If I told you I watched a movie about women in prison, your first reaction would probably be, "Oh nice, which one? Chained Heat with Linda Blair and Sybil Danning or Black Mama, White Mama with Pam Grier and Sid Haig. While I can't deny as a 13 year old, seeing Blair and Danning in the buff was quite an event in my life, I've grown and tonight I saw quite possibly one of the best prison movies ever made.
Caged was made in 1950 and while it's not considered the first movie about women in prison, it's the first to be completely filmed while the main character is behind bars. The film stars Eleanor Parker (who was nominated for best actress - take a look at who she was up against this year and you'll understand why she didn't win" as a 19-year-old widow, who's been convicted of armed robbery. A crime in which her husband was killed and her only crime was running to his rescue. Sentenced to anywhere from 9 months to 10 years, she enters prison a naive young girl, who happens to be a few months pregnant. While she tries desperately to steer clear of trouble, she makes friends with the other inmates who don't like that she's being picked on by the prison matron, played brilliantly by Hope Emerson, who was also nominated, for best supporting actress. The movie is also highlighted by performances from Agnes Moorehead as the kind hearted warden, Betty Garde, as the prison toughie, the lovely Jan Sterling as the films only comic relief and an older woman, who I sadly couldn't find her name, but she steals each scene she's in.
The movie is about one woman's transformation from a shy, naive young widow and expected mother, into a hardened, take no shit prisoner. While the fair, beautiful Parker doesn't look like a toughie, she endures a lot, on screen and off, including a scene, that for the time, was way over the top (and no, it is not sexual in nature). The movie is in no way exploitative in the way the future movies looked at women behind bars. The real story is how they try to remain strong and maybe more importantly, remain women. A powerful film and one that should not be overlooked among the all-time greats of the wonderful decade that was the fifties.
Caged was made in 1950 and while it's not considered the first movie about women in prison, it's the first to be completely filmed while the main character is behind bars. The film stars Eleanor Parker (who was nominated for best actress - take a look at who she was up against this year and you'll understand why she didn't win" as a 19-year-old widow, who's been convicted of armed robbery. A crime in which her husband was killed and her only crime was running to his rescue. Sentenced to anywhere from 9 months to 10 years, she enters prison a naive young girl, who happens to be a few months pregnant. While she tries desperately to steer clear of trouble, she makes friends with the other inmates who don't like that she's being picked on by the prison matron, played brilliantly by Hope Emerson, who was also nominated, for best supporting actress. The movie is also highlighted by performances from Agnes Moorehead as the kind hearted warden, Betty Garde, as the prison toughie, the lovely Jan Sterling as the films only comic relief and an older woman, who I sadly couldn't find her name, but she steals each scene she's in.
The movie is about one woman's transformation from a shy, naive young widow and expected mother, into a hardened, take no shit prisoner. While the fair, beautiful Parker doesn't look like a toughie, she endures a lot, on screen and off, including a scene, that for the time, was way over the top (and no, it is not sexual in nature). The movie is in no way exploitative in the way the future movies looked at women behind bars. The real story is how they try to remain strong and maybe more importantly, remain women. A powerful film and one that should not be overlooked among the all-time greats of the wonderful decade that was the fifties.
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