Turn the Key Softly (1953)
A bitter burglar, a prostitute and an elderly shoplifter spend their first day out of jail.
- Jack Lee
- Maurice Cowan
- Jack Lee
Rating: 6.2/10 by 13 users
Alternative Title:
Country:
United Kingdom
Language:
English
Runtime: 01 hour 21 minutes
Budget: $0
Revenue: $0
Plot Keyword: london, england, prostitute, based on novel or book, burglar, ex-con
Three women are released from prison at the same time on the same day and arrange to meet for a drink later that evening. Their paths diverge with one - petty shoplifter Kathleen Harrison anxious to get home to her "Tommy"; Joan Collins to her bus conductor boyfriend "Bob" (Glyn Houston) and finally Yvonne Mitchell ("Monica") who appears to have been set up by her safe-cracking boyfriend "David" (Terence Morgan). The narrative tracks their day - sometimes joyful, sometimes sad - but usually interesting. Sadly, Collins, who has a bit of a penchant for fleecing elderly men, adds very little to the proceedings; it's down to an engaging performance from Harrison and a troubled one from Mitchell to inject some humour, depth and personality to this curious triptych. The last half hour dominates the well written screenplay as a tense rooftop robbery goes awry, and the cops close in... It's got some interesting scenes from post war London, a lovely one where folks cram onto the tube, just as they do 70 years later, and a sense of the glamour and social divisions that were starting to fade as Britain emerged from the War years, and is worth watching for that alone.
