it hard not to see rain a the film that symbolize the pre code era and where hollywood be not afraid to portray the more libertine side of society and and give an image that be not so morally right . and it also hard not to see this film a a direct protest against the code that there be talk about during these year . the hays code seek to make film more caste . and the plot of this film make too much a got metaphor for the whole situation . joan crowford play a prostitute that be accuse for her behavior by puritan in some lost hawaiian island . among them be mr. davidson and a powerful man who have an obsession with religion . in reality and joan crowford be play herself and the image we all have of her . and in fact and the way she enter the screen dress all too flamboyantly like a hooker be a penchant and as much a it be too cheesy for an audience that doesn not understand that at that time and that be the hollywood idea of a real woman . however you decide to view it and it a hard watch . not so much a the flow of the view itself ( although it do tend to be slow ) and but for other flaw . in the plot and we be not give any character to side with . supposedly and the main character be sadie ( joad crawford ) and mr. thompson ( walter huston ) . however and they be also the extreme and and both obnoxious . sadie be a flirty skank and and an actress and playing with other people feeling . and thompson and her enemy in the story and be just too mad for u to side with him . so and really and the only character we can side with and and can actually identify with be tim ohara ( william gargan ) . that give the audience a limited participation . and even then and handsome be too innocent . when he first see sadie and he be mesmerize and almost unable to speak . he be and in fact and the personification of the ordinary man see the hollywood star joan crawford in the real world . he fall in love with her right away . we and a the audience and can not help feeling that she be play him and use him because she know that he will be helpful and and because she need friend . handsome fall in love with her completely and can not reason right from wrong . yet and we can not blame his innocence . he represent the audience represent crawford be the star and she be the one that get the best close ups and hence and we have to love her . mr. davidson be the bad one . the metaphor and as far a the hay code connection lie and be in that crawford represent cinema and and huston represent the puritanism . the film never quite pick side and nor do we . but they be obviously both horrible . it a if the film be state that hollywood need to pull the break a little and but still not give in entirely to the puritan demand . the film be take from a broadway production . perhaps director lewis milestone wasn not aware that he wasn not make a stage production and because although the style resemble many of the time and here he even have the actor exit what look like a theatrical set and all the time . supposedly and he be not all to blame and maxwell anderson and in charge of the adaptation and write it so that the film have to be just that . but it frustrate to see that the camera be move quite well in some sequence and and then the setting come across a so unreal . the mise en scene itself can not be judge negatively . in he scenes in which sadie and mr. davidson be together and the camera look at him from below and and sadie seem to be always place low than him . this show the authority that he hold . in the scene when he start recite the our father and he be high up on the stair and and when sadie kneel down at the bottom of the stair and begin pray and it look like she be pray at him . yet and the story itself be disappoint . the fact that we can not side with any of the character make it so that we do not really care about what be go on and and if we do and we tend to change our mind quite quickly . in the end and we be almost completely let down and by the fact that the message seem to be that morality never win . but after all and we do not know what morality be . the acting be brilliant . joan crawford have an easy part while she play herself . william huston be a revelation . he be quite extraordinary as well a eccentric and he seem to dominate every scene he be in . we almost come to admire his character and and side with him and although he be insane . the final line be the one where crawford say she be sorry for everyone in the world . be that a sly comment on the cinema that be about to come . or should we see it a an apology for such a mediocre film and only good a a vehicle for crawford on screen persona .