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  • David Farrar was in some danger of being typecast as something of a cad around this time (Black Narcissus and 'Gone to Earth') and he puts in a good performance as usual here. There are also good supporting roles from some other stalwart actors.

    But really this is Jean Simmons' film; she has a more rounded role here and to some folk she could do no wrong on the silver screen.

    This movie wasn't all that well received when it first came out and in hindsight it isn't that easy to see why; maybe expectations were set too highly or something. It is a little slow-paced perhaps, but as others have pointed out it surely deserves a better score here than it has at present; most films with that ranking are stinking the place up something rotten and this film is certainly not in that category.

    Well worth watching, especially if you like Jean Simmons; a solid 7/10 from me.
  • gordonl5631 August 2006
    Warning: Spoilers
    This watch-able noir from the U.K. stars a young and rather striking looking Jean Simmons. Also in the cast are James Donald, David Farrar, Bernard Lee, Herbert Lom and Madeleine Lebeau.

    Simmons and her doctor, James Donald, are having a romance and marriage seems in their future. That ends when an old friend of Simmons parents shows.

    David Farrar, a smuggler and all round cad, sweet talks Simmons who swallows his line hook and sinker. Farrar is really after the family money. On their wedding night, he discovers that there is no cash. Simmons family is broke. The next morning, Farrar disappears with what little cash and jewels Simmons had. Simmons realizes Farrar was just after money and has a good cry.

    A couple of months go by and Simmons knows the break is not complete. Their one night together has put a bun in the oven. She goes back to Donald who takes her back.

    While this is going on, we find out Farrar is in Paris back with his old flame Madeleine Lebeau. Lebeau and her partner, Herbert Lom, run a smuggling racket out of a Paris nightclub. Jewels to Tangier, cash to the States, cigs to the UK and so on. Farrar and Lebeau take up again.

    Several years later Simmons hears that Farrar was killed in a plane crash. Donald, who has been taking care of Simmons and her son, now marries her. Life is good and Donald moves up the social and money scale.

    Needless to say that reports of Farrar's death were somewhat premature. He is quite alive. He had sold his passport to another smuggler who had the bad luck to be in the plane crash.

    Farrar has been up to his old ways and has been stepping out on Lebeau. He has latched onto the daughter of a wealthy banker. When he approaches the banker about a "loan" to leave the daughter alone. Farrar finds he has overplayed his hand. The banker calls the Police instead.

    Ever quick on his feet, he bolts back to the UK. Once there, he pays a visit to Simmons. Needless to say she is shocked to find the low-life Farrar still upright. Farrar suggests that the last thing Donald would want is a scandal, what with his upscale practice etc. Farrar feels that a trip to South America is what he needs. Some cash would help. He gives her 24 hours to discuss it with Donald.

    Simmons does not tell Donald about Farrar's visit. She does not want to involve him further in her mess. The next night, she takes Donald's automatic to the meeting with Farrar.

    Farrar lets her in and asks how much did she bring. Simmons tells him he can have all "she" has, 200 pounds. Farrar laughs, a couple more zeros would be more like it he comments.

    Farrar guesses that Simmons never told Donald about the visit. He grabs the phone and calls Donald at his office. "I'm here with your wife". Says Farrar. He gives Donald the address of the flat.

    Farrar turns back to Simmons and his eyes open wide. Simmons has pulled the pistol and has it pointed at his gut.

    Farrar tells Simmons, "Could you live with the fact that you killed?" Simmons starts to cry and faints. When she comes to, Farrar is dead on the floor and her pistol is beside him. She flees down the stairs and out into the street. Just then, Donald pulls up. He tells Simmons to wait and goes to Farrar's room.

    He sees the stiff and begins to wipe the place down of fingerprints. He is just pocketing the automatic when the Police show. Down to the station the two go.

    Simmons swears she killed Farrar while Donald says it was he who killed the blackmailing swine. The detective, Bernard Lee, listens to both and shakes his head. He knows that both are lying. The beat cop had heard the shot and responded. He had seen another woman leave just before Simmons came out, and Donald, arrived.

    We now find out Lebeau had tracked down Farrar. She had entered the room as Simmons fainted. Farrar had bent over to look at her. Lebeau, seeing the two together, had picked up the pistol and dispatched Farrar.

    Lee puts out the word to stop the train to Dover and arrest her. Lebeau saves them the trouble by jumping from the moving train to her death. Lee gets the phone call about Lebeau and sends Simmons and Donald home. Problem solved.
  • Ealing Equals Quality. Basil Dearden does it again with depressing noir ahead of its time. Like Pool Of London, it bravely broaches taboos ten or more years before most film-makers.
  • I am so used to seeing David Farrar as an army or police officer that it was quite a shock to see him as a rather nasty blackmailer and smuggler.Though clearly Jean Simmons prefers him to the rather more sober and down to earth James Donald.However Farrar runs off to Paris as he doesn't want a quiet married life and his wife is not able to support him in the manner to which he is accustomed.From then on the story is fairly familiar territory.It is entertaining but utterly predictable.Much of the climatic action takes place in a pea souper in London,the type of which used to kill thousands of people over the years.In fact given the uncertainty of the murderer before the end you might have guessed that the fog killed him!
  • lucyrf3 January 2020
    Warning: Spoilers
    Others have told the story. The drawback in any film like this is that you have to sit, wincing, through scenes of a happy marriage while the couple snog and a small child simpers. I fast-forwarded those bits. Much more fun are the scenes of Farrar's other life in a Parisian night club where his other girlfriend enacts cliché No. 27: she comes on to do her number, but sees an old flame in the audience. She sings her song, with emotion rippling over her face and throbbing through her voice. Farrar then tries it on with the daughter of a banker, but the banker won't play ball. Why won't Madeleine see sense and accept safety in the arms of chain-smoking, tubercular gangster Herbert Lom? Well, she's not going to, is she?

    The Cage of Gold is the nightclub, with its birdcage decor and cynical pianist. French dialogue is not subtitled or translated. Bernard Lee is a fatherly policeman, as usual. Be thankful for small mercies - he doesn't have a happy home life or annoying son.

    The lighting is very dramatic and noir throughout, and the score is by the wonderful George Auric.
  • Warning: Spoilers
    This type of meller was very much the staple fare in the British film industry in the immediate post-war years and into the early fifties. Not too much wrong with that if you like formulaic plots of the kind you would find in the 'Women's' magazines of the day. This is the one about the charming con man and the choices that people make in life. Heroine Jean Simmons is faced with choosing between the dashing, charming, rake, David Farrar, who lives off his wits and women though not necessarily in that order, and dull as a wet Thursday in Scunthorpe James Donald who offers security - he's a doctor - and Ovaltine at bedtime, whilst Donald himself has the choice of Mayfair money for doling out placebos to hypochondriacs or joining his father as a local GP serving the community. It's hokum, of course but everyone gives it their best shot and in addition to the leading trio we get the likes of Bernard Lee, Herbert Lom, Harcourt Williams, Gladys Henson, Gregoire Aslan and Madeleine Lebau. Worth a look.
  • David Farrar always looked the solid dependable type, making him all the more credible as an amoral confidence trickster that women would be taken in by. Jean Simmons is very good as his main victim, and it is remarkable that in actual fact there was a twenty year gap in their ages. Douglas Slocombe's monochrome photography is superb. Main weakness occurs toward the end with the narrative becoming contrived almost to the point of absurdity. Interesting to see that at this point the older doctor was still allowed to own a handgun legally, albeit with a licence, something that has not been the case in the UK for very many years.
  • Warning: Spoilers
    The beautiful Jean Simmons always adds a touch of class to whatever film she stars in, and when she is the victim of an evil plot, she makes the perfect waif. Once married to the sinister David Farrar, she remarried after his presumed death and several years later, he shows up out of the blue and threatens her with blackmail. Simmons, pushed to the point of no return, takes the obvious step to get rid of him, but can she do it? Only the London fog will know as second husband James Donald traipses through it. Unfortunately, the bulk of this film is all talk, some good photographic effects and editing, but the rest of the movie is as slow moving as that foggy day in London town. Little suspense, unfortunately, drags this on, and while Simmons is an appealing heroine, she's dealing with a formula script that has little heat, even considering the subject matter. Farrar and Donald play complete opposites, showing ironically how one dimensional each of their characters are, while Simmons manages to make her character multi faceted.
  • I try to see the movies directed by the english director Basil Dearden, and I didn't regret this "Cage of gold" from 1950, real pure thriller. David Farrar as the blackmailer is outstanding (the phone scene), and Jean Simmons is real great as the victim. There are some scenes shot in Paris, it isn't mentioned on imdb's filming locations, but we can see the Arch of Triumph, place de l'Opéra, place Vendôme. And in the casting in the french scenes, we can recognize a future great french singer. Another Basil Dearden must see.
  • Warning: Spoilers
    I gave this film a maximum rating of 10 as I was shocked it only had a rating of 5.2 on IMDb.com.and considered the rating needed lifting.I saw this film tonight on Youtube.com and was amazed I had not seen it before.The beautiful Jean Simmons plays the heroine wife to dastardly cad David Farrar who is just out to milk his girlfriends of money to finance a speculative new helicopter business investment.I could not divorce from my mind David playing the wicked squire Jack Reddin in "Gone to Earth" (G.T.E.)1949 opposite the very beautiful Jennifer Jones, and comparing James Donald playing the boring doctor in the subject film to Cyril Cusack playing the upright moral reverend Marston in G.T.E.It was almost a revision of the same plot 50 years on from G.T.E.The previous reviewer has outlined adequately the basic plot and principal actors in roles better known to regular filmgoers so I will not dwell further on that.

    I collect as many Jean Simmons/Jennifer Jones/Hedy Lamarr/Ava Gardner & Vivien Leigh films as I can - as you can see I rave over beautiful dark 1940s brunette film actresses - (I have every film Jennifer Jones my especial favourite, made).It was a pleasure to see an experienced producer Michael Balcon, director Basil Deardon and experienced cast all of whom were known to me from other 1940/50s films of the period.Being 65 I can clearly remember the London fog "peasoupers" of the early 1950s.It makes me feel almost wistful for those far off days.Unlike G.T.E.however the brunette heroine survives and we get a happy ending!
  • I bought a 16mm print from a seller on-line who bought the can of film from an estate of a projectionist who lost most of his possessions in a house fire. When I received the parcel in the mail, upon opening the box, finding the large tin film can was blackened from the fire, and opening the can the film reels on one side were covered with a strange white powdery substance? Not knowing what to expect, I benched the film and started to restore the print. To my amazement the fire nor the water the fireman used to put out the house fire effected the film print in anyway? After restoring the film print, I was further amazed to discover that not only did this beautiful black and white print survive a fire, but it was also a gorgeous 35mm reduction print both picture and track. It was a labor of love removing the white stuff from the films edge, but well worth it! For once on the big screen, I was mesmerized by the cinematography, the direction and of course the beautiful Jean Simmons! Another top notch British made gem! The next morning immediately sent off an email to the BFI about my love for British cinema from the 1940's and 50's, and how much I enjoyed screening "Cage Of Gold"! Best of all I took a chance buying the sight unseen print - and for only $9.99 plus shipping; I am now the proud owner of this fantastic gem of a motion picture from the British cinema's Vaults Of Silver! You can talk about your Blue Ray - HDTV - Digital DVD - Digital Cinema Projection, Bla Bla Bla! Still the best way to see a motion picture is on a film print, run through a film projector on a big screen!