Caged

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Caged ★★★ 1950

Innocent Marie Allen (Parker) is sent to prison as an accomlice to her husband's fatal armed robbery attempt because she was in the car. Once inside, the frightened, pregnant widow encounters reform-minded warden Benton (Moorehead) and vicious matron Harper (Emerson), who fight for her soul, along with a varied cast of fellow inmates. Harper's vicious treatment of the inmates eventually turns Allen into a hardened con. A classic, which shouldn't be lumped in with later exploitation examples of the genre. Excellent performances and scriptthrough ing make it a fine representation of noir. 96m/B DVD . Eleanor Parker, Agnes Moorehead, Hope Emerson, Ellen Corby, Betty Garde, Jan Sterling, Lee Patrick, Olive Deering, Sheila MaincRae, Jane Darwell, Gertrude Michael, Don Beddoe, Edith Evanson, Gertrude Hoffman; D: John Cromwell; W: Bernard C. Schoenfeld, Virginia Kellogg; C: Carl Guthrie; M: Max Steiner.