So Evil, So Young

Before I talk about the movie, there is a bit of confusion that Americans might feel when they see this film about a women's reform school. Apparently, the person running the prison is called the 'matron' and the women working under her are called 'wardens'. In the States, it's the other way around...there is only one warden and that's the boss of the prison.

The story is about Ann Turner (Jill Ireland), a nice young girl who is sent to prison for a crime she didn't commit. Her adjustment to the prison life is tough at first, as the lady who lied and got her sent to prison is there! Fortunately, the nice Matron takes a liking for her and gives her a chance. But this chance is jeopardized when one of the wardens pushes one of the ladies to kill herself. Ann refuses to help her or the matron because she feels the riot that resulted from this was justified.

This film is an incredibly mild women in prison sort of picture-- nothing like the American versions such as "Caged". So, while the treatment by the warden is supposed to be harsh, it all seems incredibly lame when compared to the much tougher and more violent American women in prison films. American films have a strong suggestion of lesbianism and sadism...whereas this one looks like a prison film written by a charm school graduate! Not a bad film...but one that is incredibly tame and 'nice'!

So Evil So Young has a great title and an early appearance by Jill Ireland, but at heart it remains what it is: a Danziger Brothers production. That means a poor script, a largely unknown cast, and a minimum of thrills. The film hearkens back to similar American films like Caged (1950) but is, of course, a much more genteel affair. Nonetheless, this film is relatively interesting, being one of the few Technicolor films the Brothers produced. Perhaps the Eadie money arrived early that month. It's always fun to see these glimpses of pre-Beatles coffee bar culture in England, especially when you can see how bright red the glace cherries are on the buns, and there are a couple of brief snippets of early '60s rock and roll, performed by John Charlesworth as Tom, Jill's love interest whilst she's behind bars in a girls' borstal serving time for a crime she did not commit. Not to worry--justice is ultimately served.

This one is pretty tame. One usually watches these old exploitation pix for their camp value. You know, girls/women in prison with girdles and push up bras under their tailored uniforms and perfect bought hairsmdos. This one is pure as the pink pressed dresses they all wear.

The plot picks up by way of the usual melodramatic misunderstanding and a riot ensues.

Jill Ireland is very lovely but what this film really needed was a Diana Dors type, in a tight uniform, cotton colored hair and walking around slinging her hips in a tight uniform chomping gum and chain smoking.

This was bad, but no reason for John Charlesworth to gas himself over.

One of a couple of colour co-features the Danziger Brothers made around the turn of the 1960s, this was written by an American and follows the American "women in prison" stereotype except that of course it has no teeth. The reform school inmates are all well turned-out young ladies and it's absurd that one of them is described as having "a distinct Cockney accent" because everybody uses RP. There's a brief riot; but the main appeal for lads at the time would have been the girls in bed scenes. There's also a hint of lesbianism. The coffee bar looks nothing like one and the pop star who's performing (John Charlesworth) doesn't open his mouth while the track is playing! (Charlesworth finished his role then killed himself). Watch out, during the penultimate scene, for the actress who flinches before she's slapped. The film probably inspired "House of Whipcord". Some of the lines are identical and the parts of the lesbian wardress played here by Ellen Pollock and in "Whipcord" by Sheila Keith are basically the same. The film's currently on You Tube.

Lucy Owens robs a safe in a mansion where she used to work. She is spotted by the butler but the other girl Claire gets away. She's jealous of Ann Turner (Jill Ireland) over a musician named Tom and frames her as her accomplice. Ann is sentenced to three years and gets imprisoned along with Lucy. The Matron is trying to be a modern reformer while the brutal Miss Smith has other ideas. Mary becomes Ann's only prisoner friend.

Tom is really dumb. His ex is caught stealing and his new girlfriend is supposedly her partner. Sometimes, I call movie characters too dumb to live. Tom starts out as one of those. In the real world, he would be called to testify. In order to make the movie not dumb, he needs to be scared of being pulled into the whole affair. He wouldn't want to be called a co-conspirator. Anyways, it would be better for the story to have him abandon her. It needs to be her alone against the world. As for her escape, she needs a better reason like Miss Smith telling her that she is going to hang her next. Like a lot of this movie, the writing is not quite well thought out. This is not good enough to be taken serious and it's definitely not camp.