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S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

Directed by Stephen Roberts
USA 1933

 

Loosely adapted from William Faulkner’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.

***

William Faulkner's novel Sanctuary was a notorious bestseller upon its publication in 1931, and while it was successful enough that Paramount Pictures quickly snapped up the film rights, they were forced to change enough of the story to make it fit for the screen (even in the "Pre-Code" era) that by the time it reached theaters the title had been changed to The Story of Temple Drake. Temple (Miriam Hopkins) is a free-spirited girl being raised by a well-respected judge (Guy Standing) after the death of her mother. Temple has a wild streak and a taste for liquor and men she can bend to her will, and while principled lawyer Stephen Benbow (William Gargan) wants to marry her, she's not willing to settle down. While joyriding with Toddy Gowan (William Collier Jr.), a young man with more bravado than sense who wrecks their car, Temple ends up in the decaying home of Lee Goodwin (Irving Pichel), who with leering, sharp suited gangster Trigger (Jack La Rue) makes and sells moonshine. While Lee's life Ruby (Florence Eldridge) and dim-witted helper Tommy (James Eagles) try to protect Temple, cold-hearted Trigger shoots Tommy, rapes Temple and takes her away to the city, where she falls into a relationship with the gangster governed by both attraction and fear. While the most sordid aspects of Sanctuary were excised by screenwriter Oliver H.P. Garrett and director Stephen Roberts, The Story of Temple Drake was still quite controversial on its initial release, and within a few months of its release, Will Hayes and Joseph Breen overhauled the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America's production code and strengthened enforcement of its guidelines on content, making it virtually impossible for a major studio to make a film like it again until the 1960s.

Excerpt from B+N located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: May 6th, 1933 (New York City, New York)

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Review: Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Box Cover

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Distribution Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime 1:11:24.321        
Video

1.33:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 34,631,081,234 bytes

Feature: 21,227,900,928 bytes

Video Bitrate: 35.51 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate Blu-ray:

Audio

LPCM Audio English 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit

Subtitles English (SDH), None
Features Release Information:
Studio:
Criterion

 

1.33:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 34,631,081,234 bytes

Feature: 21,227,900,928 bytes

Video Bitrate: 35.51 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Edition Details:

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 (17:58)
New program featuring critic Imogen Sara Smith on the complexity of the film and its central performance by Miriam Hopkins (19:15)
New interview with critic Mick LaSalle about the film, censorship, and the Production Code (14:21)
PLUS: An essay by critic Geoffrey O’Brien


Blu-ray Release Date:
December 3rd, 2019
Transparent Blu-ray Case

Chapters 13

 

 

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray (November 2019): Criterion have transferred the 1933 Pre-Code The Story of Temple Drake to Blu-ray. It is on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate. The predominant feature of the image is the thick, lush, grain textures that permeate the 1080P presentation. I loved the appearance of this, almost 90-year old, film in HD. There is some, predictable, contrast flickering but surprisingly strong detail in the occasional close-ups. Looks marvelous.

On their Blu-ray, Criterion use a linear PCM mono track (24-bit) transfer for the audio - in the original English language. It has the expected issues for a film of this era with some weakness that would be inherent in the original. The music in the film is by Karl Hajos (Werewolf of London, Supernatural, Summer Storm) and Bernhard Kaun (Dangerous, 1931's Frankenstein) that is tinny but adds to the film's vintage charms. Criterion offer optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

Criterion add three new, self-produced, video featurettes. Honest Expression features critic and author Mick LaSalle (Complicated Women: Sex and Power in Pre-Code Hollywood) addressing the controversies over The Story of Temple Drake and contextualizing the film within the cultural climate and encroaching censorship of the 1930s for about 1/4 hour. Casting a Shadow runs 18-minutes and was made by filmmaker Daniel Raim in 2019, and features cinematographer John Bailey and Matt Severson, director of the Margaret Herrick Library at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, exploring the filming challenges and cinematography of The Story of Temple Drake. Lastly, Pre-Code Powerhouse is a 20-minute interview with critic Imogen Sara Smith delving into the multifaceted lead performance and visual style of The Story of Temple Drake. The package has a liner notes booklet with an essay by critic Geoffrey O’Brien.

Fans of vintage cinema, especially the Pre-Code era will eat up this crime-romance-courtroom-drama tale with hypnotic Miriam Hopkins. The Story of Temple Drake is a strong representation of the era's cinema and Criterion have brought it to the impressive Blu-ray format with educational supplements that explore the film's, and entire Pre-Code Era's history. The a/v, considering when it was made, is outstanding. Ohh how wonderful it was to curl up and watch this tantalizing beauty of movie-days gone-by. Strongly recommended! 

Gary Tooze

 


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Box Cover

CLICK to order from:

Distribution Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray


 


 

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Gary Tooze

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