Writer(s): Luther Davis
Starring: Olivia de Havilland, James Caan, Jennifer Billingsley, and Rafael Campos
Lady in a Cage is a perfect example of what can happen
when a movie is made well before its time.
Its relentlessly bleak themes feel right at home when compared to movies
made today, yet the writing and acting are trapped in the ‘60s (when the film
was made), creating a constant tug-of-war between two extremes. There’s no doubt in my mind that the film’s
pitch-black pessimism wins out in the end, but its problems undeniably weaken
what could have been a powerhouse film.
The plot is deliciously simple: Olivia de Havilland plays Mrs. Hilyard, a
rich old woman who recently had hip surgery, and thus must rely on an elevator
to transport her from one floor to another.
Right after her son leaves for a weekend trip, some careless workers
knock a ladder into power lines right outside her home, cutting out her
electricity—right as she’s between floors in her elevator. At first, she believes it’s a city-wide
issue, and that her power will be restored, so she refuses to press the
emergency alarm; when she realizes, after a couple hours, that no help is
coming, she begins to panic, and sounds the alarm.
Unfortunately for her, the only person that hears it is an
alcoholic, who proceeds to break in and steal a toaster and some of her
wine. When he takes the toaster in to a
local pawn shop to get money, three thugs (one of whom is a young James Caan,
in his first feature film role) take note of a clearly homeless man with an
expensive toaster and fine wines, and follow him as he heads back to the house
to get more. What ensues is a chain
reaction of violence, and an overdose of cynicism; none of the characters pay
any attention to the elderly woman in need of help, instead wondering how they
can take advantage of the situation to help themselves. It’s still strong viewing now; I’m surprised
it didn’t break Hollywood
back in 1964, when it was released.
Which brings me to the aforementioned problem of being
caught in two distinct time zones. The
acting of today is far different than the acting of a half-century ago, which
was more strongly reminiscent of acting for theater. Because of this, many of
the performances are over-the-top, with Jeff Corey as the wino (who identifies
himself in film as George L. Brady Jr.) being the guiltiest party. His performance more closely resembles a
cartoon character than an actual human being; the way he constantly licks his
lips and his gratuitous obsession with wine frequently crosses the border
into self parody, to the point I was hoping he would get killed. I get that an alcoholic, just like any
junkie, constantly needs to get his fix, but the film overstates this to the
nth degree, making it feel terribly unnatural, and making him come off as more
of a clown than a serious attempt at characterization.
De Havilland fares better, and earns some sympathy as the
victim (as she should, by default), but she also puts a little too much into
her performance. The scenes where she is
trapped inside the elevator alone (before the thugs come in and start wrecking
her home) are wildly uneven; rather than efficiently building intensity, as
they should, her lack of subtlety sometimes loosens the momentum. I didn’t find it to be so
distracting so as to become cringe-inducing, but dialing it back a bit could
have really heightened the tension rather than hindering it.
The best performance is a young James Caan, who as the
ringleader of the three thugs exudes a hatred and callous disregard for others
that is chilling; the way he’s constantly grinding his teeth from side-to-side
also manages to be intimidating, adding a depth to his character missing from the
rest. He’s cocky and confident, and
that’s what makes him so fascinating, even as his actions repulse; you never
know what he’s going to do next, or what’s going to make him snap, but you know
it’s coming. Mark my words: If the other actors had turned in even half
the performance that Caan does, that alone would be enough to take it from
minor masterpiece to the level of Psycho or Halloween, as perceived by the masses.
I hesitate to say this, but Lady in a Cage is the perfect
kind of candidate for a remake, or a “reimagining”, or whatever term Hollywood is currently
using for “ripoff”. Trust me, I’m
against Hollywood remakes just as much as the next person (probably even more
so), but this is the type where such a thought is appropriate: It’s a very underrated, underseen film, and
as terrible as modern updates turn out to be, there are at least a small
percentage of moviegoers that would be made aware of the original, and seek it
out. As for the remake itself, with all
the strides technology has made in the last fifty years, it would be
interesting to see how the advent of, say, cell phones, or even the internet, could
both create new obstacles, yet also offer faint glimpses of additional hope for
the trapped heroine. It could also add a
new angle to its devastating bleakness: that even with all these newfangled
devices and increasing robotization of the world, things haven’t changed at all
in the last fifty years.
RECAP: Hindered partially by some dated writing and
performances, Lady in a Cage is still an admirably bleak film whose themes
are just as strong and relevant today as they were back then (perhaps even
moreso). It’s paced well, with a gradual
increase in tension, due in large part to James Caan’s excellent performance as
a ringleader for a group of thugs. Despite
its flaws, this is a movie that deserves to be far wider known than it is; even
as it stands, it’s a minor masterpiece of the horror genre. And the opening credits sequence is inspired
kinetic lunacy!
RATING: 7.5/10
TRAILER
No comments:
Post a Comment