The Story of Temple Drake
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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The Story of Temple Drake is a 1933 Pre-Code drama film adapted from the highly controversial novel Sanctuary by William Faulkner. Though watered down, the movie was still so scandalous, it was one of the reasons for the introduction of the Hays Code. It starred Miriam Hopkins as a wild Southern woman who falls into the hands of a gang led by the brutal Trigger, played by Jack La Rue.
The film was remade in 1961, this time under the book's original title, directed by Tony Richardson, and with Lee Remick as Temple Drake, Yves Montand as Trigger (this time renamed Candy), Bradford Dillman, Harry Townes, and Odetta in a rare film appearance.
Long unseen except in bootleg 16mm prints, the film was restored by the Museum of Modern Art and re-premiered in 2011 at the TCM Classic Film Festival.
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Plot
Temple Drake, a young university student from a prominent Mississippi family, is raped and forced into prostitution by a backwoods character. An idealistic lawyer eventually persuades her to tell the truth on the witness stand. According to Pre-Code scholar Thomas Doherty, the film implies that the deeds done to her are in recompense for her immorality.
The relatively upbeat ending of the film is in marked contrast to the ending of Faulkner's novel Sanctuary, in which Temple perjures herself in court, resulting in the lynching of an innocent man.
Cast
- Miriam Hopkins as Temple Drake
- Jack La Rue as Trigger
- William Gargan as Stephen Benbow
- William Collier, Jr. as Toddy Gowan
- Irving Pichel as Lee Goodwin
- Guy Standing as Judge Drake, Temple's grandfather
- Elizabeth Patterson as Aunt Jennie
- Florence Eldridge as Ruby Lemar
- James Eagles as Tommy
- Harlan Knight as Pap
Production
George Raft turned down the male lead.<ref>PROJECTION JOTTINGS New York Times (1923-Current file) [New York, N.Y] 19 Feb 1933: X5.</ref>
See also
