Turn the Key Softly

An overlooked masterpiece of direction, editing and photography... and Maurice Cowan's screenplay is a cracker, too. The writer went on to find bigger success scripting some Norman Wisdom gems soon after this movie was made. Throw in some of the finest British acting talents of the day and you can't go wrong.

The title of the movie becomes apparent towards the end and it's a treat to discover.

Three very different women are released from prison at the same time (eight o clock, precisely) and the movie follows the subsequent day and evening as they get used to their freedom.

Monica (Yvonne Mitchell) has 'done' a year for something she didn't do yet she still carries a torch for the no-good spiv who put her inside. She gets a second chance at a new life and the film is largely focused on her story and whether or not she'll let her head rule her heart this time around.

Stella (Joan Collins) faces a similar choice between good and evil but in her case, her devoted man is good and her previous lifestyle is bad. Who will win this tug of war? (Joan Collins looks beautiful and sexy! She was just 20 when this movie came out and this is one of her first credited parts.)

Granny (Kathleen Harrison) is perhaps the most tragic character. She's a good-natured shoplifter who has lost her daughter's love and is kept going by her own affection for her dog, Johnny. (Kathleen Harrison may not be a name you recognize but you'll almost certainly know her face. Probably most famous as Mrs Thursday in the mid-sixties. She lived to the ripe old age of 103!)

There is a lot to marvel at, even if the story doesn't do it for you. London in the fifties is shown off with extraordinary clarity and with plenty of subtle reminders of how London used to be. The sign in the butcher's shop reads 'You can re-register here!' and the Brylcreem ads dotted the scorched, red brick walls. Piccadilly Circus and London's West End are a treasure to see in the post-war capital.

All the peripheral characters are a joy to watch and we shouldn't overlook the parts they play in bringing this movie to life. Thora Hird, Geoffrey Keen, Dorothy Alison... and many, many more!

The three stories blend perfectly together with dollops of tragedy, drama and ultimately hope. There's so much going on in every scene that the usherettes will be sweeping up the peanut shells, Capstan butts and discarded Walls ice cream tubs before you've had a chance to get seated comfortably!

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Rather cliched plot, but some nice period detail, if your interested in old film of London, youll really enjoy this tearjerking melodrama. A very young Joan Collins is adorable as the easily led West End girl Stella. Plenty of other classic British Movie faces too.

Atmospherically shot by veteran cameraman Geoffrey Unsworth (who later shot '2001'), this melodrama detailing the adventures of three women released from Holloway the same morning probably looks a lot better today than it did when it originally came out, aided by picturesque London location work as it looked in the chilly fifties and the noble features of Yvonne Mitchell in ravishing close-up while led astray by louse Terence Morgan.

"Turn the Key Softly" is an interesting film and well worth your time. It's the story about three women who are released from prison on the same day. It follows each through their first day out and is a very melancholy story...one that will NOT be leaving you happy! There...you've been warned.

The three ladies (one of which is a very young Joan Collins) all leave prison and the story clearly illustrates that you just can't go back to your old life. In one case, it's because family no longer want anything to do with one of the women. And, in another case, one returns to her crook boyfriend...something which clearly is NOT in her best interests. As for the final one, her story is a bit hard to categorize other than she likes nice things.

Overall, this is a very good film for three reasons. It's best quality is that it's unique in so many ways...a major plus. It also has some terrific acting as well as brilliant cinematography--particularly late in the film during a chase sequence. Overall, not a lot to complain about apart from the depressing nature of some of the stories.

The full gamut of life in the london of the fifties. Humor and pathos in that delicate british mix that the studios of the day excelled at. The characters are well portrayed particully that played by Kathleen Harrison. A simple tale of three women - released on the same day and time from prison - of vastly different backgrounds, the film basicly revoloves around a dinner engagment proposed and payed for by Yvonne Mitchel. The events prior and post this dinner comprise the body of the film