despite some hammy act and especially by a fledgling joan crawford and i easily give this movie a positive rating . the code refers ( in case you do not know ) to the morality code put into place in mid 1934 which clamp down very hard on what could be portray in the movie . after the code and woman that be off color in any way and shape and or form have to be punish and redeem through atonement or repentance and or kill off . however and in rain and joan crawford play sadie thompson and a prostitute work on a south pacific ( . ) island whom all the service men seem to adore . they treat her like a friend and a comrade and not a lowly piece of scum or mere sexual object . this and in and of itself and be refresh to see . and it be from 1932 no less . a group of missionary be waylay on sadie island due to a torrential rain storm . the head missionary take an instant dislike to sadie character ( i believe he be threaten by her free loving and live loving spirit ) and and have the governor of the island extradite her back to the united state and to be prosecute for some crime that the film do not clearly delineate . there be also a soldier who love sadie and who want to marry her . he know she a prostitute . he have her and so have most if not all of his buddy and but he love the person she be and want to spend the rest of his life with her . he be take to the brig for a week for some petty offense and and during this week the head missionary convinces ( brainwashes ) sadie into believe she be a filthy and sinful creature who must pay for her sin . the soldier can not believe the transformation in sadie when he get out of the brig . the interesting thing to me be that a the reformed sadie and joan crawford be much more beautiful ( less makeup and more subdue clothing and soft focus light ) than a the lurid sadie and yet the soldier see she be much less than she be before . he see the inside of sadie and and see she be a mere shell of her former self . he try to persuade her to go away with him and rather than return to the u. s. to pay for her sin a the missionary have convince her she must . i want to avoid spoiler and so i will just say that event then take place that make sadie realize she be just fine a she be and and that the missionary be a hypocrite of a human be . it blow me away that the message of this 72 year old film be more dare than most message we get from modern day film . we be still stick in a post code madonna or whore view of woman that be clearly not in place in the early 30 . despite the not best act in the world and this movie be a must see for it amazing story and portrayal of a real woman .