Caged

Caged

Year: 1950

Runtime: 96 mins

Language: English

Director: John Cromwell

CrimeDramaCrime drugs and gangstersBrutal violent prison dramaViolent crime and drugs

The Story of a Women’s Prison today A single mistake puts a 19-year old girl behind bars, where she experiences the terrors and torments of women in prison.

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Timeline & Setting – Caged (1950)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Caged (1950). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Women's Prison

Set inside a women's prison, the story unfolds across sterile corridors, crowded cells, and a rigid social order. The environment is ruled by a punitive matron and a brutal hierarchy. Prison yards and solitary confinement spaces become the stage for power struggles and desperate acts.

🔒 Prison 🎭 Drama

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:04

Main Characters – Caged (1950)

Meet the key characters of Caged (1950), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Marie Allen (Eleanor Parker)

A 19-year-old newlywed who discovers she is two months pregnant during the initial prison exam. She enters the women's penitentiary facing a harsh, cutthroat social order and confusing parole rules. Marie gradually hardens, trading her innocence for pragmatism as she witnesses the system's brutality and the rise of criminal influences inside.

🧭 Inmate 👶 Mother

Kitty Stark

A murderous shoplifter and rival inmate who pushes Marie toward toughness. Kitty embodies a ruthless streak that thrives in the prison's hierarchy, and her presence deepens the conflict with Marie and the guards. Her arc culminates in a brutal confrontation that leaves her mentally unmoored and the prison shaken.

🧭 Inmate 💥 Antagonist

Evelyn Harper

The sadistic prison matron who rules with a mix of fear and ritualized cruelty. She shaves Marie's head and uses her authority to suppress dissent, clashing with reformist Ruth Benton. Her power is political, and the police commissioner refuses to fire her, forcing Benton to resign instead.

🔒 Matron 💢 Abuser

Ruth Benton

A reformist prison superintendent who clashes with Harper, aiming to impose public accountability. She advocates hearings and transparency, but politics and authority hinder change. Her tension with Harper drives the moral debates about rehabilitation versus punishment.

⚖️ Reformist 🕊️ Integrity

Elvira Powell

A notorious criminal whose arrival triggers a ruthless power play with Kitty. She bribes Harper to gain better treatment and helps fuel a riot when the inmates discover a kitten is threatened. Her presence destabilizes the prison's fragile order and accelerates Marie's hardening.

🧭 Inmate 🧨 Instigator

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:04

Major Themes – Caged (1950)

Explore the central themes of Caged (1950), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

⚖️ Justice & Control

Prison acts as a stage where authority asserts control through punishment and procedure. The matron Evelyn Harper embodies the coercive power that governs inmate lives, while parole is a fragile carrot used to maintain order. The system prioritizes order over rehabilitation, often leaving vulnerable inmates trapped between rules and fear. The tension between Benton's reformist ideals and Harper's hardline tactics exposes how justice can be co-opted to maintain domination.

👶 Motherhood

Marie’s pregnancy tests the limits of institutional life, forcing her to confront motherhood under surveillance. The prospect of custody and adoption is a constant undercurrent, shaping her choices and loyalties. The prison becomes a site where vulnerability can lead to both strength and exploitation. The film uses this tension to question who gets to define family within a punitive system.

🌀 Corruption & Survival

Survival requires adaptability; Marie learns to navigate a world where crime and punishment intersect. Kitty's brutal ascendancy and the riot over a shared kitten illuminate how fear and power can warp moral judgment. As Marie becomes more cynical, she allies with criminals to secure safety and freedom, blurring lines between victim and participant. The ending implies that the system feeds the very cycles it pretends to control.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:04

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Caged Summary

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Caged Summary

Caged Timeline

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Caged Timeline

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