Sadie Thompson (1928)

Director:

Raoul Walsh

Writers:

W. Somerset Maugham (story)
Raoul Walsh (adaptation)

Release Date:

7 January 1928 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Sadie could storm any barrack she attacked! Magnetism had never been heard of until she hit town! What a woman! You'll say so, too!

Plot:

Sadie Thompson arrives in Pago-Pago to start a new life, but when extremist missionary Davidson lashes...

Plot Keywords:

South Seas | Religion | Reformer | Seduction | Suicide

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Lionel Barrymore	...	Alfred Davidson
Blanche Friderici	...	Mrs. Alfred Davidson
Charles Lane	...	Dr. Angus McPhail
Florence Midgley	...	Mrs. Angus McPhail
James A. Marcus	...	Joe Horn, the trader
Sophia Artega	...	Ameena
Will Stanton	...	Quartermaster Bates
Raoul Walsh	...	Sergeant Timothy 'Tim' O'Hara
Gloria Swanson	...	Sadie Thompson

Runtime:

USA:91 min (reconstructed version) | USA:97 min (original version)

Country:

USA

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

USA:Unrated | Finland:(Banned) (1928) | Finland:K-16 (1929)

Filming Locations:

Santa Catalina Island, Channel Islands, California, USA

Company:

Gloria Swanson Pictures

Trivia:

The musical version of Sadie Thompson opened at the Alvin Theater on November 16, 1944 and ran for 60 performances.

Quotes:

Sadie Thompson: [to Mr. Davidson] You've got the power to hang me but I've got the power to tell you - hang me and be damned!
Alfred Davidson: [to his wife, wiping his forehead] That girl is possessed with devils!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Why Be Good? Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema (2007)

Swanson's Finest Silent Performance in the Classic Maugham Story

During his lifetime Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) was best known for such novels as OF HUMAN BONDAGE and such plays as THE CIRCLE; today, however, he is chiefly recalled for his short stories, of which the 1921 "Miss Thompson" is easily the most famous. The original story was soon adapted for the stage under the title RAIN--and it was a tremendous success. The play has been performed countless times and continues to be revived on a consistent basis; there have also been three major screen adaptations.

The best of these is the 1928 silent film SADIE THOMPSON starring Gloria Swanson (1897-1983.) Swanson was perhaps the first Hollywood "Diva," an actress as controversial as she was popular. By the late 1920s her liaison with the infamous Joe Kennedy (father of John, Robert, and Ted) gave her the clout to become her own producer, and with Kennedy money behind her she selected the Maugham story and cast herself in the title role.

It was an inspired choice. Swanson had somewhat hard features and tremendous attitude, and many consider that this is her best overall performance. The story concerns the collision of a brash prostitute (Swanson) and a holier-than-thou minister (Lionel Barrymore) who find themselves trapped by quarantine and monsoon rains in a rundown hotel on Pago-Pago. Needless to say, the sparks fly--especially when Davidson pressures the island governor to deport Sadie as soon as possible. But it gradually transpires that Davidson may have more than one reason for wanting Sadie gone: it may be that he finds her a temptation himself.

SADIE THOMPSON would be Swanson's last great success in the silent era--the later QUEEN KELLY was never finished or widely released. But like most other silent films, it was buried by the advent of sound, and over the years the final ten or fifteen minutes of the film was completely lost. Without a conclusion, it was rarely shown even after interest in silent films revived. Fortunately, Kino has been able to restore the conclusion with a mixture of film fragments, stills, and title card recreations, and the brazen Sadie, the dour Dr. Davidson, and the statement made about intolerance, temptation, and hypocrisy live and breathe once more.

The picture quality shows age, but on the whole it is quite good and probably the best available short of digital restoration. The bonuses are slight but interesting, including comparisons of key scenes from the original story, the playscript, the 1928 Swanson version, and the 1932 Joan Crawford version, which was titled RAIN. (Comparison with the 1953 Rita Hayworth version, titled MISS SADIE THOMPSON, is not made; this version, however, is negligible.) KINO Video has done a tremendous job of restoring, preserving, and once more making this memorable film available. If you're a fan of Maugham, Swanson, or silent film in general, SADIE THOMPSON is a must-have.