in the movie scarface and tony carmonte ( paul muni ) take rinaldi ( george raft ) and his other gang member for a night of culture they go to see a play . carmonte have cultural pretension and love to whistle opera aria from martha and other work and usually just before he have someone rub out . but he really like rain and and muni end up send his stooge and vince barnet and to watch the conclusion of the play while muni and his gang rub out boris karloff . barnet catch up to muni later and tell him that sadie choose the marine rather than the cloth ( minister ) . muni like that and and say that sadie be one smart girl . it be not the only time a classic film comment on the play rain . in twentieth century john barrymore compare another character behavior to that of the reverend alfred davidson ( the walter huston performance in this film version ) . rain be consider ( in the early 1930s ) the great stage play since shakespeare hamlet . certainly it be an engross story and base on a short story by w. somerset maugham . it ironic that the play and by john colton and be not write by maugham a a a play . maugham be a successful west end dramatist and whose work be still revive on occasion ( in 1990 i saw glynis john and stewart granger in a revival of maugham comedy the circle ) . but his work be well when he have the leisure to write description of character and their behavior and or of the setting of his story . it his short story and novel that people still read and not his play . and rain be the only one with any dramatic power and it wasn not his play . rain be set in american samoa and during the rainy season . a ship land there and and among those who disembark be rev . alfred davidson and his wife ( beulah bondi ) . both be extremely straight lace and apparently happy to be so . davidson be annoy to see that the hotel or store owner and joe horn ( guy kibbee ) have allow a wanton woman name sadie thompson to room with there with the davidsons and dr. and mrs. macphail . thompson entertain a large number of american soldier in her room and and she enjoy play jazz on her victrola . except for the davidsons and everyone else accept sadie . she really a very friendly young woman and and she make friend easily . a mr. macphail be a philosopher and and horn be of a philosophical turn ( he keep read ecclesiastes and nietzche ) neither of them really see anything wrong with sadie . but davidson be anger by the sinful woman . he have a way of throw his weight around viciously through his missionary contact in washington . soon he have the soldier restrict to their barrack and include sgt . ohara ( william gargan ) who really care for sadie . all protest from macphail be ignore ( davidson smilingly forgive the doctor for his misguided condemnation ) . then he turn his attention on sadie and and force her to explain why she be the south sea ( it be a criminal matter she be flee in the state ) . he insist that she have to face the criminal charge in order for her soul to be purify . sadie try to fight it and but the pressure be too great . however and davidson contact with sadie destroys him . he succeed in turn her into a true penitent ( a he imagine one ) and but he have become lascivious towards her and finally have sex with her ( we never be sure that it be voluntary or rape ) . when he realize what he do and davidson kill himself . sadie end up with ohara . the acting in this film be first rate . because it lose money and joan crawford always dismiss it and but her smoldering sexuality burst every time she appear ( lewis milestone set up entrance for her twice in the film which be very suggestive of a predatory woman ) . huston be equally good and especially a the self admiring and pharisaical reverend who see nothing wrong about pull political wire to save a soul ( or send that poor person back to face a probably hellish experience that he would never suffer through ) . his sudden revelation of sexual desire be a little overdone and but not too badly . the support character like bondi and kibbee and and those who really see the power lust in davidson ( gargan and kendall lee and who be macphail ) give very good account of themselves in the film and a do walter catlett a the ship purser who be a friend of sadie . if not a perfect film and it be a worthy one . i only hope that one day the gloria swanson version make in 1928 show up so it can be compare to this one .