Women's Prison (1955 film)
| Women's Prison | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Lewis Seiler |
| Produced by | Bryan Foy |
| Screenplay by |
Crane Wilbur Jack DeWitt |
| Story by | Jack DeWitt |
| Starring |
Ida Lupino Jan Sterling Cleo Moore |
| Music by | Mischa Bakaleinikoff |
| Cinematography | Lester White |
| Edited by | Henry Batista |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 80 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Women's Prison is a 1955 film noir directed by Lewis Seiler and starring Ida Lupino, Jan Sterling, Audrey Totter, Phyllis Thaxter and Cleo Moore.[1]
The movie is noted today for the appearance of Moore, and for Lupino's performance as the aggressively cruel warden. In the 1980s this movie became rather popular, Sony Pictures subsequently released it in the boxed set Bad Girls of Film Noir: Volume II along with One Girl's Confession and Over-Exposed.
Plot
A ruthless superintendent of a prison, Amelia van Zandt, makes life hell for the female inmates. Her rules are rigid and she makes no exceptions.
The newcomer Helene Jensen is not a hardened criminal by any means, but a woman convicted of vehicular homicide after she accidentally killed a child. Out of place here, Helene is so distraught that Van Zandt has her placed in solitary confinement, making it even worse. Helene nearly dies.
The prison has two wings, one for women, one for men. One of the inmates, Joan Burton, has been illicitly having conjugal relations late at night with her husband, Glen, a convict in the other wing. Now she is expecting a baby, and brutal men's warden Brock issues a stern warning to Van Zandt that she'd better find out how the two prisoners have been arranging these meetings.
Joan has the sympathy of the decent Dr. Crane who's in charge of the infirmary and disapproves of the cruel treatment of prisoners he sees. But the heartless Van Zandt goes into a literally homicidal rage while interrogating Joan, beating the pregnant prisoner to death.
A protest erupts in the women's cell block, beginning with a hunger strike organized by Joan's cell mate, Brenda Martin, then turning into a full-scale riot. Naive or timid inmates are swept up along with the vicious, veteran ones, and there is much bloodshed before the uprising is quelled. Dr. Crane intends to go to the prison board and accuse Van Zandt of murder.
Cast
- Ida Lupino as Amelia van Zandt
- Jan Sterling as Brenda Martin
- Cleo Moore as Mae
- Audrey Totter as Joan Burton
- Phyllis Thaxter as Helene Jensen
- Howard Duff as Dr. Crane
- Warren Stevens as Glen Burton
- Barry Kelley as Warden Brock
- Gertrude Michael as Matron Sturgess
- Vivian Marshall as Dottie LaRose
- Mae Clarke as Matron Saunders
- Ross Elliott as Don Jensen
- Adelle August as Grace
- Don C. Harvey as Chief Guard Tierney
- Juanita Moore as "Polly" Jones
Reception
Critical response
The staff at Variety magazine praised some of the actors in the film, "Sterling scores nicely as a tough moll, Cleo Moore is a typical femme inmate and Vivian Marshall, as an ex-stripteaser gone wrong, shines in some amusing impersonations."[2]
See also
References
- ↑ Women's Prison at the American Film Institute Catalog.
- ↑ Variety. Staff film review, 1955. Accessed: August 15, 2013.
External links
- Women's Prison at the American Film Institute Catalog
- Women's Prison at the Internet Movie Database
- Women's Prison at AllMovie
- Women's Prison at the TCM Movie Database
- Women's Prison film trailer on YouTube