The Story of Temple Drake

It's odd that this pre-Code morality tale was withdrawn by Paramount shortly after release, considering that despite its salacious content it pointed out that the girl at the center was capable of noble redemption. However that may be, "The Story of Temple Drake" works well on its own terms as a story about a flirtatious Southern belle (Miriam Hopkins in one of her best performances) whose behavioral excesses get her into a mighty mess with a band of bootleggers, including a character named Trigger (Jack LaRue in a role George Raft refused) and an embittered harridan interestingly played by Florence Eldridge (real life wife of Fredric March). Both actors benefit from Karl Struss's evocative photography.

Director Stephen Roberts and screenwriter Oliver H.P. Garrett do their early 30's best to cinematize a complicated novel (by William Faulkner) by crunching long passages of text into visually suggestive nuggets. The trouble with the gang of ne'er-do-wells is that none of them have even a twinge of a southern twang except James Eagles as the dimwitted Tommy. Besides him, the only key actor with even a slight southern accent in the whole film is Hopkins. William Gargan contrasts perfectly with the criminals as the clean-cut lawyer who loves and defends Hopkins despite her dark side. The drama builds to a breathless, memorable conclusion, concisely shot and directed for maximum effect.