Lady in a Cage (1964)
Lady in a Cage (1964), directed by Walter Grauman.
Actors from the Golden Age were able to get second careers doing genre films when they were older. Vincent Price was perhaps the pioneer. Having tried it herself in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) and Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964), Bette Davis encouraged her friend Olivia de Havilland to do this film.
"You'll get your third Oscar. The more you jiggle your sweaty tits the faster it will happen", she said, cackling.
The makers really did think they had an award winner here but it was not to be. Critics were unkind and audiences cold, everyone regretting that de Havilland debased herself in a shock thriller.
The violence and sadism really are too much for 1964, meaning just a few years ahead of the times. It combines the popular amoral youth, home invasion and uncaring city themes. We open with traffic driving around a dead dog in the street and a little girl prodding a comatose (?) body in the alley with her roller skates.
On the downside -- if you needed any more -- the dialogue descends into playwright-speak a couple of times.
Banned in the UK.
We have several sets of characters. The "normals":
Rich Olivia de Havilland and her dutiful but fed-up son, who the Blu-ray commentators say is "coded gay". The home invaders, reading his goodbye letter/extortion demand/suicide note, confirm this. She didn't know. Her role was offered to Joan Crawford and Rosalind Russell first.
The standard crooks:
Wino Jeff Corey who is up for quick home robbery without much planning.
His crime partner, Ann Sothern, who I think is supposed to be an older prostitute. Previously seen in A Letter to Three Wives (1949) and The Whales of August (1987).
The cruel, insane and murderous youth:
Introducing James Caan, doing something like a little Brando. His tormenting includes a queasy sexual menace.
Jennifer Billingsley and Rafael Campos are his helpers and apparent sex partners.
In a supporting part we see Scatman Crothers -- Stay Hungry (1976), The Shining (1980), Bronco Billy (1980).
Photographed by Lee Garmes -- The Desperate Hours (1955), Detective Story (1951), Morocco (1930), Nightmare Alley (1947), The Paradine Case (1947), Scarface (1932).
Obtrusive score by Paul Glass -- Bunny Lake is Missing (1965), Sole Survivor (1970).
Available on Blu-ray from Shout Factory with a happy commentary track by David Del Valle and David DeCoteau.
Del Valle knew Jeff Corey and DeCoteau was an assistant to Ann Sothern. She showed him this film in 16mm on one of her movie nights for friends.
They point out the mixture of acting styles and give credit to Jeff Corey who gave everyone tips. He became a drama coach while blacklisted.
