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The screen adaptation of William Faulkner’s sensational novel Sanctuary, The Story of Temple Drake is a case study for how Hollywood adapted “sensitive” subjects to be permissible under the Production Code prior in the pre-Code era. Soon-to-be head of the Production Code Administration Joseph Breen pondered whether readers of the book would charge Paramount with “fraud,” given the tameness the screen version. The film was designed around Miriam Hopkins’ star persona, and she rivets the screen as Temple Drake, a Southern belle with a wild streak whose night out with bootleggers results in murder, rape and sexual captivity. The actress welcomed the controversy of the film’s content, preferring challenging roles like Temple, regardless of their moral implications and Hollywood censorship.
35mm, b/w, 70 min. Production: Paramount Pictures. Distribution: Paramount Pictures. Producer: Benjamin Glazer. Director: Stephen Roberts. Based on a novel by William Faulkner. Screenwriter: Oliver H.P. Garrett. Cinematographer: Karl Struss. Cast: Miriam Hopkins, William Gargan, Jack La Rue, Florence Eldridge, Guy Standing.
