Reader's Choice: Lady in a Cage (1964)
Monday, March 9, 2020 at 9:19PM New bi-weekly Monday series. By popular vote you selected this streaming film for screening & discussion...
by Nathaniel R
Where did the sayings "wear your influences / heart on your sleeves" originate? No matter the etymology of the phrase we think it disagrees with fussy widow Mrs Cornelia Hilyard. Her billowy sleeves aren't half as expressive as the sheer scarf and shawl like top over her simple house dress. She fidgets with it constantly, untying and unbuttoning the extra layer of fabric due to the unfortunate duet of a broken air conditioner and a great lady's modesty!
The influences and emotions clinging visibly to this lady in her cage, or rather Lady in a Cage (1964), are much the same. Screenwriter Luther Davis and Director Walter Grauman throw just about everything they can think of that was cinematically en vogue or brazenly attention-grabbing in the early 1960s into the mix (drug use! homosexuality! juvenile delinquents! sex! formerly glamorous leading ladies getting sweaty and desperate and humiliated for your viewing pleasure). The film's sociopathic parents -- its daddy is Psycho and its mommy is Whatever Happened to Baby Jane -- have cast a long historical shadow over Lady in a Cage...
