Oddball British import, circa 1953. I'm not sure where this tricky flick would be shown in 1950's USA as it apparently was (Lippert Distributers). After all, it's about unwed mothers getting sanctuary in a run-down apartment run by a sinister landlady (Jackson). The whole topic of pregnancy was a touchy one in an age when not even Lucille Ball could say the word "pregnant" on TV's I Love Lucy. Still, the topic is soft-balled in the movie, such that the more pejorative aspects of unwed motherhood are elided, which may have made it more acceptable to US audiences.
Anyway, the narrative mainly occupies interactions between the women, with men hardly seen at all, including future star Harvey who gets only brief screentime. Then too, there's no attempt to glamorize or even prettify the girls. The plot itself develops into a growing bond between wounded-soul Vivianne (Ray) and kindly lady-like Christine (Maxwell). It's Ray's various shades of inner suffering that carry the drama, which she does quite well. At the same time, I couldn't help noticing how much the film resembles a women's prison flick with Nellie (Jackson) as the slyly cruel warden and the girls struggling to just get by. In fact, the crafty Nellie only houses the desperate girls in grim conditions so she can sell their wedlock babies. Oh my.
On the whole, it's a well-acted 90-minutes on a touchy subject that refuses to glamorize in any fashion. Thus, for all its interesting aspects, the movie's probably not a good choice if you're feeling need for uplifting eye-appeal.
Anyway, the narrative mainly occupies interactions between the women, with men hardly seen at all, including future star Harvey who gets only brief screentime. Then too, there's no attempt to glamorize or even prettify the girls. The plot itself develops into a growing bond between wounded-soul Vivianne (Ray) and kindly lady-like Christine (Maxwell). It's Ray's various shades of inner suffering that carry the drama, which she does quite well. At the same time, I couldn't help noticing how much the film resembles a women's prison flick with Nellie (Jackson) as the slyly cruel warden and the girls struggling to just get by. In fact, the crafty Nellie only houses the desperate girls in grim conditions so she can sell their wedlock babies. Oh my.
On the whole, it's a well-acted 90-minutes on a touchy subject that refuses to glamorize in any fashion. Thus, for all its interesting aspects, the movie's probably not a good choice if you're feeling need for uplifting eye-appeal.