Retro Movie: Wellman's "Safe In Hell"

Dorothy Mackaill holds court in Safe in Hell

Film noir tales aren't the only classic movies that dealt with sex, violence, murder, dark subject matter, and disreputable characters. Between 1927 and 1934, before the Hays Code enforced its censorship rules on the motion picture industry, Hollywood produced a number of films that have come to be known as "Pre-Code" movies, thanks to their frank (for the time) depiction of taboo subject matter. Night Nurse, Baby Face, Employee's Entrance and Scarface are some of the best known examples of this type of film, but one of the more intriguing Pre-Code melodramas is 1931's Safe in Hell, directed by William Wellman, who also helmed Wings, the original version of A Star Is Born and Beau Geste.

Safe in Hell, tells the story of Gilda Carlson, who ends up being accused of the murder of a man who led her into a life of crime and prostitution. Gilda's nice guy boyfriend,  a sailor named Carl, helps her stow away on a ship bound for a Caribbean island with no extradition laws. Gilda hides out on the island, but runs afoul of a group of disreputable men who are also hiding out there, all of whom want to get to know her, shall we say, a LOT better. But Gilda has vowed to stay true to Carl, who plans to rescue her when his tour of duty ends, so they can spend their lives together.

There are some twists and turns in the plot, and Gilda's past does catch up with her. Suddenly, it looks like there's a light at the end of the tunnel, and perhaps there's a happy ending in the cards for Gilda and Carl after all. But the universe has other plans for our heroine. Safe in Hell concludes on a dark note, though there's also a sense of hope, as Gilda meets her fate knowing she's kept her promise to remain faithful to Carl. Her final choice also thwarts the plans of a lecherous villain who hoped to have his way with her. The ending of the film is almost noir-like. It's the kind of conclusion you could only see in the Pre-Code era of cinema, before the Hays Code "cleaned up" the movie industry.

Safe in Hell is a crackling tale, filled with snappy dialogue, liberally strewn with double entendres. Leading the cast is Dorothy Mackaill, who offers a bravura performance as Gilda. The cast also features Donald Cook, Charles Middleton, and Morgan Wallace. Nina Mae McKinney and Clarence Muse also appear in the film, and their roles are refreshingly free of the sterotypical portrayals of African American characters on screen at the time. The film was written by Joseph Jackson and Maude Fulton, based on a play by Houston Branch. The movie was recently restored, and is being shown on Turner Classic Movies this month. It's also been released on DVd and Blu-ray as part of the Warner Archive Collection. This atmospheric, dark tale is worth checking out for fans of Pre-Code cinema.