this have to be one of the most intelligent movie hollywood produce in the 1930 while i see it come from lewis milestone and who produce the equally brilliant all quiet on the western front ( 1930 ) . these film have almost a european look appropriate and because the novel be by european writer . you have get to admire milestone for coax a sensitive performance out of crawford and a woman who be happy when ham it up . no wonder she do not like her performance here while she be to genuinely act . the story deal with the inner nature of a sanctimonious religious hypocrite and something quite relevant now . a less director ( and novelist ) would have turn sadie into someone unbelievably virtuous and but milestone and crawford show u a much more complex character . the other performance be great and too and especially huston a the tormented evangelist while try compare him to the chief satanist in the seventh victim ( 1943 ) . the rain itself deserve special mention a a character establish the insane claustrophobic atmosphere . the stage version be portray briefly in scarface ( 1932 ) and another great movie from the 1930 .