Highly Overrated But Still Good

good back-story, and good acting

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

There is a Deep, Personal, Melodramatic Story in this Pre-Code Film and because it is Pre-Code the Personal Story can be that of a Prostitute Without Apology and there is No Need for All that Innuendo and Symbolism that the "Do Gooders" would Force on the Industry and the American Movie Going Public for Decades. This is the Raw Deal.Here we have a Fine Central Performance from Dorothy Mackaill who is Anything but Snow White Living Among the Dwarfs as Some Have Said. Although Her Chosen Profession is Not that of Her Choosing She Seemed to Not Mind it that Much as can be Witnessed when She Explodes into a Ravenous Rage of "Come On" after being Cooped Up in Her Room.The Men are All Sleazebags of Varying Degrees but None are Acceptable in Any Realm of Civilized Society. Charles Middleton says..."I am a lawyer, as twisted as they come". The Other Sweaty, Ugly, and Lecherous Dregs Pant and Drool at the Sight of "The only white woman on the Island.", Relentlessly.This All becomes a Bit Much with the Constant Tongue Wagging and Cigarette Lighting, but the Movie is Undoubtedly an Unattractive, Lurid Display of the Trashy Pulp Stories, so Popular Among the Masses.It Should be Pointed Out that the Two African Americans here are Without Stereotype and are In Fact, the Most Likable Characters in the Movie and there is a Jazzy Song Sung by Nina Mae McKinney "Sleepy Time Down South" as She Serves Champagne and Bends Over with Each Glass to Reveal Her Charms (other than singing).Pre-Coders are Drawn to This One Like Moths to a Flame and Analyzed it to Death, and it does have a lot of Sweaty Sleaze and Symbolic Sexuality as well as Overt Sexuality and there is an Attraction here that is Undeniable. So if Tropical Teasing and Unattractive Men Lusting After a Sexpot on an "Island of Lost Souls" is Your Thing, this One's for You.

"Safe In Hell" is a very strange picture, a whimsical story fashioned out of whole cloth by a long-forgotten playwright with a fertile imagination. A round-heeled tart kills a john and flees with her boyfriend to a Caribbean island with no extradition law. There she rents a room at a hotel populated by several gargoyle-type fugitives who are horny as toads. Everyone is in heat in the heat, especially the local constable. The story gets stranger and stranger leading up to a completely unexpected Hollywood ending.The cast is good. Dorothy Mackaill is the 'tomato' in question and she is excellent. Donald Cook is OK as her boyfriend and Ralf Harolde is appropriately sleazy as an old flame. The plot is actually kind of flimsy but Director Wellman brings it off well, aided by some fine acting performances. Black actress Nina Mae McKinney has a plum role for a black actress in an era when there were precious few to be had.This is a Pre-Code curiosity which is somewhat tame by today's standards but still worth a watch, since it is a one-of-a-kind sort of tabloid story, surreal and sensational. It was on TCM the other morning and is not available, so wait for it to come on again.

Safe in Hell (1931) *** (out of 4) Warner Pre-Code from director William A. Wellman about a prostitute (Dorothy Mackaill) who kills a former lover and then takes off with her current lover (Donald Cook). The sailor/lover takes her to an island where she can live without fear of being arrested since the local sheriff gives shelter to criminals. This sounds good but it isn't because she's the only white woman on an island full of criminals and all of them have ideas for her. What really stands out about this film is all the sexuality that Wellman throws out the screen and this film is certainly one of the dirtier films of the era. As expected, there's a scene with Mackaill undressing for the camera and a see through night gown. We also get a scene where the men spread their legs out as they watch the woman with a high sexual tone. Not to mention another scene where the men look up her dress as she walks up some steps. Mackaill is very, very good in her role as she blends sex and a toughness, which makes these films so memorable. The supporting cast is also very good but the story is pretty standard and lacking. There's not too much drama as the screenplay seems a tad bit lazy but this is still worth watching due to all the sexuality.

I caught this film on TCM in Dec. of 2007. It was being shown as part of their William Wellman festival. I had not heard of it before, and didn't recognize any of the cast names. The story is a bout a woman accused of a murder in New Orleans, who is helped by her sailor boyfriend to an island in the Caribbean. This is a refuge for scoundrels and criminals. Romantically, the sailor marries her in a very private ceremony, and then he leaves her behind while he sails away for work. Clearly, the focus is on her, since he has very little screen time. The bulk of the film is the long time she has to wait for his return, fending of the lecherous advances of the motley criminals and a corrupt lawman. The ending was dark and surprisingly odd for any Hollywood film. And I was so surprised that I need to see it again, just to make sure I didn't imagine it. It is a somewhat slow film, but it is also intriguing in ways that only pre- code features can be. It seemed even modern in it's dark sensibilities. Also, the lead role, portrayed by Dorothy MacKaill, is a fascinating mix of spunky and trashy, showing more depth and complexity than one might expect from a standard H'wood feature. I'll be looking for her in other films. Definitely a noir predecessor. The black major-domo and the woman running the bar are terrific, too.