Jean Calhoun Movies

Caged, considered the best woman's prison film ever made, represents a union between realistic socially conscious drama and the more stylized world of film noir. Marie, (Eleanor Parker), is sentenced to prison for helping her husband in a small robbery. The prison is run by the sadistic matron Evelyn (Hope Emerson) who is secure in her position due to corrupt political influence. The film shows Marie's slow disillusionment with society and her eventual decision to become a prostitute in order to gain parole after observing her friend and fellow inmate Kitty (Betty Garde) lose her sanity and murder their oppressor Evelyn. With this uncompromisingly pessimistic statement on human nature, John Cromwell reaches his peak as a director. Under his expert direction, Eleanor Parker gives the best performance of her career and creates a convincing metamorphosis from a innocent young girl to a hardened criminal. Her performance is nuanced, low-keyed and emotionally charged. Equally impressive is Cromwell's visual realization of the claustrophobia of prison life, aided by the high-contrast photography of Carl Guthrie. This excellent, grim drama is uncompromising in its refusal to sentimentalize the plight of Marie as a victim or to absolve her of her role in her fate, nor does it absolve society as it shows the results of desperation and brutalization on human dignity. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide

Not just any actress would allow herself to portray a homely spinster for the better part of a feature film, but dramatic actress Pauline Frederick did here -- of course, in the last reel she transforms herself from an ugly duckling into a swan. After the man she loved was stolen by a vamp, Clementina Wing (Frederick) focuses on a career painting portraits and tries to forget about love. But then a young artist friend, Tommy Burgrave (Edward Hearn), brings in his widower uncle, Quixtus (Edward Martindel), to pose for her. Clementina takes Tommy with her to the seaside where she falls ill, and his romance with a young girl begins to make her feel old. Then Quixtus arrives and when it looks as if he's going to fall victim to the same woman who destroyed Clementina's life, she springs into action to make herself more attractive than the vamp. This sparks Quixtus's interest and he falls for her. A child is left in the care of Clementina and Quixtus after the death of its father, and the two of them marry. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

This pretentious picture, clocking in at over an hour and a half -- quite a long running time for the silent era -- was supposed to show the triumph of women throughout the ages. Perhaps it seemed triumphant in 1921 terms (women only recently had gotten the right to vote), but in reality it only shows women through the eyes of, and in relation to, men. Dorothy Phillips plays Victoria, the wife of a politician, David Courtney (James Kirkwood). After a party which degenerates into a wild orgy, she becomes disgusted and leaves him. For the next hour-plus, the picture frequently cuts back to expensively shot historical segments -- a Christian slave girl influencing Emperor Constantine, the battle of the Amazons, a maiden carried off by a knight -until finally Courtney, who has been sent to prison, sees the light and comes crawling back to his wife. This tiresome, overproduced picture didn't really make much of a point. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Wallace Reid could have appeared in a filmed version of the classified ads and made a fortune for his home studio of Paramount. In the inconsequential Alias Mike Moran, Reid plays a craven coward who pays a former convict to take his place in uniform during World War 1. When the imposter is killed, the conscience-stricken Reid redeems himself by serving valiantly in the Canadian army. He loses a hand in battle, but wins the love of Ann Little. Alias Mike Moran was based on the Frederick Orin Bartlett story Open Sesame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide