Am I Missing Something?

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

Having read some of the comments about this film I must disagree with much of the criticism made against this film. I have seen the 1932 Joan Crawford film "Rain", and while I agree that it is more successful in creating the mood and tone which is required for the story I consider this film version to have its own virtues. Rita Hayworth is good as Sadie (although unlike Joan Crawford she presents herself most of the time a a happy go lucky sort whereas with Crawford it is always apparent that she has a "bad" past)and Jose Ferrer is solid as Mr. Davidson. The location and Photography also add a great deal to the telling of this simple yet powerful story.

This sanitized version of W Somerset Maugham's "Rain" is an entertaining vehicle for Rita Hayworth who is every inch the star, (that she can't act is immaterial). She's a 'good-time' girl stranded on a very picturesque Pacific island during the war and labeled a prostitute by sanctimonious preacher Jose Ferrer who is also stranded when their ship is quarantined. Of course, Ferrer desires Sadie for himself and sublimates his desire by persecuting her. But in this version none of this is allowed to detract from what is a good old-fashioned entertainment with numerous musical interludes, (that Hayworth was always dubbed never stopped the studio giving her plenty of songs). Ferrer is well cast as the starchy preacher; he always acted as if he had a board up his back, and Aldo Ray almost matches Hayworth for laid-back, sexy charm.

After reading other reviews- wow. It's not that bad. Yes, the story has been done, but Hayworth makes it well worth watching.And the theme underlying the story is still relevant. Sadie Thompson is a woman of questionable repute, living on a South Sea island trying to re-make her life.The Jose Ferrer character is effectively odious. A man hung up on projecting his moral issues on the nearest target. This happens to be Miss Sadie.I recall seeing this film on an TV afternoon movie festival, when I was very young. I enjoyed it. Maybe if we were less jaded we would find the story more enjoyable. This was made in 1953, and the morality issues then are still present today.The sets are beautiful. This was filmed on the sparsely populated Hawaiian island, Kuaui. Overall even if you are not a major Hayworth fan, the story has redeeming aspects. I will have to watch "Rain" again with Joan Crawford to compare, but it is so dated, this film is worth a look.8/10

i think Rita Hayworth does extremely well in this part of a vivacious, bawdy and flirty night singer given she was actually an extremely shy person at heart and was nothing like her character. this might sound strange but the story between Sadie and Mr Davidson rather reminded me of Esmarelda and Frollo. He was an obsessive moral preacher who despised and was attracted to her, she was a free spirited beautiful women who stands up to him at first, they have a big collision followed by her leaving the hotel, then having to return because he bad mouthed her all over the village, it sort of came as a shock at the end and sort of didn't when he rapes her whilst everyone is at the festival. The hotel is deserted. He is alone with her in her hotel room. She is defenceless. You sort of think you are seeing coming but you don't, the first sign he shows is when he won't moved completely from the doorway so she has to squeeze past him, after that he starts to walk nearer, closer to her then perhaps he should. Over all, its a good film, Rita shines and ferer gives you the creeps, the song 'the heat is on' will make you sizzle, its definitely worth a watch