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Rain
(1932)
A woman with shame.
A woman without soul.
Director: Lewis Milestone, rated Approved (Pre-Code)
  Starring:
Joan Crawford, Walter Huston, Fred Howard, Ben Hendricks Jr.,
William Gargan, Mary Shaw, Guy Kibbee, Kendall Lee, Beulah Bondi,
Matt Moore, Walter Catlett
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★☆☆☆
- good
"Why you miserable
snail-snatcher! I wouldn't talk to you if you and me were the
only two people left on earth. Why, you're so doggone mean it
makes me sick even to look at ya! That's what I think of you!" -
Sadie Thompson
Why watch this? Joan
Crawford is fierce in this brow-raising film about religious
hypocrisy.
Plot Summary:
When a cholera quarantine abruptly strands a group of travelers
on tropical island, a flamboyant and fiercely independent woman
named Sadie Thompson seeks amusement from the local U.S.
military personnel. Her uninhibited behavior quickly attracts
the ire of Reverend Alfred Davidson, a fanatical missionary who
resolves to aggressively save her soul. As the torrential
downpours trap them together in close quarters, a grueling
psychological clash ensues between Sadie's defiant spirit and
the minister's increasingly obsessive crusade.
Click
HERE to watch the full movie on YouTube (it is in the
public-domain).
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Dad's Preview: The more
the human story changes, the more it stays the same.
This lusty tale, that shamelessly pits the wild girl
against the Christian minister, manages to take neither
side, instead exposing that age old saying, "Everything
in excess is bad." Both are head-strong, and that is the
problem: neither will relent or see the others' point of
view. The merciless rain holds everything down like the
weight of judgment and shame. I have not watched a lot
of early Crawford films, but here, I can see why she
became such a star - there is a determination deep
within, and she dominates this pre-code classic film. |
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Lewis Milestone;
United Artists
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