Turn The Key Softly
A black and white film wonderful film adapted from the novel by John Brophy. A drama taglines “an intimate study in passion and suspense.”
Beautifully shot, postwar British 'noir' about three women enjoying the first day of freedom after leaving Holloway Prison Directed by Jack Lee. No spoilers here just a little of what to expect.
The film came on the TV by accident, I’d never heard of it and funnily enough it was the opening music, music for the 1953 film Turn the Key Softly was composed by Mischa Spoliansky a prolific film composer known for his work in both German and British cinema. In addition to composing the score, he served as the musical director for the film, with the music played by the Royal Philharmonic orchestra and it was so moving and enigmatic, music that sounds familiar because the clever melody and chord changes have be reused and copied in later songs. The music caused me to stop what I was doing immediately to watch the story as it unfolded.
The opening scenes are wonderfully shot inside Holloway women’s prison as we are introduced to the three main characters in the film, Stella Jarvis (Joan Collins): A "lush and brassy" prostitute and working-class girl tempted back to her old life.
Monica Marsden (Yvonne Mitchell “woman in a dressing gown) A well-bred woman who served time for her lover, we don’t discover this until later and Mrs. Quilliam (Kathleen Harrison): An elderly shoplifter who is poor and unwanted befriended by Monica on the inside.
The only thing binding them together is the time and date of their release and the anticipation of the day ahead on the outside, released into London at the time the largest City in the world.
For a black and white film the story is full of colour and texture as the lives of the women, their backgrounds and impact of jail time are shown in a sensitive and endearing way. How their existences so different intertwined and inter connected by their shared experience.
At the end of the day in the life the three women meet for dinner, Monica Marsden’s treat where they plan to dine with Mrs Quilliams friend Johnny, at an elegant restaurant called the Monte Christi. The dinner is arranged shortly after their release from prison, marking a pivotal scene where they reunite and celebrate their freedom together.
It’s a touching film, we never actually discover the elderly shoplifters name, except to discover she has a daughter Lily, In the scene, Mrs. Quilliam visits her daughter Lily, who is ashamed of her mother's petty criminal history and poverty, and in one scene quickly whisks the child away, refusing to let her spend time with her grandmother.
It’s a tear jerker of a film for sure, keep the tissues handy if you are a weeper. I didn’t cry myself but that’s not my thing. I was deeply moved by the film and did ponder the story for a couple of days afterwards.
It’s a very simple premise that explores social class and the views and judgement of society of every level from the needs of a woman like Stella, for security and a husband in bus conductor Joe, and for Monica in her scoundrel of a lover and for friendship and loyalty in Granny Quilliam’s relationship with Johnny.
The story binds their plights and exposes their not dissimilar problems and desires at a time when women were firmly trapped as second class citizens with strictly defined roles to play.
Gorgeous shooting, beautiful music, super acting, a journey back to a time when spending time in prison made life for a woman so much harder than ever before with some fantastic lines interwoven into the script delivered with great comedic timing. I’d definitely recommend this old classic that was actually Joan Collins first leading role under a rank contract.