The Story of Temple Drake

Play trailer

The Story of Temple Drake

Released May 6, 1933

1h 10m

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

7 Reviews

62%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

A hedonistic woman kills her rapist and admits to it during trial to save a man who is falsely accused.

Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

The film, directed by Stephen Roberts, is a progressive provocation riding solely on its considerable shock value as well as a signature role for actress Miriam Hopkins.

Rated: 3/5

Aug 10, 2020

Full Review

Nathanael Hood

The Retro Set

Essential Pre-code cinema? Yes.

Rated: 7/10

Jan 9, 2020

Full Review

Mattie Lucas

From the Front Row

Made with the full knowledge of how society at large felt about "girls like her," and those stereotypes of the "loose woman" are consistently interrogated and subverted.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jan 4, 2020

Full Review

James Kendrick

Q Network Film Desk

quite a good film apart from its scandalous reputation, which tends to overshadow any of its other accomplishments

Rated: 3/4

Dec 27, 2019

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

If anyone needs an example of the sort of movie that forced the Hays Office prudes to become moral watchdogs over the American film industry, The Story of Temple Drake will serve just fine.

Rated: 3/4

Dec 15, 2019

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Dated melodrama.

Rated: C+

Nov 8, 2012

Full Review

Read all reviews

Madam D

Miriam Hopkins did a good job of acting. However, this movie is so dated that the "bad" woman has really done nothing wrong. She dates lots of men, is raped, kidnapped & kills the man who raped her.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/16/25

Full Review

acsdoug D

Excellent pre-coder with an excellent performance by the lovely Miriam Hopkins.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

05/21/24

Full Review

Steve D

I applaud Hopkins but she alone can't make it do anything but shock.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/03/24

Full Review

Audience Member

I've never been a huge Faulkner fan, but I wanted to watch this because it was so controversial at the time that it was banned and remains difficult to find even today. This movie is one of the films that was directly responsible for the enactment of the Hays Code. I don't like people telling me what I'm not supposed to watch, so I sought it out. It's a good story that addresses some of the misogynistic views toward sexual assault that we still cling to today. The last time I checked it was available in its entirety on Youtube. Watch it.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

Full Review

Audience Member

great supporting cast

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Disappointing pre-code film. While certainly dark in tone, it doesn't have the punch of Faulkner's novel.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Stephen Roberts

Director

Oscar Apfel

District Attorney

Clem Beauchamp

Jellybean

Arthur Belasco

Wharton

John Carradine

Courtroom spectator

William Collier Jr.

Toddy Gowan

Broken Lullaby

100%

100%

Broken Lullaby

Watchlist

Limehouse Blues

23%

%

Limehouse Blues

Watchlist

Shanghai Express

96%

79%

Shanghai Express

Watchlist

It

88%

81%

It

Watchlist

The Devil Is a Woman

56%

70%

The Devil Is a Woman

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

A hedonistic woman kills her rapist and admits to it during trial to save a man who is falsely accused.

Director: Stephen Roberts
Producer: Benjamin Glazer
Screenwriter: William Faulkner, Oliver H.P. Garrett, Maurine Dallas Watkins
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 6, 1933, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 1, 2018
Runtime: 1h 10m