Caged! (1950)

Prison Drama. - Caged! review by Steve

From Warner Brothers, the home of the prison film, this is the greatest women-in-prison picture ever made. The story is familiar: a naive and exploitable first offender (Eleanor Parker) arrives at the Big House as a 19 years old; she is consumed by fear, but among the crazy lifers, the mentally sick and the dumb victims, she transforms into a tough con. A survivor.

This is a liberal film which asserts that punishment further harms these damaged suckers and a progressive approach would be more effective. But there is no money for therapists and teachers. The film creates a powerful impression of an institution: the brutal hierarchy, the crooked officers, the insensitive, aloof parole board.

Eleanor Parker is phenomenal as the inexperienced girl who goes into prison pregnant and is forced to give up her baby by law. She breaks down and rebuilds herself in a new shell, like the more resilient convicts. Hope Emerson is formidable as the butch screw who runs the wing. Jan Sterling excels as an uneducated sex worker.

The slang has dated, but this is a credible film which was obviously intelligently researched (by screenwriter Virginia Kellogg). Yes, there's a shower scene, but this is no exploitation flick! Though surely it invented some of the cliches of the genre. It's an extremely moving film because of the pitiful and futile realities of the penal system, and for Parker's heartbreaking performance.