So jung und so verdorben

The director, Bernard Vorhaus, had real talent, as evidenced by the undeniably powerful firehose and suicide scenes, not to mention his handling of a fascinating young cast headed by Anne Francis (who is terrific) Rita Moreno, Anne Jackson and even Mike Kellin, in a bit. Vorhaus knows how to play with light and shadow - he probably would have excelled in Noir films had he not been blacklisted - and has a knack for finding novel settings to either enhance or contrast the mood of a particular scene. (The merry-go-round scene would do Hitchcock proud.) His camera's always on the move and the editing of the film has a rhythm and a pull that keeps you involved and in suspense.

But make no mistake this is a B-film with an erratic script that falters at several critical junctures. Immediately after the sadistic worker turns the hose on the girls for setting fire to the dorm, things come to a head, with Henried and pretty Catherine McLeod angrily confronting the corrupt Head of the institution (Cecil Clovelly) and threatening to file official reports on the abuse at the school unless sweeping changes are made. Clovelly admits that if that happened there would probably be an uproar, an unfavorable investigation and he would more than likely be fired, BUT - and this is what made absolutely no sense - he gets them to back down by suggesting that if he were fired who's to say somebody even worse than him wouldn't take his place? Huh?!!! What are the odds of that? I think I'd take my chances.

Still an effective film that will hold your interest. I should also point out that the other comment about this film is inaccurate on several plot details and seems to have it confused with some other film.

"Dr. John H. Jason" (Paul Henreid) is an idealistic psychiatrist who accepts a job at a reform school for females which has a very high rate of recidivism. After getting to know some of the girls he makes some recommendations which are completely ignored by his superiors, namely "Mr. Riggs" (Cecil Clovelly) and Miss Beuhler (Grace Coppin), who believe that a reform school should be run like a prison. Eventually, this leads to a conflict between Dr. Jason and the assistant supervisor, "Ruth Levering" (Catherine McLeod) on one side and the aforementioned Mr. Riggs and Miss Beuhler on the other. Now, rather than disclose the entire plot, I will just say that this film will probably be considered "lightweight" by current standards. There is no nudity, vulgar language or anything else that might be considered "graphic". However, it is an interesting movie all the same with a very capable cast. In that regard, I thought both Anne Francis (as "Loretta") and Catherine McLeod probably gave the best performances. On the other hand, I must also admit that there were some parts which were a bit corny at times. But that's probably to be expected with most films produced during this particular period. Be that as it may, I enjoyed this film for the most part and rate it as slightly better than average.

Despite the many rough edges, the film remains more interesting than many of its slicker Hollywood contemporaries. Stereotypes do abound: the cruel matron (Coppin), the humane reformer (Henreid), the incorrigible inmate (Francis). A notable exception is the sympathetic pairing of the lesbian couple (Pulver & Jackson), unusual and daring for its time. The film has a distinctly non-studio feel to the New York state locations and rather grainy photography, suggesting an earnest project done on a shoestring. That's not surprising since writer Rouverol and director Vorhaus were both blacklisted a short time later, as was Henreid, though his American career appears uninterrupted. No doubt they were hoping to bypass Hollywood constraints with a small independent production that would highlight a social injustice.

The movie's main problem lies with Henreid's psychiatrist-reformer-- he's simply too idealized to be believable. He comes across improbably as something of a secular saint and father-figure to the girls. Then too, actor Henreid's effort at lightening-the-mood veers at times unfortunately into the near comical. No doubt, the ending, which is much too pat and conventional resulted from trade-offs with the censors. Too bad, because it softens a final note that should have had a harder edge. What really lifts the movie is the spirited band of young performers-- especially, Anne Francis who likes boys "but only for short periods". Her little cigarette trick with the laundryman was likely put in by Henreid who rose to Hollywood stardom using a smouldering variation with Bette Davis. Too bad, Francis never rose to the stardom her talent deserved and is remembered today mainly for her sexy costume in Forbidden Planet. Nonetheless, the girls breathe real life into what otherwise could have been a plodding production.

Of course, the dramatic high-point comes with the hosing-down scene whose length and intensity do go beyond conventions of the day. I expect the producers had to go to the mat with the censors on that one. For the politically savvy, however, the high point occurs between Henreid and his uncertain colleague (Catherine Mc Leod) on the merry-go-round. There, they argue about how the inhumane system at the reformatory can be modernized. She opts for a professional approach from within. To that, Henreid argues that that hasn't worked and she has been co-opted into the system as a functionary whether she likes it or not. The only way to change the system, he argues, is from outside. On a larger societal canvas, this brief exchange mirrors the political one between reformist liberals and insurrectionary radicals. Moreover the fact that it's staged on a merry-go-round is also revealing. Unless she gets off, as the operator tells her to, things will simply go round-and- round with nothing changing. The scene slips by quickly, but tellingly.

An interesting question for a movie like this is speculating on the film the producers wanted to make versus the one that's up there on the screen after all the inevitable trade-offs. Nonethelessl, it's a worthwhile little movie, far more so than its exploitative title would suggest, with a spunkiness from the youngsters that remains compelling, even after so many years.

As a busload of new girls arrives at a young women's reformatory, it appears at first glance that they are going into an enlightened institution when they are met by the resident psychiatrist played by Paul Henreid who tells them that they are here to be helped. That impression is broken immediately when they are herded into the showers by the supervising matron played by Grace Coppin who, along with the other matrons, enforce the strict disciplinary policies of the institute's director played by Cecil Clovelly. From the perspective of someone watching this film, Coppin's character seems a lot more interesting to watch than does Henreid's. Her performance rivals the best of the cruel matrons that have been portrayed in women-in-prison films. A young Anne Francis plays one of the newcomers, seducing every man she meets including psychiatrist Henried. The well-known controversy about the institution's purpose of punishment or rehabilitation is fairly well-done, saved by the ending. The film has some real intensity thanks to the pace, which goes from one blatant injustice to another, but especially the photography, and much of the writing, especially for the film's smaller parts.

This film was produced in New York City and is very similar to the film "Caged" also filmed in California in the same year. In this film the girls are not in a prison but a reform school but it is ruled just like a prison and even worse. Mr. Riggs, (Cecil Clovelly) runs the institution along with Mrs. Beuhler,(Grace Coppin) who have no regard for the girls and have them working in a potato farm and in a laundry. Dr. John H. Jason,(Paul Henreid), "Casablania",'42 is a psychologist and is a new-comer and works with Ruth Levering,(Catherine McLeod) and they both decided to change things around and treat the girls differently, allowing them to wear regular clothes and having dances and no working with potato's or a laundry. Loretta Wilson,( Ann Fancis) plays the role of a young girl who was married and had a baby and was abused by men and plays a very sexy mean sort of gal and falls in love with Dr. Jason. I was surprise to see Rita Moreno,(Dolores Guererro) play a role as one of the girls in prison who is all mixed up, but she does sing a rather pretty song in this picture. Ann Francis was very young in this picture and just starting her career and gave an outstanding performance.