TCM Film Festival-THE STORY OF TEMPLE DRAKE

The Story of Temple Drake
Based on the controversial novel “Sanctuary” by William Faulkner, Temple Drake has long been a notorious film that was nearly impossible to see.  I have known a few people who owned really bad copies of it, but I couldn’t bring myself to see it that way.  There are some glimpses of it in the documentary Girl 27, but they are brief.  Released in 1933 shortly before the strict enforcement of the production code, Temple Drake was pulled and censor Joseph Breen said it would never be re-released.  I’ve heard for years that the Miriam Hopkins is reported to be one of the greatest “lost” performances in Hollywood History.  I was eager to see it and discover why.





In the film Temple Drake is a wealthy, wild southern society girl who is known for her promiscuity.  A young lawyer (played by William Gargan) proposes to her, but she refuses.  One night she is kidnapped by a group of bootleggers and raped by a gangster named “Trigger” (Jack La Rue).  She runs away with him, leading to dire results.  It is easy to see how this could have inflamed audiences at the time, but in my opinion they are missing the point entirely.  The Story of Temple Drake is actually a very moral story, as in the end the heroine redeems herself at great personal cost.  It is a story of redemption and self sacrifice that is emotionally resonant to this day.  This is completely lost on the censors and objectors at the time.  I’m very curious to read the book and find out how it differs. 





The print of this film was stunning and I believe it was struck directly from the nitrate negative.  Cinematographer Karl Struss did some fantastic work capturing a south filled with light, shadows and gothic desperation.  I have only seen a few Miriam Hopkins films before and she is an incredible talent and it seems an underrated, underutilized one at that.  She should have been a much bigger star.  Her performance is spot on and never feels false.  She has an electrifying energy that fills the screen and beautifully inhabits the role.  Jack La Rue also turns in great work here as the violent gangster.  The rape scene is frightening and the look on his face is a big reason why.  He is menace personified.  Overall the film is a powerful story and it is a terrible shame it has been kept locked away in a vault for decades.  I’m hoping that it will eventually be out on DVD or screened more often at film festivals or repertory houses.  This is lost gem deserves to be seen and appreciated!

2 Comments:

1. I wish I was there to see this movie!  It is one of the films I just have to see.

   Posted by kimpunkrock on 08/06 at 10:32 AM