The movie begins with 19 year-old Marie Allen (Eleanor Parker), being delivered to the Women's State Prison. Although she was convicted of armed robbery, the reality is that her husband was the real culprit. She just happened to be with him when he commited the robbery, and after he was killed in the hold-up, Marie was arrested and sent to prison for a period of 1-15 years. Upon admission to the prison, it is discovered that Marie is two months pregnant.
Though prison superintendent Ruth Benton (Agnes Moorehead) is warm and caring and really wants to make life easy for her pregnant first-time offender, Matron Harper (Hope Emerson) has other ideas for the women under her charge. Harper is coarse and hardened and takes bribes from her charges. Without payment from them, she makes life difficult indeed, and since Marie has no wherewithall to pay a bribe, she is soon a target for the matron's brutality. Though Marie longs to be a well-behaved inmate and earn parole in ten months, being in with hardened criminals cannot help but affect her...and not for the good.
Eleanor Parker was nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award for her role in Caged. Now, I am on record as saying that I think that category in 1950 was THE MOST competitive year ever. I have seen the work of all five actresses who were nominated for that award---Bette Davis and Anne Baxter for All About Eve, Judy Holliday for Born Yesterday, Gloria Swanson for Sunset Boulevard, and Eleanor Parker for Caged---and I absolutely believe that the Academy had a nearly-impossible choice.
However, if a gun was put to my head and I simply HAD to choose one winner, I have long said that I think it ought to have been Gloria Swanson. Much as I adore Judy Holliday (who won) and the film Born Yesterday, and much as I love Bette Davis (and All About Eve), I really think Gloria Swanson's work was the best...only by a smidge, of course, as they were ALL beyond spectacular. However, after my recent rewatch of Caged, I've changed my mind---I truly believe that Eleanor Parker deserved the win that year. (I have actually watched All About Eve, Sunset Boulevard, and Caged within the last week, so that I could really compare them while they were each fresh in my mind. Since I watched Born Yesterday about 4 months ago, it's pretty fresh in my mind as well.) Eleanor Parker is totally amazing in this film. Really, I do think she trumps Gloria Swanson, and it is her acting that takes this film from 4 to 5 stars for me. Also, Hope Emerson, as Matron Harper, was brilliant as well. She was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award, and I truly think she should have won. (Josephine Hull won for Harvey, by the way.)
The only negative thing I can say about this film is that they ought to have made the character of Marie a bit older. Eleanor Parker was 28 at the time, and it was a bit difficult remembering that she was only supposed to be 19. Other than that, I thought everything was perfect.
This is definitely not a feel-good movie at all. However, it is a powerful film, with amazing performances by all. It is a definite must-see!! It's out on DVD, so it should be quite easy to track down. Happy viewing!!
Isn't funny how, over time you can change your mind on who should have won the Best Actress Oscar etc. in 1950 ? What a hard decision that must have been...ever wonder what the actual vote count was ?
ReplyDeleteI thought for years Bette Davis should have won, then Gloria Swanson, I don't like Judy very much and as much as I like Eleanor, I also, at this point, have to give the Oscar to Gloria, but like you, only by a smidge...but that also might change since I haven't seen this movie "Caged" yet !