Main Cast: Lee Remick, Yves Montand, Bradford Dillman, Harry Townes, Odette
Release Year: 1961
Country: US
Run Time: 30 minutes
Plot
Combining elements from William Faulkner's novel Sanctuary, its sequel Requiem for a Nun, and a stage adaptation of Requiem for a Nun by Ruth Ford, director Tony Richardson's film is set in 1920s Mississippi and recounts the story of Temple Drake (Lee Remick), a young, lustful white woman who falls for a man who rapes her, only to marry another when she is told that her lover has died. The story is told as a flashback in an attempt to explain what led to the film's present, in which a black maid is on trial for the murder of Temple's baby. This was Richardson's first film made for a studio; he agreed to make Sanctuary to fund his next film, A Taste of Honey. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
Review
Devotees of William Faulkner will take exception to Sanctuary, but those who adore steamy Southern melodramas and/or the extremely talented Lee Remick will find plenty to enjoy. While the screenplay keeps a fair amount of the plots from two Faulkner novels, it omits a great deal of their psychological complexity. As a result, characters whose actions make a great deal of sense and who seem to have a natural inevitability to them come off as a bit unmotivated and/or stiff at times, and as something of enigmas at others. Fortunately, Remick is on hand to help make up for this shortcoming, using her considerable skills to imbue Temple Drake with an inner life that makes the audience accept everything she does; we may not totally understand why she behaves the way she does, but Remick makes us believe that it is natural for her to make the choices she does. Yves Montand and Bradford Dillman are somewhat less successful, although Montand's innate sensuality goes a long way to filling in some of his blanks; much better is Odette, whose Nancy is solid and strong. Tony Richardson directs at a somewhat leisurely pace at times, but it somehow suits the material, and there's some very atmospheric camerawork from Ellsworth Fredericks. Sanctuary is certainly flawed and occasionally lurid, but it's also gripping and often exciting. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Howard St. John - Governor Drake; Jean Carson - Norma; Reta Shaw - Miss Reba; Strother Martin - Dog Boy; William Mims - Lee; Marge Redmond - Flossie; Linden Chiles - Randy; Wyatt Cooper - Tommy; Wilton Felder - Musician; Robert Gothie - Gus; Voltaire Perkins - the Judge
