- Nominated for 2 Oscars.
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Cast verified as complete
| Lionel Barrymore | ... |
Alfred Davidson
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| Blanche Friderici | ... |
Mrs. Alfred Davidson
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Charles Lane | ... |
Dr. Angus McPhail
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Florence Midgley | ... |
Mrs. Angus McPhail
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James A. Marcus | ... |
Joe Horn
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Sofia Ortega | ... |
Ameena
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| Will Stanton | ... |
Quartermaster Bates
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| Raoul Walsh | ... |
Sergeant Timothy O'Hara
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| Gloria Swanson | ... |
Sadie Thompson
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Charles Sullivan | ... |
Marine (uncredited)
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Directed by
| Raoul Walsh | ||
Written by
| W. Somerset Maugham | ... | (story) |
| Raoul Walsh | ... | (adaptation) |
| C. Gardner Sullivan | ... | (titles) |
| John Colton | ... | (play "Rain") (uncredited) |
| Clemence Randolph | ... | (play "Rain") (uncredited) |
Produced by
| Gloria Swanson | ... | producer (uncredited) |
| Raoul Walsh | ... | producer (uncredited) |
Music by
| Joseph Turrin | ... | (1987) |
Cinematography by
| George Barnes | ... | (photographed by) |
| Robert Kurrle | ... | (photographed by) |
| Oliver T. Marsh | ... | (photographed by) (as Oliver Marsh) |
Editing by
| C. Gardner Sullivan | ... | (edited by) |
Art Direction by
| William Cameron Menzies | ||
Production Management
| Pierre Bedard | ... | production manager (uncredited) |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| William Tummel | ... | assistant director (uncredited) |
Additional Crew
| Dennis Doros | ... | archivist (uncredited) |
Production Companies
- Gloria Swanson Pictures (present) (A Raoul Walsh Production)
Distributors
- United Artists (1928) (United States) (theatrical) (as A United Artists Production)
- United Artists (1928) (Canada) (theatrical) (as United Artists Corporation, Ltd.)
- Allied Artists Corporation (1928) (United Kingdom) (theatrical) (as Allied Artists Corporation, Ltd.)
- United Artists (Australasia) (1928) (Australia) (theatrical)
- Los Artistas Unidos de América del Sur (1928) (Argentina) (theatrical)
- Les Artistes Associés (1928) (France) (theatrical)
- Les Artistes Associés S.A.B. (1928) (Belgium) (theatrical)
- United Artists (1928) (Sweden) (theatrical) (as United Artiss a/b)
- United Artists Film-Verleih (1928) (Germany) (theatrical)
- Kommunenes Filmcentral (KF) (1928) (Norway) (theatrical)
- Passport Video (2007) (United States) (DVD)
- Kino Video (1987) (United States) (VHS)
- Kino Video (2001) (United States) (DVD)
Special Effects
Other Companies
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
A steamship originating from San Francisco has just docked on the South Pacific island of Tutuila at the port of Pago Pago, where some US Marines are stationed. Among the passengers is Sadie Thompson, for who Pago Pago is only a transit stop in that she is on her way to Apia on the nearby island of Upolu, where she is to start work for the steamship company itself. Circumstances force her to stay in Pago Pago additional days, which places her in a difficult situation as she starts to run out of money. Sadie is either fun-loving or a harlot depending on one's perspective; Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Davidson, fellow passengers on that steamship, hold the latter perspective. Davidson, a self-professed deacon, is a reformer who has the ear of all the governors representing the South Pacific islands. His self-righteous and sanctimonious beliefs and attitudes include sinners needing to show true penance to achieve ultimate salvation. He believes that Sadie is a prostitute who will continue to ply her trade in Apia. He is only half right as she was a prostitute in San Francisco, until she left to start life anew. Davidson confronts her with his beliefs about her, threatening to get the governor to deport her back to San Francisco, which would be her worst nightmare as she is also escaping other things in San Francisco. By this time, Sadie and U.S. Marine Sergeant Tim O'Hara have fallen in love; Tim knows her past but still wants to marry her and take her to start a new life in Sydney. Tim does what he can to stop the powerful Davidson, who is not as righteous as he wants the world to believe. Written by Huggo |
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| Taglines | 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! See more » |
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| Parents Guide | Add content advisory for parents » |
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Additional Details
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Box Office
| Budget | $650,000 (estimated) |
Did You Know?
| Trivia | Unseen for many years because the last reel had decomposed, the final eight minutes have been reconstructed using production stills and title cards, allowing modern audiences to see an approximation of the complete film. See more » |
| Goofs | At the beginning of the film, Mr. and Mrs. Davidson each write a quotation in the ship's autograph book. Their handwriting appears identical, revealing that neither actor actually wrote what is shown on screen. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Edited into Catalogue of Ships (2008). See more » |
| Quotes |
Sadie Thompson:
[screaming at Alfred Davidson]
Was I doing you any harm? You bloodthirsty buzzard! Was I? Who gave you the right to pass judgement on me? You psalm-singing louse! You'd tear out your own mother's heart, if she didn't agree with you, and call it saving her soul! See more » |