Lives up to its reputation?
For years I considered picking up one of those sourced-from-16mm DVDR copies of "The Story of Temple Drake," but always held off, certain that SOMEDAY someone would officially release it. For over ten years now this has been THE pre-Code film people discuss in hushed tones.
So, I was happy that TCM finally showed it in a nice, restored print. Having watched the film, FINALLY, I have to say that, while I enjoyed it, I don't think it was the lurid extravaganza it was built up to be.
Off the top of my head I can think of several other pre-Coders that were more extreme: Sign of the Cross, the Frederic Marsh version of Dr. Jekyll and Mister Hyde, Island of Lost Souls, Tarzan and His Mate, Scarlett Empress, Freaks, The Black Cat, and etc.
Actually, Clara Bow's "Call Her Savage" is everything "Temple Drake" was supposed to be -- an over-the-top trip into lurid sleaze and excess.
But even higher on the lurid scale is the obscure Walter Huston flick "Kongo" (now finally available as part of the Warner Archive DVDR series). That movie is truly dark, much moreso than "Temple Drake."
But to recap, I did enjoy "Temple Drake." But I found the story much too choppy and abrupt, and also that it didn't live up to the reputation that has been built around it these past few years. This isn't to say the movie isn't lurid -- it just can't compare to some of the other pre-Codes.