Boy we have come a long way from the glory of Casablanca, Paul Henreid. Labeled by my Netflix recommendation, this film, So Young, So Bad is a ‘Gritty Independent Fight the System ‘ movie and with a synopsis like this:
Aghast at the cruel punishments handed out by Mr. Riggs (Cecil Clovelly) and his pitiless assistant, Mrs. Beuhler (Grace Coppin), at their all-girls reform school, forward-thinking psychologist Dr. Jason (Paul Henreid) tries to take control of the institution. But when an inmate turns up dead, Jason suspects a setup, and now the girls themselves must reveal the truth about their treatment. Bernard Vorhaus directs this drama.
Source: Netflix
This film has the distinction of being (1) the feature film debut of a 19-year old Rosita Moreno – who would later be known as Rita Moreno and (2) one of the earliest roles for actress Anne Francis.
So Young, So Bad is a story told in flashback by Paul Henreid’s Dr. Jason, a psychiatrist working in a reform school for girls with hopes of making a difference in their lives. In the process he gains insight into the way the girls are exploited and abused by the very system enlisted to reforming them.
Not that I am not saying So Young So Bad is an all-out classic which time has forgotten. Rather, here is a little perspective – at the time of this film’s release, there were essentially two tiers of pictures that received wide distribution: the A-film and the B-film. Because the studios were still in control of most of the film production, independent features did not have the artistic distinction or polish that many have in our modern thinking of this area of cinema.
I suppose the intent of this film was a sort of ‘message’ film. In fact, it was released one day after a very similar film with a similar message (also featured on this blog), Caged. Caged starred Eleanor Parker as a woman irrevocably hardened by the prison system.
In its own way, as the film poster indicates, this attempts to explain WHY the girls are the way they are.
On a side note, Paul Henreid made a lot of money from this film; against the advice of his advisors, he put up 50% of the financing for the film and in return, received what he said was more money than he did for any other film during his film career.
Source: Wikipedia
Scott Lawlor says
January 10, 2012 at 1:50 amSounds really Interesting. I have been starting my looking back series and have been spending my lunch breaks (and a bit more) at work watching classics on lovefilm instant. So any more ideas on what to watch is always welcome!!
Thanks my friend
iluvcinema says
January 10, 2012 at 8:32 amOn a related note, I recently read that Netflix is planning on making an entry into the UK 🙂
Scott Lawlor says
January 11, 2012 at 1:45 amDay before yesterday. And yes I have it and looking through the selection… check todays post for an insight…
iluvcinema says
January 11, 2012 at 8:08 amWill do!
Patti Abbott says
January 10, 2012 at 10:19 amI have never even heard of this one. Really forgotten,
iluvcinema says
January 10, 2012 at 10:29 amHi Patti
No credit here – thanks to Netflix and its back catalog of the most random, obscure films. I love finding the ones that have (once big) names.
Sergio (Tipping My Fedora) says
January 10, 2012 at 12:08 pmFascinating choice – it was the last US film made by Bernard Vorhaus, probably best-known for THE SPIRITUALIST (aka THE AMAZING MR X), who was an inventive and energetic director but who was one of the many victims of the Hollywood Blacklist during the McCarthy witch-hunt.
iluvcinema says
January 10, 2012 at 12:20 pmWow – learn something new everyday 🙂
Thanks for the Hollywood history mini-lesson!
ruth says
January 10, 2012 at 3:04 pmInteresting choice, Iba. I’ve never heard of this one, so this series is quite informative for the likes of me.
iluvcinema says
January 10, 2012 at 3:31 pmGlad to be of service 🙂
Judy says
January 11, 2012 at 6:44 pmSpeak of the Devil. I had been looking for this movie for a long time. Couldn’t remember the name or the stars. Saw it when I was a kid on TV. Remembered two scenes, the matron spraying the girls with a fire hose in the gym so they would fall down and hurt themselves and them cutting Rita Moreno’s hair (because she was so proud of it) and the consequences of that. My daughter found it for me. Does Netflix actually have it? The site we got it on implied there was no video of it and the sound on there site was awful
iluvcinema says
January 11, 2012 at 7:14 pmHi Judy. Yes, I recently watched it on Netflix. Admittedly the picture and sound quality is not 100%, but that is mostly due to the age of the film.
Todd Mason says
January 10, 2012 at 7:40 pmNOT the most flattering hand-colored image on that lobby card, though…indies such as DOA often made virtues out of having to be shot in actual streets rather than backlots, but indeed, the poverty row budgets often showed as well…
iluvcinema says
January 10, 2012 at 7:53 pmI see you don’t like your colors loud Todd 🙂
Todd Mason says
January 11, 2012 at 1:02 amGepetto did a good job, but when do the two largest figures get changed from wooden marionettes into Real Women?
iluvcinema says
January 11, 2012 at 8:04 am🙂