Cage of Gold

Cage of Gold is a 1950 British drama film directed by Basil Dearden, and starring Jean Simmons, David Farrar, and James Donald.[3]

Cage of Gold
Original British quad format poster
Directed byBasil Dearden
Produced byMichael Balcon
Screenplay byJack Whittingham
Story byPaul L. Stein
Jack Whittingham
StarringJean Simmons
David Farrar
James Donald
Herbert Lom
Music byGeorges Auric
CinematographyDouglas Slocombe
Edited byPeter Tanner
Production
company
Distributed byGFD (UK)
Release date
  • 21 September 1950 (1950-09-21) (UK [1])
Running time
84 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office£192,000[2]:285

Plot

A young woman, Judith Moray, deserts her prospective fiancé, the nice doctor Alan Kearn, for an old flame - the dashing, but roguish, former wing commander Bill Glennan. Glennan makes her pregnant and marries her, but leaves her on the morning after the wedding when he learns that her father can't offer him financial support. Two years later, she - having been told that Glennan is dead - has married Kearn and they keep Glennan's son. But then, Glennan suddenly re-appears, and begins to blackmail her.

Main cast

Production

Michael Relph was forced to do the movie at short notice at the request of Ealing.[2]:68

Reception

Cage of Gold premiered on 21 September 1950 at Odeon Marble Arch in London, replacing the Burt Lancaster comedy Mister 880.[1] The reviewer for The Times wasn't overly impressed, writing: "Ealing Studios normally know what they are about, and, in an admirably objective programme note, they frankly admit that Cage of Gold breaks completely away from what they call their 'semi-documentary' style, and is 'emotional melodrama'. The description can be accepted. ... It all runs efficiently to its rules and time-table, and, oddly enough, Miss Simmons acts better here than in So Long at the Fair."[4]

A critic in the British film magazine Picture Show, wrote that the film is "lavishly staged and efficiently directed, but the characters are somewhat stereotyped".[5]

After the US première on 18 January 1952, The New York Times reviewer wrote: "Cage of Gold ... is a polished, often suspenseful British version of the familiar old Enoch Arden yarn. The fact that it doesn't come off on the whole is not only disappointing, but downright annoying. For even with some serious shortcomings, here is a quality product, as might be expected from Michael Balcon, who has produced more than his share of top-notch imports. This one has, at least, all the top-notch trimmings. The photography is excellent, Basil Dearden's direction is slick as a whistle, and the acting of the cast, headed by Jean Simmons and David Farrar, is almost consistently good. ... Sadly, though, the picture as a whole is a letdown".[6]

References
  1. The Times, 20 Sept. 1950, page 2: Picture Theatres: Odeon, Marble Arch: Last Day, "Mister 880" – The Times, 23 Sept. 1950, page 2: Picture Theatres: Odeon, Marble Arch: "Cage of Gold" Linked 2015-04-28
  2. Harper, Sue; Porter, Vincent (2003). British Cinema of The 1950s The Decline of Deference. Oxford University Press USA.
  3. BFI: Cage of Gold (1950) Re-linked 2015-04-28
  4. The Times, 25 September 1950, page 6: New Films in London Linked 28 April 2015
  5. Picture Show, vol 55, No 1441
  6. New York Times, 19 January 1952: Cage of Gold Re-linked 28 April 2015
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