Lady in a Cage

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Lady in a Cage
Lady in a Cage - 1964- poster.png
1964 Theatrical poster
Directed byWalter Grauman
Written byLuther Davis
Produced byLuther Davis
StarringOlivia de Havilland
Ann Sothern
CinematographyLee Garmes
Edited byLeon Barsha
Music byPaul Glass
Production
companies
AEC
Luther Davis Productions
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • July 8, 1964 (1964-07-08) (United States)
Running time
94 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1,650,000 (US/ Canada)[1]

Lady in a Cage is a 1964 American psychological thriller film directed by Walter Grauman, written and produced by Luther Davis,[2] and released by Paramount Pictures. It stars Olivia de Havilland and James Caan in his first substantial film role.

Plot[]

When an electrical power failure occurs, Cornelia Hilyard (Olivia de Havilland), a wealthy widow recuperating from a broken hip, becomes trapped between floors in the cage-like elevator she has installed in her mansion. With her son, Malcolm (William Swan), away for a summer weekend, she relies on the elevator's emergency alarm to attract attention, but the only response comes from an unsympathetic alcoholic derelict, George Brady (Jeff Corey), who steals some small items from her house.

The wino sells the stolen goods to a fence, Mr. Paul (Charles Seel), then visits his hustler friend, Sade (Ann Sothern), and tells her of the treasure trove he has stumbled upon. The expensive goods George fences attract the attention of three young hoodlums, Randall O'Connell (James Caan), Elaine (Jennifer Billingsley) and Essie (Rafael Campos). They follow George and Sade back to the Hilyard home, where they discover the trapped Cornelia. Cornelia begs them for help, offering to let them take whatever they want and promising not to report them to the police so long as they free her. Instead, the intruders mock her as they ransack her home and become roaring drunk on the contents of her liquor cabinet. As Cornelia watches in horror, the intruders conduct a violent orgy, ultimately killing George and locking Sade in a closet.

Randall then pulls himself up to the elevator and taunts Cornelia by suggesting that her son Malcolm might be gay. Randall shows her a letter that Malcolm left on her nightstand that morning, in which Malcolm threatens suicide because of her domineering manner. Shocked by the revelation, Cornelia faints. Shortly afterwards, Paul and his goons arrive to steal the goods from the hoodlums' car. After Cornelia regains consciousness, she manages to break open the elevator door, using the broken pieces of the door to make a pair of shivs. She leaps from the open door to the floor, injuring herself, but manages to crawl to the front door just as Randall returns. As he drags Cornelia back inside the house, she stabs him in the eyes with her makeshift weapons. He finds his way back into the house, and commands his accomplices to bring her inside. Once in the doorway, Cornelia mocks Randall's blindness and his cohorts join in, leaving him to stumble aimlessly through the living room. Her act of violence, coupled with the stress of the whole ordeal, causes Cornelia to experience temporary insanity that leaves her disoriented.

As the thieves start to leave, Cornelia mistakes Essie for Malcolm and speaks to him in a daze, expressing guilt over her monstrous hold on her son. She crawls out the front door again and Randall goes after her. In their struggle, Randall stumbles onto the busy street, where he is struck by a car; a second car runs over his head, killing him. Numerous witnesses stop for the accident, only to discover the weak and injured Cornelia. As the police arrive, Essie and Elaine attempt to flee in a car only to crash into Cornelia's electric box, which restarts the power in the house, causing the elevator to finally descend. The surviving intruders are arrested, while strangers comfort the distraught Cornelia.

Cast[]

Production[]

The film is based on an original idea by Davis, when he was working on a play about the effects of a power outage on the inhabitants of a house in oil country in the Midwest. The incident turned into a battle for survival, one in which Davis shifted the action in his story from a house to an elevator "since like so many New Yorkers I have a sense of claustrophobia in these little automatic elevators."[3] He later said he was also inspired by the New York blackout of 17 August 1959. He knew a lady who was trapped in the elevator of a private residence on the city's Upper East Side. She called for help and was heard by two men who raped her.[4] During his research, he learned that all elevators in New York have to be equipped with a phone, which would have ruined the story, so the film is set in an unnamed city.[3]

The film was announced in August 1962 with Ralph Nelson to direct and Robert Webber attached as star. Joan Crawford and Elizabeth Montgomery were being sought for the female lead.[5] Rosalind Russell was offered the part but turned it down.[6] In December 1962 Olivia de Havilland was announced as the star.[7] Her fee was $300,000.[8] Grauman signed to make his feature debut as a director.[9] Filming took place in February 1963. It took fourteen days and de Havilland called the experience "wonderful" praising the talent of James Caan.[10]

Reception[]

Commercially, the film was profitable for Paramount.[11]

The film was initially received with negative reviews from critics who considered it to be vulgar and sub-par for an actress of de Havilland's stature. Bosley Crowther wrote a special column in the New York Times criticising the film, calling it "reprehensible"[12] which led to a press controversy.[13] Columnist Hedda Hopper wrote "The picture should be burned (...) Why did Olivia do it?"[14] Variety said that there is "not a single redeeming character or characteristic" in the "vulgar screenplay", criticizing de Havilland's performance as Oscar bait and Caan's as a copy of Marlon Brando.[15] Pittsburgh Post-Gazette also negatively compared Caan's performance to that of Brando and criticized the plot holes of the movie.[16]

Time mentioned that "[the film] adds Olivia de Havilland to the list of cinema actresses who would apparently rather be freaks than be forgotten".[17]

The film was re-evaluated decades later and it is now seen as a film that presented the turbulence and changes of society in the 1960s,[18] and a "deeply disturbing thriller".[19] TV Guide gave it 3 stars out of 5 and called it a "realistic, intense thriller".[20]

Home video[]

Lady in a Cage was released by Paramount Home Entertainment on March 29th, 2005 as a Region 1 DVD.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Big Rental Pictures of 1964", Variety, 6 January 1965 p 39. Please note this figure is rentals accruing to distributors not total gross.
  2. ^ "Lady in a Cage". IMDb. Retrieved 2008-08-22.
  3. ^ a b MURRAY SCHUMACH (Mar 1, 1963). "'LADY IN A CAGE'. FILMING IS UNIQUE". New York Times. ProQuest 116597865.
  4. ^ avis, L. (Jul 5, 1964). "'LADY IN CAGE'---SICK, Oregon DOES IT REFLECT SICKNESS OF OUR SOCIETY?". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 168649106.
  5. ^ Scheuer, P. K. (Aug 16, 1962). "Boehm will direct 'electra' himself". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 168128613.
  6. ^ Hopper, H. (Dec 3, 1962). "Entertainment". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 168295182.
  7. ^ E. A. (Dec 4, 1962). "SCREENING IS SET FOR 'DR. CALIGARI'". New York Times. ProQuest 115800435.
  8. ^ Hopper, H. (Sep 21, 1964). "Entertainment". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 155016704.
  9. ^ Scheuer, P. K. (Feb 27, 1963). "New oil struck by old fox west coast". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 168285714.
  10. ^ Hopper, H. (Mar 25, 1963). "Mankiewicz races deadline on 'cleo'". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 168235416.
  11. ^ E. A. (Jul 2, 1964). "Paramount sees the big picture". New York Times. ProQuest 115837540.
  12. ^ B. C. (Jun 21, 1964). "SOCIALLY HURTFUL". New York Times. ProQuest 115824765.
  13. ^ Davis, L. (Jun 28, 1964). "Film on violent youth agitates reader". New York Times. ProQuest 115613577.
  14. ^ Hopper, H. (Jun 20, 1964). "Entertainment". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 168600750.
  15. ^ Lady in a Cage - Variety
  16. ^ The New Film
  17. ^ Olivia de Havilland: ‘Lady in a Cage’ (1964)
  18. ^ Olivia de Havilland: ‘Lady in a Cage’ (1964)
  19. ^ 'Lady in a Cage': still lurid after a half-century
  20. ^ Lady in A Cage - Movie Reviews

External links[]

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