1931
Passed
Warner Bros.
1 h 13 m

1931
Passed
Warner Bros.
1 h 13 m

Summary After accidentally killing the man who raped her and forced her into prostitution, a New Orleans woman flees to a Caribbean island. While she awaits her fiancé, the vicious local police chief sets his sights on her.

Directed By: William A. Wellman

Written By: Houston Branch, Joseph Jackson, Maude Fulton

1931
Passed
Warner Bros.
1 h 13 m

1931
Passed
Warner Bros.
1 h 13 m

Safe in Hell

Name: Safe in Hell
Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance
Released: 1931-12-12
Duration: 1 min 13 s
Rating: 57
Cast: Dorothy Mackaill, Donald Cook, Ralf Harolde, John Wray, Ivan F. Simpson

Metascore Mixed or Average Based on 6 Critic Reviews

User Score Available after 4 ratings

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Directed By: William A. Wellman

Written By: Houston Branch, Joseph Jackson, Maude Fulton

Critic Reviews

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Metascore

Mixed or Average Based on 6 Critic Reviews

50% Positive
3 Reviews

50% Mixed
3 Reviews

0% Negative
0 Reviews

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

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Metascore

Mixed or Average Based on 6 Critic Reviews

50% Positive
3 Reviews

50% Mixed
3 Reviews

0% Negative
0 Reviews

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

San Francisco Chronicle

Gritty, bleak and sexy, the movie is also, between the lines, a strong feminist statement.

FULL REVIEW

Chicago Reader

Wellman’s splendid direction animates an otherwise static script, deftly blending comedic moments with surprisingly dark undertones. This 1931 drama may lack the punch of Wellman’s The Public Enemy, released the same year, but it’s still a fine display of his talents.

By Reece Pendleton FULL REVIEW

New York Post

Safe in Hell doesn’t offer anything extraordinary in the way of skin or innuendo, but it’s chockablock with the kind of situations and characters that would be verboten on screen for nearly three decades commencing in mid-1934.

By Lou Lumenick FULL REVIEW

The New York Times

Safe in Hell is a little reminiscent of "The Unholy Garden," with its tropic sanctuary where rogues of various nationalities live out their days in happy oblivion, safe from the long arm of extradition. The theme is a good deal sadder, a sort of meldodramatization of all those sad songs about the women who will die rapturously for their men.

FULL REVIEW

Variety

A sad and unsatisfactory finish is obviously an attempt to lend credence to an impossible yarn. It doesn't help, for as long as the story is thoroughly unbelievable up to the finish, no ending could change that impression. [22 Dec 1931, p.15]

FULL REVIEW

TV Guide Magazine

A winding story with no real direction.

FULL REVIEW

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Details

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Production Company First National Pictures

Release Date Dec 12, 1931

Duration 1 h 13 m

Rating Passed

Genres

Tagline Lost in a land of forgotten men- Hell lower than that from which she fled. (Print Ad- Lockport Union-Sun and Journal, ((Lockport NY)) 1 February 1932)

Safe in Hell

Top Cast

Dorothy Mackaill

Gilda Carlson - aka Gilda Erickson

Donald Cook

Carl Bergen - aka Carl Erickson

Ralf Harolde

Piet Van Saal

John Wray

Egan

Ivan F. Simpson

Crunch

Victor Varconi

General Emmanuel Jesus Maria Gomez

Morgan Wallace

Mr. Bruno - the Hangman

Nina Mae McKinney

Leonie - the Hotel Manager

Charles Middleton

Lawyer Jones

Clarence Muse

Newcastle - the Porter

Gustav von Seyffertitz

Larson

Noble Johnson

Bobo - a Caribbean Policeman

Cecil Cunningham

Angie

Sam Appel

Court Policeman

Lionel Belmore

Judge

Ted Billings

Jury Member

Rondo Hatton

Jury Member

Kenneth MacDonald

Wireless Operator

Chris-Pin Martin

Jury Member

Dick Rush

New Orleans Detective

Critic Reviews

Critic Reviews

Critic Reviews

Critic Reviews

User Reviews

User Reviews

Details

Details

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