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People are voting emotionally.

Great Film overall

Blistering performances.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

As so many of her contemporary movie queens of the past decade Olivia DeHavilland went into horror films It's a sad commentary on the lack of roles she was getting at that point. By the next decade she was not doing this sort of film any more.In Lady In A Cage she plays a housebound woman who is recovering from a broken hip and had a special elevator installed for her use. She's rich and does poetry on the side and she's kept her son William Swan tied to her apron strings. When he leaves for the 4th of July weekend an accident happens and the power goes out while she's stuck in mid air in that elevator.When it rains it pours. A wino played by Jeff Corey breaks in and starts stealing a lot of expensive things. He brings in a partner a very frowzy Ann Sothern who's seen her share of men and booze. While trying to fence some of what they've stolen they attract a trio of Charles Manson wannabes played by James Caan, Jennifer Billingsley, and Rafael Campos.So while all of them party and menace DeHavilland they also aren't happy with each other, the different generation of thieves.I have to say Caan made an impressive screen debut, he was one frightening dude. Campos who usually played nice kids is also one nasty strung out individual. Billingsley was beautiful, but she'll be Sothern in 10 years and also strung out.Olivia's other venture into the horror genre was Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte and Lady In A Cage is not as good as that one. But it does have its moments.One thing that was overlooked. Being trapped as she was there certainly was no opportunity to use any facilities. Those 48 hours or so in the cage might have made it and Olivia really smell.Other than not accounting for that Lady In A Cage was an OK horror film

A movie like this makes you wonder if you really want to say anything about it at all. It's fueled by the mentality that helped open the flood gates leading to today's nasty approach to Cinema. It galvanized the view of the so-called 'new breed', the likes of Tarantino, Stone, Scorsese, Eastwood, Greenway, etc, more than likely developed their ideas while watching this and others that followed in it's wake...copying a style that was already a copy of something else. From the opening credits we are treated to an almost cheap carbon copy of the design created by Saul Basss for the main titles of Hitchcock's 'Psycho'. Even the introduction to the first scene is lifted out of the same film --camera moves through an open window into a room-- what follows is a difficult to watch story of civilization in decline. Perhaps this could have been a good example, except like today's movie makers this crew seem to be enjoying the sensationalized carnage and almost kill off the message. If it were not for the involvement of some fine talent behind and in front of the cameras, this would be a complete waste of time.It's all a calculated mix from casting to script. First we have new comer James Caan, groomed in true Hollywood fashion as a clone of Marlon Brando who by this time was upgrading his image with more sophisticated roles (I mean how many times can you play the delinquent or pug?) Caan would later do the same thing within that other acclaimed cinematic dirge "The Godfather" (Yes I know, a fav' of many and I will take flack for this, but really...?) in there with him would also be Marlon, with a mouth full of marbles, mumbling his way through to over-rated raves. So that's how far we progressed?Director Walter Grauman, a TV man, was likely hoping this would see him hailed as the next Hitchcock (who by this time was in decline) but went on to do little better. The Producer/Writer Luther Davis is the big surprise, what was he thinking?. Apart from a few good lines that challenge us to question what we have become and why, he then simply go's on to trundle out a set of vulgar situations that are in keeping with the exploitation cheapies of the 50s. Looking back on his sterling career as scriptwriter: The Black Hand '50 (Gene Kelly's fist dramatic role) ~ The Hucksters '47 ~ A Lion is in the Streets '53 etc..this is certainly an odd work. Olivia De Haviland must have genuinely needed work to allow herself to be dragged down to this level. Although, unlike some others I thought she was very convincing in a difficult situation. Ann Southern also turns in a good performance within a generally thankless role. The rest of the cast are alternately interesting and dull, but this is basically because they can't rise above their shoddy, limited characters. Veteran Director of Photography the outstanding Lee Garmes tries hard to keep it looking better than it deserved, but it's a pale shadow to his: Scareface '32 ~ Detective Story ''51 ~ Jungle Book '42 ~ Since you went Away '44 ~ Walter Mitty '47 ~ Nightmare Ally '47 Etc... This grimy work was somewhat understandably refused classification in Australia, Britain, Denmark, and I dare say several other countries. It would have been put back in it's box and returned to it's country of origin with a note: 'Returning to you - not wanted in our heads'. So, decades later, along comes our now 'enlightened' Aunty ABC and programs it on free to air TV without modifications, good one Aunty! and according to the nightly news, we sure do need this stuff over here nowadays! I've heard it argued that today's movie makers are simply holding up a mirror to ourselves, but more often what we seem to be seeing is the dark reflection of their own inner ugliness. While there are some that think 'Lady in a Cage' is good, others should perhaps beware! One thing that could be said in it's favor is...having being made within the restrictions of it's day, it stands as a good example for today's writers on how to use more imagination to express their point, without simply choking us with over the top course language!KenR.....

Lady in Cage! This is James Caan's first starring role (although not his first picture) and he plays a brutal character that he modeled after Marlon Brando in Streetcar Named Desire.Olivia de Havilland (yes that Olivia de Havilland) is Cornelia Hilyard, a wealthy widow who is recovering from hip surgery. In order to get to the second floor of her house she has an elevator installed. On this particular day Cornelia is taking the lift upstairs when the power goes out and traps her between floors. Fortunately for her she has an emergency button that rings a bell outside the house. Instead of someone coming to rescue her however, the bell lures a bum (Jeff Corey) into the house. He steals some bottles of wine and then walks off with Cornelia's toaster which he takes to a local pawn shop. Randall (James Caan) and his two lackeys Elaine and Essie (Jennifer Billingsley and Rafael Campos) also happen to be at the pawn shop and they decide to follow the bum and see what he is up to. The bum goes to visit Sade (Ann Sothern) a local hustler who he is enamored with. Together the two of them decide to go back to Cornelia's house and rob the place blind.Check out the rest of our review at 3guys1movie.com

"Lady in a Cage" was banned in Australia for a long time, and has only just been released on DVD. I had read much about it, and now having seen it, have to say a lot of the criticism was justified mainly because of the terrible script writing - some of the things Olivia de Havilland had to say were so juvenile and out of context that I felt they destroyed one's interest. It is a film for viewing only once as the violence was so strong for the 60's, but way below what we are being served up today. If you could eliminate some of the script, and certainly fix the continuity as well as repair the poor ending, there is the basis of a good story. de Havillands acting was excellent, while James Caan made a very frightening villain, but for me, the performance of Ann Sothern as Sade, the Hustler, was the highlight. At the conclusion of seeing this Film, I felt dissatisfied in the fact that with some proper scripting and direction, it could have been very good.