I’m grateful that writer Oliver H.P. Garrett changed things up.”The Story of Temple Drake” benefits in being different from the original source material and if you want to watch an entertaining pre-code film, definitely give “The Story of Temple Drake” a try!
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Click here to purchase “The Story of Temple Drake” on Amazon
TITLE: The Story of Temple Drake – The Criterion Collection #1006
YEAR OF FILM: 1933
DURATION: 71 Minutes
DVD INFORMATION: Black and White, 1:33:1 Aspect Ratio, Monaural with English SDH
COMPANY: The Criterion Collection
RELEASED: December 3, 2019
Based on the Novel by William Faulkner
Directed by Stephen Roberts
Screenplay by Oliver H.P. Garrett
Producer: Samuel Fuller
Music by QHarry Sukman
Cinematography by Joseph F. Biroc
Edited by Gene Fowler Jr.
Art Direction by John B. Mansbridge
Set Decoration by Chester Bayhi, Walter M. Scott
Costume Design by Charles Le Maire, Leah Rhodes
Starring:
Miriam Hopkins as Temple Drake
William Gargan as Stephen Benbow
Jack La Rue as Trigger
Florence Eldridge as Ruby Lemarr
Guy Standing as Judge Drake
Irving Pichel as Lee Goodwin
Jobyna Howland as Miss Reba
William Collier Jr. as Toddy Gowan
Elizabeth Patterson as Aunt Jennie
Jim Mason as Van
Louise Beavers as Minnie
Loosely adapted from William Faulknerâ’s controversial novel Sanctuary, this notorious pre-Code melodrama stars Miriam Hopkins as Temple Drake, the coquettish granddaughter of a respected small-town judge. When a boozehound date strands her at a bootleggers hideout, Temple is subjected to an act of nightmarish sexual violence and plunged into a criminal underworld that threatens to swallow her up completely. 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.
In 1931, the novel “Sanctuary” by William Faulkner was released. A controversial book of its time, it dealt with the abduction and rape of a well-bred Mississippi college girl.
The novel would lead to a sequel in 1951 titled “Requiem for a Nun” and both books would receive a film adaptation.
But the first film adaptation of “Sanctuary” was “The Story of Temple Drake” which is a loose adaptation of the book.
Because of the subject matter, “The Story of Temple Drake” would be among the films criticized and would lead to the Hays Code (or “The Motion Picture Production Code” which was a set of industry moral guidelines for the self-censorship of content applied to US motion pictures from 1934 to 1968.
The film was released on Blu-ray and DVD courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
“The Story of Temple Drake” is set in the American South. Temple Drake (portrayed by Miriam Hopkins) lives with her grandfather, a judge and a socialite trying to have fun with the men she dates. She likes to flirt but never goes to the next level.
Despite having a lawyer friend, Stephen Benbow (portrayed by William Collier Jr.) asking Temple to marry him, she declines (twice).
Temple goes out with Toddy Gowan (portrayed by William Collier Jr.), who is driving drunk and crashes his car on a dilapidated plantation.
The two are greeted by Trigger, a gangster and bootlegger and Tommy (portrayed by James Eagles).
For Toddy, he’s drunk and still wants to drink but Temple doesn’t want to go anywhere with these men. The two are taken to a speakeasy (an illegal pub that were hidden from the public due to the prohibition) ran by Lee Goodwin (portrayed by Irving Pichel) and while Toddy gets drunk with the men, the only person she can talk to is Lee’s wife Ruby Lemarr (portrayed by Florence Eldridge).
Temple knows that she is definitely in the wrong part of town and when she goes to get sleep, all the men look at Temple Drake as fair game.
She is nearly sexually assaulted while sleeping and Ruby tells her to go out to the barn and sleep as no one will bother her. Meanwhile, Toddy who is drunk tries to fight Trigger but he is too drunk and he is knocked out by Trigger.
But while Temple is sleeping, Trigger arrives and while Tommy is there to see Trigger go to the stall, Trigger shoots him dead. Meanwhile, he rapes Temple.
Trigger tries to make her into a gun moll (accomplice).
After being raped and abducted, will Temple become Trigger’s accomplice? Or can she find a way to escape from him?
VIDEO & AUDIO:
“The Story of Temple Drake” is presented in black and white (1:33:1 Aspect Ratio). According to the Criterion Collection, the high-definition digital transfer was created from a 35 mm internegative. The HD transfer and restoration were completed at FotoKem in Burbank, California, under the supervision of Twentieth Century Fox.
The film looks absolutely great on DVD, but I can only imagine how this film would look even more amazing in HD via Blu-ray.
As for audio, the original monaural soundtrack was remastered from the 35 mm optical soundtrack negative using Avid’s Pro Tools and iZotope RX.
Dialogue and music is clear with no sign of any hiss, crackling or pops throughout the film.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“The Story of Temple Drake” comes with the following special features:
- High-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
- New program featuring a conversation between cinematographer John Bailey and Matt Severson, director of the Margaret Herrick Library at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, about the film’s visual style, as well as archival materials relating to its production
- New program featuring critic Imogen Sara Smith on the complexity of the film and its central performance by Miriam Hopkins
- New interview with critic Mick LaSalle about the film, censorship, and the Production Code
EXTRAS:
- Featuring a quad-fold insert featuring the essay titled “Notorious” by critic Geoffrey O’Brien
One thing that came to my head after watching “The Story of Temple Drake” is how many people probably expected a comedy/drama revolving Temple Drake (portrayed by Miriam Hopkins) and her friend Stephen Benbow (portrayed by William Gargan). But instead, they find out its a harrowing drama about a woman who is raped and abducted by a gangster.
Based on the novel “Sanctuary” by William Faulkner, the film is completely different from the novel.
One, the main difference is how Temple Drake was raped. Second, how Temple Drake becomes after the rape.
The novel goes into how the rape affects Temple Drake negatively but at the same time, she is shown to possibly enjoy being a sexual object. While in “The Story of Temple Drake”, actress Miriam Hopkins does a wonderful job of playing a young woman who is repulsed and is scared of the men at the Speakeasy and her change after the rape is much more realistic.
Of course, this film was the subject of discussion when the Hays Code came into play because, of the rape, the death and how carefree Temple Drake is as a woman and the men she is with.
I’ve read posts on social media of people who believe Temple Drake is responsible for her rape because of her carefree lifestyle with men, while others say no one deserves to be raped. What it comes down to is being in the wrong place at the wrong time and in a terrible place to be, Temple Drake is a victim and the film is primarily about what will happen to Temple? Will she stay with her rapist? Will she escape from him?
Needless to say, it’s a film that encouraged debates, a film that was fortunate for being made as year before the Hays Code and while made in 1933, the storyline still can be appreciated in 2020 as there are women who have been in Temple Drake’s unfortunate situation.
The way “The Story of Temple Drake” ends is also different from the book and in a way, that’s probably a good thing. The book is much darker, the characters as one would say in today’s modern world, “are fucked up characters”. In the 1933 film, there is hope in Temple Drake that this version of her doesn’t become the version of her featured in the book.
And for that, I’m grateful that writer Oliver H.P. Garrett changed things up.”The Story of Temple Drake” benefits in being different from the original source material and if you want to watch an entertaining pre-code film, definitely give “The Story of Temple Drake” a try!
Click here to purchase “The Story of Temple Drake” on Amazon