MovieChat Forums > The Story of Temple Drake Discussion > What is the deal with this film's unavai...

What is the deal with this film's unavailability?

posted 16 years ago by Devinm1978
21 replies | jump to latest

There was a board message on this subject from 2005 but it seemed like an advertisement for a home video company so I'm bringing it up again.

Mick LaSalle discusses this film at great length in his wonderful book "Complicated Women" and in the appendix he says that it simply has not been made available by Universal. This is no anomaly, since most of the pre-code women's pictures have yet to make it to DVD but given the notoriety of this picture I'd have thought that public interest would be sufficient to merit a release. As far as I can tell it was not available on VHS either.

Does anyone have a further explanation why this film is still MIA? Is the print in too poor shape, or is it due to some legal malarky over rights issues? I am certain it is not "lost" since there are user comments and ratings, and LaSalle's book came out less than 10 years ago. Of all the films I can't get my hands on, this film is at the top of the list.

[–] nateba 15 years ago

What is the deal with this film's unavailability?

The early Pramounts seem to have trouble getting released on DVD. Pity. Some great movies came out of Paramount in the early 30's.

cinefreak

[–] simonhowson 15 years ago

Most of Paramount's films are now owned by Universal. Universal such at releasing old films, and generally reissue a few of their famous films over and over and over again. So interesting films like this stay in the vault.

[–] peekiewand 15 years ago

You can see it on a certain popular website for viewing such things, in several parts of course. I'm about to watch it myself!

Truckers eat a LOT of boiled eggs.

[–] noki53 15 years ago

I didn't realize that it was hard to get. I've had it on dvd for several years. Bought it on ebay and although I can't remember the exact price, it wasn't expensive by any means.

I came to Casablanca for the waters.....

[–] jerann 14 years ago

In case you are still interested, this is what I found on you tube. " A newly restored print has been made by TCM, and will be part of the First TCM Festival during the latter part of April 2010 in Hollywood honoring Miriam Hopkins"

[–] dixie211425 14 years ago

In the documentary Girl 27 it is suggested that the reason is that it was one of the first movies in Hollywood to deal with rape and have an actual rape scene in there. The reason it isn't out is that it is still highly controversial because of that.
Not sure how truthful that is.

I've got a new god now!

[–] rita-hampton 14 years ago

According to the speaker at the TCM film fest last week, the film is actually owned by Fox, not Universal (Fox bought the rights). The nitrate print was in very bad shape, and it sat in the vaults since the late 60s.

They showed a miraculous, restored print struck from the original negative. It looked amazing.

It will be making the rounds in the restored print, and will likely end up on DVD and TCM.

[–] wmorrow59 13 years ago

That restored print was shown at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC this afternoon, and it did look amazing. Obviously the original cinematography was first-rate, and the sound track was crisp and clear.

I hope this one is aired on TCM soon. It's an impressive film in many respects, well acted and historically important, and it deserves wider exposure.

[–] preppy-3 14 years ago

I caught this at a film festival WAY back in the 1990s. It was kept from release because it is made quite clear a woman is raped (u never see it but u LKNOW it happens) and she is a "kept" woman of a killer. No big shakes nowadays but back in the 1930s this was considered shocking. Unfortunately it was kept from release so people never SAW it and it sort of disappeared. It pops up on TCM ever once in a while. Watch for it:)

[–] Alix1929 13 years ago

I have to respectfully disagree with you. I have been a TCM viewer since it began, and I have never seen Temple Drake shown.

[–] preppy-3 13 years ago

I might be wrong but i though TCM showed it at least once. BUT, as I said, I could be wrong.

[–] Alix1929 13 years ago

I can almost guarantee if it'd been show, I'd have caught it on the DVR!

Could you be thinking of GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT? That was shown on TCM.

[–] preppy-3 13 years ago

Maybe it was "Gentleman's Agreement" (which I have to see again--it's been years since I last saw it).

[–] marbleann 12 years ago

The movie was banned for years. I am sure that is one of the reasons it was hard to find for so long and no one saw it until recently. It is going to be on TCM on Nov, 5 2012

[–] lubin-freddy 10 years ago

It wasn't banned.

Listen to the river sing sweet songs
to rock my soul

[–] folkdude01 13 years ago

TCM is going to show it tomorrow night (Wednesday) 5pm PT / 8pm ET.

[–] prettynoose69 10 years ago

I know this is later than late, but it was on YouTube with a bunch of other hard to find pre code goodies.

[–] bedrock1960 10 years ago

I think it's criminal that more of the Paramount films produced between 1929 and 1934 aren't available on dvd. Many of them are brilliant and very much ahead of their time. And while I think it's highly commendable there are institutions that are restoring films of this period, it's unfortunate that they're not available to the public. I would love to have dvds of movies like TEMPLE DRAKE, GLORIFYING THE AMERICAN GIRL, FOLLOW THRU, THE VAGABOND KING and BECKY SHARP, but all that's out there are faded, tattered, unclear black and white copies.