IMDb RATING
6.9/10
759
YOUR RATING
Follows three women through their first day of freedom after they are released from prison.Follows three women through their first day of freedom after they are released from prison.Follows three women through their first day of freedom after they are released from prison.
- Director
- Writers
- Stars
John Adams
- Tube Train Passenger
- (uncredited)
Edward Evans
- Commissionaire
- (uncredited)
Hilda Fenemore
- Granny's Daughter
- (uncredited)
Otto Friese
- Subway Passenger
- (uncredited)
Robert Gregory
- Passer-by
- (uncredited)
Fred Griffiths
- Newspaper Seller
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
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.
What an entertaining film! Glamour, thrills, romance, sentimentality. This is a British black and white film noir, if that's the correct description to give it, but it give a clue in the night time robbery scene, the stark prison scenes at the beginning, the clandestine meetings the leading players have in alleyways, etc. The stars all act well, particularly Kathleen Harrison as an old lag who on her release in reunited with Johnny, her little dog, who plays as leading a part as the humans here. Joan Collins in an early glamour role is as striking then as she is now over sixty years later. The leading actress is Yvonne Mitchell and her lover is the villainous Terence Morgan, a part he was adept at playing in the 1950's. I didn't want it to end, and maybe, that's the secret of a great movie, leave 'em wanting more. Films today are often too long and that's why they are rarely great any more. There is a scene where a woman very briefly walks down the stairs past Yvonne Mitchell, and I could swear it was Prunella Scales (from Fawlty Towers) but it was so brief and she's not listed.
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
Ideal for a winter's Sunday afternoon. Well scripted, directed, and photographed, with some interesting location shots of 1950s London.
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.
Did you know
- TriviaThe Coach & Horses pub, seen in the final scene, became famous later on as the bohemian meeting place for the personnel of the satirical magazine, 'Private Eye'; its infamously rude landlord, Norman Balon, appeared in the magazine. Richard Ingrams, who edited "Private Eye" for 23 years, often said, with relish, that the pub served "the worst food in London" - which is why it was used.
- GoofsGranny Quilliam buys a quantity of meat from the butcher although meat rationing was still in force at the time the film was released and didn't end until July 1954.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Secret History of Our Streets: Portland Road (2012)
- How long is Turn the Key Softly?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime
- 1h 21m(81 min)
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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