikes - Ralfe Harolde (Piet). Their paths have crossed when she was working for him and his wife caught them canoodling and what have you. As a result, Mackaill had fallen on hard times and entered into her current profession. Anyway, she doesn't like him. And she wastes him with a great bottle throw to the head. Ouch! I winced at that point. The apartment catches fire and burns down but there is a witness who can describe the female visitor that is Dorothy and the police come after her on a murder chasrge. Luckily, she has a sailor boyfriend Donald Cook (Carl) who helps her relocate to a Caribbean island where there are no extradition laws. However, there are a bunch of criminals all evading American justice and this is her new home as boyfriend Cook sails away on duty. Her aim is to remain true to her man but there is plenty of interest in her, especially from the bad guy jailor and executioner Morgan Wallace (Bruno). It is her relationship with him that motivates her truly crazy behaviour.
It's a good film, well acted with funny moments from her fellow hotel companions. But what on earth is that storyline about! No way! Mackaill's behaviour doesn't ring true so the film has to lose a mark for giving us a dumb-ass script. She's been a prostitute for goodness sake! Also, she has an opportunity to escape the island when sailorman Cook returns. Who wouldn't tell the truth to their loved one. What a load of tosh. Lose another mark for being so stupid.
Hotel manageress Nina Mae McKinney (Leonie) puts in a good performance as does Charles Middleton as a corrupt lawyer living on the island. It would have been nice to see him get romantic with Mackaill but the script didn't take that route. They seemed well suited. Mackaill carries the film well and it has a claustrophobic feel to the island location. Great introduction title card and first sequence with no-nonsense dialogue. This is definitely pre-code.
It's a good film, well acted with funny moments from her fellow hotel companions. But what on earth is that storyline about! No way! Mackaill's behaviour doesn't ring true so the film has to lose a mark for giving us a dumb-ass script. She's been a prostitute for goodness sake! Also, she has an opportunity to escape the island when sailorman Cook returns. Who wouldn't tell the truth to their loved one. What a load of tosh. Lose another mark for being so stupid.
Hotel manageress Nina Mae McKinney (Leonie) puts in a good performance as does Charles Middleton as a corrupt lawyer living on the island. It would have been nice to see him get romantic with Mackaill but the script didn't take that route. They seemed well suited. Mackaill carries the film well and it has a claustrophobic feel to the island location. Great introduction title card and first sequence with no-nonsense dialogue. This is definitely pre-code.
Surprisingly Good -
zeppo-4172710 May 2017
Safe in Hell uses inventive camera movement to convey character and mood, interesting subtle detail from the supporting actors and a quickly moving, intricate story with a few surprise twists -- Dorothy Mackail does a superb job at portraying Gilda, and doesn't fall into a lot of melodrama
I know it's pre-code, but it's one of the frankest pre-codes I can think of... there's really no doubt about Gilda's past...
It clips along quite nicely - yeah.. there are a couple of holes in the plot, but so what?
If you don't mind an intricate story that unfolds at a deliberate pace, and the B&W and popping-sound track isn't a problem, you could do a lot worse than Safe in Hell.
I know it's pre-code, but it's one of the frankest pre-codes I can think of... there's really no doubt about Gilda's past...
It clips along quite nicely - yeah.. there are a couple of holes in the plot, but so what?
If you don't mind an intricate story that unfolds at a deliberate pace, and the B&W and popping-sound track isn't a problem, you could do a lot worse than Safe in Hell.
pre-Code drama
SnoopyStyle4 April 2023
Gilda Karlson (Dorothy Mackaill) is a prostitute in New Orleans. She is sent to a hotel room for a John. It turns out to be Piet Van Saal (Ralf Harolde), the man who drove her into prostitution. She starts fighting and ends up burning down the room with him in it. She joins her ex-lover sailor Carl Erickson (Donald Cook) to escape to a Caribbean island but he quickly leaves on a ship. She is left alone in a place full of leering male gazes.
This is a pre-Code drama based on a play. It's trying to be shocking and lurid. It has potential to go that way. Maybe it shocked the audience of its day. It ends up a bit light for modern purposes. It's a bunch of people getting drunk with nothing much else to do. They are a bunch of no good scallywags, but nothing too scary. The big twist doesn't make much sense. It's a coincidence of all coincidences. That must be the only bar on the only island. The big trick is a little dirty, but it doesn't get to play that thread out.
This is a pre-Code drama based on a play. It's trying to be shocking and lurid. It has potential to go that way. Maybe it shocked the audience of its day. It ends up a bit light for modern purposes. It's a bunch of people getting drunk with nothing much else to do. They are a bunch of no good scallywags, but nothing too scary. The big twist doesn't make much sense. It's a coincidence of all coincidences. That must be the only bar on the only island. The big trick is a little dirty, but it doesn't get to play that thread out.
Leaving The Bad Girls For Good
writers_reign14 July 2008
Warning: Spoilers
This is an early talkie from William Wellman who went on to make some excellent movies like Battleground. It's an out-an-out and unashamed meller with not a lot of originality in the one about the hooker who lucks into a good man who's prepared to help her escape justice after she murders a 'trick'. Being a seaman he is obliged to leave her on an island in which she is the only white woman which makes her the lust object for the other white men, outlaws to a man, already holed up there. One of them, the gaoler-cum-executioner, is especially taken with her and steals the mail the seaman is writing to her, letting her think she is abandoned. The guy she 'murdered' in New Orleans turns up on the island leaving her free to return to New Orleans which doesn't sit well with the executioner, who 'lends' her a gun (which is against the law of the island), knowing she is almost sure to shoot the guy she already shot again. I could go on but I'm sure if I did you'd be ahead of me. For the time (1931) this was fair entertainment even with no durable actors.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
