Sadie Thompson (film)

Sadie Thompson
film poster
Directed by	Raoul Walsh
Written by	Gloria Swanson Raoul Walsh[1]
Story by	W. Somerset Maugham
Based on	Rain by John Colton and Clemence Randolph
Produced by	Gloria Swanson Productions
Starring	Gloria Swanson Lionel Barrymore Raoul Walsh Blanche Friderici
Cinematography	George Barnes Robert Kurrle Oliver T. Marsh
Edited by	C. Gardner Sullivan
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date	January 7, 1928 (1928-01-07) (general release)
Running time	91 minutes
Country	United States
Languages	Silent English intertitles
Budget	US$650,000[2]
Box office	$1 million (domestic)[3] $7 million (international)[3]

Sadie Thompson is a 1928 American silent drama film that tells the story of a "fallen woman" who comes to Pago Pago to start a new life, but encounters a zealous missionary who wants to force her back to her former life in San Francisco. The film stars Gloria Swanson, Lionel Barrymore, and Raoul Walsh, and it is one of Swanson's more successful films. Due to the public's apathy towards silent films, a sound version was prepared in the latter half of 1928. While the sound version has no audible dialog, it features a synchronized musical score with sound effects along with a theme song.

Due to the subject matter, the making of the film was extremely controversial. However, it was a financial and critical success for Swanson. The film was based on the 1921 short story "Rain" by W. Somerset Maugham and the 1922 play, based on the story, by John Colton and Clemence Randolph, starring Jeanne Eagels.