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Noir City: Caged

USA | 1950 | 97 min. | John Cromwell

February 16, 2025

Noir City

The best “women behind bars” movie ever made. Sentenced to prison for her role in a robbery that killed her husband, innocent Marie Allen (Oscar-nominated Eleanor Parker), undergoes a degrading transformation in the “joint.” Writer Virginia Kellogg went undercover as an inmate in several southern prisons to research the groundbreaking and controversial script.

Due to unforeseen technical challenges, all scheduled 35mm Noir City screenings will now be presented digitally.

Passes: $158 | $133 SIFF Members
Individual Tickets: Select showtime to purchase.

Note: Reserved seating is not available for Noir City. Members: Make sure to sign in to your SIFF account before selecting showtimes and passes.

SIFF year-round passes are not valid for these screenings. Vouchers are being accepted.

Flat-out, the best “women behind bars” movie ever made. Sentenced to prison for her role in a failed robbery that killed her husband, vulnerable innocent Marie Allen (Oscar-nominated Eleanor Parker), undergoes a degrading transformation in the “joint.” Writer Virginia Kellogg (T-Men) went undercover as an inmate in several southern prisons to research the groundbreaking and controversial script. A terrific cellblock of sensational actresses—Betty Garde, Jan Sterling, Lee Patrick, Jane Darwell, Olive Deering, Gertrude Michael—are dominated by warden Agnes Moorehead and head matron Hope Emerson (also an Oscar nominee). Now considered campy, but a shocker that led to prison reforms on original release. A classic! Note courtesy of Noir City.

  • Director: John Cromwell
  • Principal Cast: Eleanor Parker, Agnes Moorehead, Betty Garde, Hope Emerson, Ellen Corby
  • Country: USA
  • Year: 1950
  • Running Time: 97 min.
  • Producer: Jerry Wald
  • Screenplay: Virginia Kellogg, Bernard C. Schoenfeld
  • Cinematographers: Carl E. Guthrie
  • Editors: Owen Marks
  • Music: Max Steiner
  • Filmography: Anna and the King of Siam (1946), Algiers (1938), The Prisoner of Zenda (1937)
  • Language: English
  • Format: 35mm
  • US Distributor: Warner Bros.