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The most notorious pre-Code shocker comes to Criterion — and proves to be a superior drama with an entirely mature, sound outlook on the political issues around women’s sexuality and personal freedom.

The film is based on a William Faulkner story, and you can definitely see his Southern Gothic style and themes coming through. Temple Drake (Miriam Hopkins) is the flirtatious granddaughter of a well-respected judge. She flits from boy to boy, teasing and going further than a respectable woman of the time should, but not as far as the boys would like. She’s loved by the upstanding Stephen, a young lawyer who she refuses to marry. One night as she’s out with another boy, their car crashes and they’re intercepted by a rough family of bootleggers – a family with men who take what they want and won’t put up with Temple’s “no” the way the boys she’s used to do. This is a world where she’s not in control, and sex is a weapon wielded by men, not a game played by women...

Director: Stephen Roberts
Cast: Miriam Hopkins, William Gargan, Jack La Rue
Country: USA
Genre: Drama

BD50, DVD9 | 1080p AVC, NTSC | 01:11:24 | 32.1 Gb + 6.46 Gb
Language: English
Subtitles: English

Extras:

• Honest Expression - in this new program, critic and author Mick LaSalle (Complicated Women: Sex and Power in Pre-Code Hollywood) discusses The Story of Temple Drake and some of its key themes and qualities that made it controversial. The program was produced exclusively for Criterion in 2019. In English, not subtitled. (15 min, 1080p).

• Pre-Code Powerhouse - in this new program, critic Sara Imogen Smith discusses the visual style of The Story of Temple Drake and Miriam Hopkins' performance. The program was produced exclusively for Criterion in 2019. In English, not subtitled. (20 min, 1080p).

• Casting A Shadow - in this new program, cinematographer John Bailey and Matt Severson, director of the Margaret Herrick Library at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, examine the main reason why The Story of Temple Drake was once considered unfilmable as well as its cinematography. The program was created by filmmaker Daniel Raim in 2019. In English, not subtitled. (18 min, 1080p).