Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Lady in a Cage Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf January 14, 2022

1964’s “Lady in a Cage” is a take-no-prisoners kind of movie, with Paramount Pictures trying to shake up the norm in thriller cinema with this offering of nastiness. They’re successful with shock value, and director Walter Grauman is completely committed to creating a jolting viewing event featuring a cast of characters who lack all sense of decency and restraint. “Lady in a Cage” eventually reaches an obnoxious level of hysteria, but the ride to overkill is something to see, with the material making room for awful things to happen to awful people, bravely creating a home invasion tale where there’s nobody to root for.

Recovering from a broken hip, Cornelia (Olivia de Haviland) watches as her only son, Malcolm (William Swan), departs for the weekend, leaving her alone in her mansion, using an elevator to get around the dwelling. When power is knocked out while Cornelia is inside the lift, she’s trapped, unable to reach outside help. Discovering an opportunity, thug Randall (James Caan) and his partners decide to invade Cornelia’s home, taunting the older woman while stealing her valuables and treating one another like animals.

Credit goes to de Haviland, who’s not messing around with a potentially silly concept, feeling everything as Cornelia goes from mild panic to madness while stuck in the elevator. It’s a crazed performance, but everyone is going nuts here (Ann Southern also appears as a tormentor), with the energy of the picture cranked all the way up for most of the run time. Grauman puts in the work to keep “Lady in a Cage” agitated, offering incredibly active camera work (and a funky main title sequence) and an aggressive sound design, and he keeps his actors raging, though this brand of frenzy becomes a burden in the second half. Keeping things interesting is the feature’s mean streak, as Randall and others delight in making Cornelia, and themselves, miserable, leading to some scenes of aggression that tease a new dawn in cinematic horror for the 1960s.

Lady in a Cage Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation is sourced from an older scan of the feature, delivering softer detail during the viewing experience. There are a lot of sweaty, soiled faces to study, and some skin particulars are appreciable. Hairiness as well, especially on James Caan. The household setting is sufficiently dimensional, and decorative additions are decently textured. Delineation is satisfactory, and B&W cinematography remains comfortably balanced throughout. Grain is heavy and film-like. Source is in decent condition, with some speckling detected.

Lady in a Cage Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

"Lady in a Cage" is presented in 2.0 DTS-HD MA mono and 5.1 DTS-HD MA (another 2.0 DTS-HD MA track is included). The 5.1 offering is certainly more powerful, delivering decent dialogue exchanges with these loud, unrelenting performances. Some mild wavering is detected, but nothing severe. Scoring cues are appealingly defined, with decent instrumentation.

Lady in a Cage Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features film historian David Del Valle.

• "Uncaged Insight" (15:47, HD) is an interview with film historian Kim Newman, who shares how "Lady in a Cage" was actually banned in Britain due to its cruelty. Developed in a post-"Psycho" world, "Lady in a Cage" was originally created for Joan Crawford, who couldn't take the role due to scheduling issues. Newman tracks genre trends of the day, identifying influences and competition. He also highlights the uniqueness of the material, which is filled with horrible characters. The interviewee details moviemaker careers, and shares public response to the extreme feature.

• "Trailers from Hell" (3:40, HD) sits down with filmmaker Darren Lynn Bousman to discuss "Lady in a Cage," identifying the lively direction from Walter Grauman, music by Paul Glass, and the power of the home invasion subgenre.

• Image Gallery (4:20) collects film stills, publicity shots, poster art, lobby cards, and newspaper ads.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (3:48, HD) is included.

Lady in a Cage Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Lady in a Cage" eventually wears out its welcome, but fans of home invasion movies are sure to get a little more out of the picture, which doesn't go soft for a moment, leading to an unexpectedly shocking conclusion, sustaining the nightmare mood Grauman is working hard to create.