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Lady in a Cage

 Lady in a Cage
type
TVTItem
 Lady in a Cage
label
Lady in a Cage
 Lady in a Cage
page
LadyInACage
 Lady in a Cage
comment
Lady in a Cage is a 1964 film directed by Walter Grauman.It's a psychological thriller starring Olivia de Havilland as Cornelia Hilyard, a rich middle-aged lady who lives in a fancy house with her grown son Malcolm. At some point in the recent past, Cornelia broke a hip, and she is still using a cane to get around. She is rich enough that she had an elevator installed to allow her to reach the upper floors of her fancy house.Malcolm takes off for a 4th of July weekend, leaving Cornelia alone. A fender-bender outside and some very poor wiring from a utility pole cuts the power to Cornelia's house and leaves her trapped in her elevator between the first and second floors. Worse, the only alarm she has only rings a bell directly outside her house. That bell attracts the attention of, not police or anyone inclined to help, but a ragged wino named George who proceeds to rob Cornelia's house. George recruits a blowsy ex-prostitute named Sade (Ann Sothern) to help him rob the house. Things go from bad to much, much worse for Cornelia (still trapped in her cage elevator) when the activities of George and Sade draw the attention of three vicious young criminals, led by a violent thug named Randall (James Caan).Something of a changing of the guard in Hollywood, as it was the next-to-last starring role for De Havilland (followed by her last starring role, in Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte) and the first starring role and in fact first film credit for Caan (he had been an extra in Irma la Douce and had some TV credits). A pre-stardom Scatman Crothers appears briefly as the pawnbroker's assistant.
 Lady in a Cage
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2024-02-10T12:30:50Z
 Lady in a Cage
parsed
2024-02-10T12:30:50Z
 Lady in a Cage
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Lady in a Cage / int_21f3e32e
type
Chekhov's Boomerang
 Lady in a Cage / int_21f3e32e
comment
Chekhov's Boomerang: The two pieces of metal trim that Cornelia pries off of the elevator. She first tries to use them as shivs to stab Randall in the back, only for them to bend as they're far too weak to penetrate flesh. Randall laughs, then sexually humiliates Cornelia by sticking the shivs in her Victoria's Secret Compartment. That's why they're still there at the climax, when she pulls them out as Randall is dragging her back into the house, stabbing both his eyes and blinding him.
 Lady in a Cage / int_21f3e32e
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Lady in a Cage / int_21f3e32e
 Lady in a Cage / int_22d639e6
type
If It Bleeds, It Leads
 Lady in a Cage / int_22d639e6
comment
If It Bleeds, It Leads: Part of the general thesis of the decay of society is underlined with the radio news broadcasts about traffic accidents and road fatalities going up. Cornelia snarks that the radio people seem to be happy about it.
 Lady in a Cage / int_22d639e6
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 Lady in a Cage
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Lady in a Cage / int_22d639e6
 Lady in a Cage / int_31033037
type
Elevator Failure
 Lady in a Cage / int_31033037
comment
Elevator Failure: The plot revolves around Cornelia being trapped in her failed elevator as various hoodlums and thugs invade her home.
 Lady in a Cage / int_31033037
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Lady in a Cage / int_31033037
 Lady in a Cage / int_49f20c6a
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Gory Discretion Shot
 Lady in a Cage / int_49f20c6a
comment
Gory Discretion Shot: Essie's murder of George happens behind a couch and all the camera shows is the knife appearing and disappearing as Essie swings it.
 Lady in a Cage / int_49f20c6a
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Lady in a Cage / int_49f20c6a
 Lady in a Cage / int_49f6a9e4
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Most Writers Are Writers
 Lady in a Cage / int_49f6a9e4
comment
Most Writers Are Writers: Cornelia is a poet.
 Lady in a Cage / int_49f6a9e4
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Lady in a Cage / int_49f6a9e4
 Lady in a Cage / int_4ae690ca
type
Laughing Mad
 Lady in a Cage / int_4ae690ca
comment
Laughing Mad: Cornelia starts doing this about halfway through the film, as the stress of being locked in an elevator nine feet off the ground while a bunch of violent criminals ransack her house starts to get to her.
 Lady in a Cage / int_4ae690ca
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Lady in a Cage / int_4ae690ca
 Lady in a Cage / int_4eddbc06
type
Animated Credits Opening
 Lady in a Cage / int_4eddbc06
comment
Animated Credits Opening: An opening credits sequence that basically rips off Psycho has lines shooting around, suggesting the bars of the cage that Cornelia will soon be inhabiting.
 Lady in a Cage / int_4eddbc06
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Lady in a Cage / int_4eddbc06
 Lady in a Cage / int_5d753b19
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The Smurfette Principle
 Lady in a Cage / int_5d753b19
comment
The Smurfette Principle: Sade is the lone female conspirator.
 Lady in a Cage / int_5d753b19
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Lady in a Cage / int_5d753b19
 Lady in a Cage / int_65acf9db
type
He Knows Too Much
 Lady in a Cage / int_65acf9db
comment
He Knows Too Much: Randall decides on the easy way to make sure that Cornelia can't identify them or that George and Sade can't betray them: kill all three.
 Lady in a Cage / int_65acf9db
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Lady in a Cage / int_65acf9db
 Lady in a Cage / int_7464705c
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Arc Words
 Lady in a Cage / int_7464705c
comment
Arc Words: "Repent."
 Lady in a Cage / int_7464705c
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Lady in a Cage / int_7464705c
 Lady in a Cage / int_7d7a5f3
type
Carpet of Virility
 Lady in a Cage / int_7d7a5f3
comment
Carpet of Virility: Randall spends the whole movie either shirtless or with a shirt that is unbuttoned to expose his hairy chest. In context, it underlines his aggression and animalistic nature.
 Lady in a Cage / int_7d7a5f3
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Lady in a Cage / int_7d7a5f3
 Lady in a Cage / int_8199787d
type
Stocking Mask
 Lady in a Cage / int_8199787d
comment
Stocking Mask: Randall and Elaine wear stockings over their heads as they ransack Cornelia's home. Sade later has a stocking put over her head by Essie on Randall's requests as she's coerced to assist the gang by carrying out the loot from Cornelia's house. Essie himself does not wear a stocking over his head and seems to wear a knit ski mask.
 Lady in a Cage / int_8199787d
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Lady in a Cage / int_8199787d
 Lady in a Cage / int_99ff79ee
type
Heat Wave
 Lady in a Cage / int_99ff79ee
comment
Heat Wave: The tension and rage throughout is underlined by the fact that it's a hot summer day. Cornelia gets increasingly sweaty and desperate as she's stuck in her cage after the power outage kills the air conditioning.
 Lady in a Cage / int_99ff79ee
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Lady in a Cage / int_99ff79ee
 Lady in a Cage / int_a8c50563
type
Bathtub Scene
 Lady in a Cage / int_a8c50563
comment
Bathtub Scene: Elaine takes a bath in Cornelia's bedroom. Given the circumstances, it's Fan Disservice.
 Lady in a Cage / int_a8c50563
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Lady in a Cage / int_a8c50563
 Lady in a Cage / int_b47d95be
type
No OSHA Compliance
 Lady in a Cage / int_b47d95be
comment
No OSHA Compliance: One might imagine that an elevator, especially a high-end handicapped elevator that a rich lady had installed in her home, would have either an outside phone line, or a battery to power the elevator for at least a ride or two in case of a power outage, or both. In fact, even in 1964 it was standard for an elevator to have an emergency phone line. But if Cornelia's did, there would be no movie.
 Lady in a Cage / int_b47d95be
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Lady in a Cage / int_b47d95be
 Lady in a Cage / int_b58c51d8
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My Beloved Smother
 Lady in a Cage / int_b58c51d8
comment
My Beloved Smother: It's ambiguous how much the Incest Subtext is either just subtext or meant to show an actively sexual relationship between Cornelia and Malcolm, but she's clearly very controlling. She tries to stop him from going away for the weekend, and she forces him to drink a glass of orange juice that he doesn't want because she's decided he needs to maintain his blood sugar.
 Lady in a Cage / int_b58c51d8
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Lady in a Cage / int_b58c51d8
 Lady in a Cage / int_bc3b029b
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Impairment Shot
 Lady in a Cage / int_bc3b029b
comment
Impairment Shot: Blurred vision from a dazed, semi-coherent Cornelia towards the end, after she's finally fallen out of the elevator and taken a hard landing on the floor. She sees a blurry Essie leaving and mistakes him for Malcolm.
 Lady in a Cage / int_bc3b029b
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Lady in a Cage / int_bc3b029b
 Lady in a Cage / int_bce728ca
type
Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal
 Lady in a Cage / int_bce728ca
comment
Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: Randall is abusive to both of his flunkies. He dunks Essie's head in the bathtub at one point for gawking at Elaine, and then smears his face with lipstick. Elaine, for her part, has a black eye. Essie and Elaine follow Randall because they're obviously intimidated by him, but once he's rendered harmless after Cornelia stabs him in the eyes, they taunt him and then abandon him.
 Lady in a Cage / int_bce728ca
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Lady in a Cage / int_bce728ca
 Lady in a Cage / int_bdc453a0
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Incest Subtext
 Lady in a Cage / int_bdc453a0
comment
Incest Subtext: There's something very creepy about Cornelia's relationship with her son Malcolm. They call each other "darling". She kisses him on the lips and asks him if he left her any more of his "love notes". In fact he did, but it's a "Dear John" Letter in which he says "Release me from your beauty. Release me from your love." Randall picks up on this when he reads the note and wonders if maybe she still breast-feeds Malcolm.
 Lady in a Cage / int_bdc453a0
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Lady in a Cage / int_bdc453a0
 Lady in a Cage / int_c40c8b74
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And Starring
 Lady in a Cage / int_c40c8b74
comment
And Starring: Caan and Jennifer Billingsley (Elaine) both get an "introducing" credit.
 Lady in a Cage / int_c40c8b74
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Lady in a Cage / int_c40c8b74
 Lady in a Cage / int_c4c9bb40
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Inner Monologue
 Lady in a Cage / int_c4c9bb40
comment
Inner Monologue: Several times in the film, Cornelia's inner monologue is heard, in very over-the-top hammy dialogue, as she ponders her situation.
 Lady in a Cage / int_c4c9bb40
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Lady in a Cage / int_c4c9bb40
 Lady in a Cage / int_c83f40d8
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Bystander Syndrome
 Lady in a Cage / int_c83f40d8
comment
Bystander Syndrome: Everyone who isn't indifferent to Cornelia's plight (and to the ringing bell) is aggressive and brutal to her.
 Lady in a Cage / int_c83f40d8
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Lady in a Cage / int_c83f40d8
 Lady in a Cage / int_ce6b54d9
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Enemy Eats Your Lunch
 Lady in a Cage / int_ce6b54d9
comment
Enemy Eats Your Lunch: Of course, Cornelia's entire home is being ransacked, but Randall makes a point to stroll around the first floor eating the fruit that he took from a bowl in the kitchen.
 Lady in a Cage / int_ce6b54d9
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Lady in a Cage / int_ce6b54d9
 Lady in a Cage / int_ce9da072
type
Realistic Diction Is Unrealistic
 Lady in a Cage / int_ce9da072
comment
Realistic Diction Is Unrealistic: Cornelia has a lot of very flowery, writerly dialogue, both spoken and in her Inner Monologue, that doesn't sound like anything a person would actually say.
 Lady in a Cage / int_ce9da072
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Lady in a Cage / int_ce9da072
 Lady in a Cage / int_e73f6217
type
Feet-First Introduction
 Lady in a Cage / int_e73f6217
comment
Feet-First Introduction: George the wino is introduced with a closeup of his ratty, crumbling shoes as he shuffles along.
 Lady in a Cage / int_e73f6217
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Lady in a Cage / int_e73f6217
 Lady in a Cage / int_f09e6c1c
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Ironic Juxtaposition
 Lady in a Cage / int_f09e6c1c
comment
Ironic Juxtaposition: One bit in the opening credits has some religious fanatic woman on a car radio screeching "Have we an anti-Satan missile?", while the man and woman inside that car are indulging in Auto Erotica.
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Lady in a Cage

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Lady in a Cage
hasFeature
Elevator Failure / int_b941cbb4
 Lady in a Cage
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Incest Subtext / int_b941cbb4
 Lady in a Cage
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Psychological Thriller / int_b941cbb4
 Lady in a Cage
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Stocking Mask / int_b941cbb4