Lady in a Cage

This relatively obscure 1964 film--at times lurid and strangely compelling, at others ham-fisted and stupid--is clearly a product of the '60s: a period when actresses of a certain age were taking on roles in tawdry shock-horror movies (cf. Joan Crawford and Bette Davis in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?). In this case, the actress is Olivia de Havilland (who also appeared in Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte that same year), portraying a well-to-do woman who's trapped in her own home when her private elevator gets stuck between townhouse floors during a power failure. Pressing the alarm bell only makes it worse; the outside world ignores her, save for a drunk (Jeff Corey) and his hooker girlfriend (Ann Sothern), who in turn attract delinquent James Caan (in his first major film role), along with his wasted paramour and their psychopathic Hispanic pal, all of them intent on looting, terrorizing, and worse. Some of what ensues is almost camp, with its on-the-nose images of the spoiled rich woman in her gilded cage and the moronic nihilism of the thugs (Caan seems to be channeling Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire) who invade her sanctuary. Add to that elements of suicide, homosexuality, alcoholism, some fairly graphic violence, and a message that's relentlessly bleak (the world is steeped in savagery and suburban indifference; the only way out is to become a barbarian yourself; the welfare state is a spawning ground for “bits of offal” like Caan, as the de Havilland character puts it), and this ain't exactly Beach Blanket Bingo. Still, director Walter Grauman does a nice job of building an atmosphere of danger and paranoia, the black and white cinematography is good on this solid transfer, and the actors are clearly having a field day. Although extra-less, consider this a strong optional purchase. (S. Graham)