Rivolta al braccio d

Shirley Knight plays a wrongfully convicted woman named "Erica Hayden" who is 5 months pregnant when she is sent to prison. Not long after she is sent there a new warden, "Frank Cole" (Andrew Duggan) arrives as well. Because his wife had run off with a paroled convict prior to his new assignment, he harbors a great deal of animosity toward all convicts. This leads him to make several bad decisions which lowers the morale of the inmates. Erica has her child, but she is taken away right before her 3-year birthday party. Because of the tactless way it was handled the female inmates stage a riot. Attracted by her good looks, the warden requests Erica to be his housemaid. Willing to do anything for a parole which will reunite her with her child, she takes this opportunity for all it is worth. At any rate, rather than give away the entire plot I will just say that there are several unexpected events that occur afterward. Although I was a little bit disappointed with the quality of the action, overall, I thought that the acting was pretty decent. Shirley Knight, Andrew Duggan and Jeanne Cooper (as a prison matron named "Helen Jennings") all performed quite well. And while this film may seem tame by today's standards, it's still somewhat enjoyable and worth a look.

Fragile young beauty Shirley Knight is locked up in prison, the same year she entertained in "Sweet Bird of Youth" opposite Paul Newman. Here, she's not so lucky; it's crafty, hard-hearted warden Andrew Duggan who takes an interest. A very strong cast assembled by veteran producer, Bryan Foy, in this, the 253rd of his formidable 254 credits and directed by multi-talented Crane Wilbur in the last picture of his long, fine career. Still, schmaltz is to Hollywood what Mom and apple pie are to the USA: in the same year, in the UK, another prison drama about the oppression of the working class by patronizing social overseers was made, "Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner," an international hit. Happy endings are not a requirement and realism is not a sin.

Erica Hayden (Shirley Knight) is starting a five year sentence in a women's prison. Policy allows the women to keep their children with them up to the age of three. Erica hopes to get parole sooner and keep her baby. Warden Frank Cole (Andrew Duggan) is working against her and she runs out of options. She has to give up her child for adoption.

This is a bit of social justice film. I've never heard of women keeping babies with them in prison. Actually, I'm not sure and that's how I feel about this movie. I'm not sure if it's realistic. Laws are different back then. It makes me feel uncertain although the actors are doing fine. It's not exploitation or camp.

HOUSE OF WOMEN is an ultra-rarity in its own sub-genre, the Women's Prison Picture. It's not on the high artistic level of CAGED (1950), nor does it have the dramatic conviction of WOMEN'S PRISON (1955). Yet this film is more than worth seeing for its dynamic cast and several scenes of high, over-the-top melodrama. The great Shirley Knight was near the start of her career and she is sympathetic enough to involve viewers with her story. The rest of the cast features several nearly forgotten, but very talented actresses: Virginia Gregg, Jeanne Cooper, Barbara Nichols and another great, Constance Ford. Ford resists most opportunities to chew scenery, but she delivers a strongly entertaining performance. Also look for the still-acting-today Jacqueline Scott in a small role. On the male side, Andrew Duggan and Jason Evers do as well as could be expected in this female-dominated environment. Is HOUSE OF WOMEN camp? Well, maybe a tiny bit. But it's a must-see for fans of this sub-genre.

As a fan of this genre, I'm predisposed to like "House of Women" anyway. But I was surprised by the amount of professionalism and thoughtfulness that went into what's clearly an early-'60s Warners B, riffing on the then-12-year-old "Caged" and adding some trendy contemporary refs, like inmates arguing over the relative merits of Troy Donahue. Shirley Knight, always wonderful, is the naive young thing who took a five-year rap for assisting her boyfriend in a robbery, and is entering the Big House with a baby on the way. She quickly allies with the brassy Barbara Nichols and the hard-as-nails Constance Ford (she's excellent), and snags a relatively comfy job in the home of warden Andrew Duggan, who goes from rat to sympathetic to rat again. (Also in his domestic employ: Virginia Capers, who won a Tony some years later for "Raisin.") There's the usual we're-taking-over-this-joint roistering and unsympathetic parole board, and a somewhat not-credible climax where the prisoners get everything they want. But it's pretty well directed, and certainly well acted.