''The Weak and the Wicked'' (called ''Young and Willing'' in the United States) is a 1954 British
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
directed by
J. Lee Thompson
John Lee Thompson (1 August 1914 – 30 August 2002) was a British film director, active in London and Hollywood, best known for award-winning films such as ''Woman in a Dressing Gown'', ''Ice Cold in Alex'' and '' The Guns of Navarone'' along w ...
based on the
autobiographical novel
An autobiographical novel is a form of novel using autofiction techniques, or the merging of autobiographical and fictive elements. The literary technique is distinguished from an autobiography or memoir by the stipulation of being fiction. ...
''
Who Lie in Gaol'' by his wife,
Joan Henry, starring
Glynis Johns
Glynis Margaret Payne Johns (born 5 October 1923) is a South African-born British former actress, dancer, musician and singer. Recognised as a film and Broadway icon, Johns has a career spanning eight decades, in which she appeared in more than ...
and
Diana Dors
Diana Dors (born Diana Mary Fluck; 23 October 19314 May 1984) was an English actress and singer.
Dors came to public notice as a blonde bombshell, much in the style of Americans Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and Mamie Van Doren. Dors was p ...
.
Based on a best-selling book and prison experiences of author Joan Henry, director
J. Lee Thompson
John Lee Thompson (1 August 1914 – 30 August 2002) was a British film director, active in London and Hollywood, best known for award-winning films such as ''Woman in a Dressing Gown'', ''Ice Cold in Alex'' and '' The Guns of Navarone'' along w ...
's prison saga explores the life of inmates behind bars where innocence is lost in the world of vice. Despite its pulpy pot-boiler title, the film settles for earnest social drama over
melodrama
A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exces ...
.
Plot
Frank "
women in prison
This article discusses the incarceration of women in correctional facilities. As of 2013 across the world, 625,000 women and children were being held in penal institutions, and the female prison population was increasing in all continents.< ...
" story that sympathetically tracks several inmates through their imprisonment and subsequent return to society. Some are successfully rehabilitated; some are not.
Female prisoners talk about the events that brought them there and each of their stories is detailed in a series of flashbacks; the upper-class Jean (Glynis Johns), the brash Betty (Diana Dors) and the pregnant Pat (Rachel Roberts).
Jean has a gambling habit and owes money to a gambling den. Her friend Pam frames her..
The film follows the inmates' progress behind bars; Jean's ordeal improves after some sympathetic bonding with her fellow inmates, followed by a move to an experimental open prison.
Cast
''Who Lie in Gaol''
Joan Henry was a writer who had connections in society. She had gambling problem, and was sentenced to twelve months in prison for passing a fraudulent cheque (she claimed she was framed). Henry wound up serving eight months, at Holloway and the more liberal Askham Grange open prison. At the latter she came under the care of
Mary Size. Henry wrote a book about her experience, ''Who Lie in Gaol'' which was published in 1952. (The title was taken from ''
The Ballad of Reading Gaol
''The Ballad of Reading Gaol'' is a poem by Oscar Wilde, written in exile in Berneval-le-Grand, after his release from Reading Gaol () on 19 May 1897. Wilde had been incarcerated in Reading after being convicted of gross indecency with other m ...
''.) The book became a best seller.
Production
Development
The book was read by writer-director J. Lee Thompson, who wanted to turn it into a film. He received backing from Robert Clark, head of production at Associated British. Thompson wound up falling in love with Henry and leaving his wife and two children to marry her.
The British Home Office refused co operation with the making the film because they were unhappy with its depiction of prison.
Diana Dors was cast only a few weeks after having been convicted in real life of stealing alcohol from a friend's house. The role marked a significant change of pace for Dors, who was better known for comedic roles. Simone Silva was another member of the cast better known for glamour roles.
Shooting
The film was shot at
Elstree Studios
Elstree Studios is a generic term which can refer to several current and demolished British film studios and television studios based in or around the town of Borehamwood and village of Elstree in Hertfordshire, England. Production studios ha ...
, filming starting on 10 August 1953 under the title ''Women Behind Bars''. Mary Size and Joan Henry were on set as advisers.
Henry thought Johns was a good actor but "a bit goody-goody".
Reception
Critical
The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' said "The treatment of this story provides an unfortunate example of the malaise with which so much British script-writing is afflicted nowadays. The basic situation is promising" but "against these back-grounds are paraded a prize collection of familiar feminine character types (alternately comic, sad and hysterical) – two-dimensional creatures, observed without insight or real compassion."
The ''New York Times'' called it "a lukewarm drama".
''Variety'' called it "a safe formula for a box office meller."
The film changed perceptions of Diana Dors.
Box Office
The film was successful at the British box office.
According to the
National Film Finance Corporation
The National Film Finance Corporation (NFFC) was a film funding agency in the United Kingdom in operation from 1949 until 1985. The NFFC was established by the Cinematograph Film Production (Special Loans) Act 1949, and further enhanced by the ...
, the film made a comfortable profit.
It was estimated to earn between $75,000 and $100,000 for Associated British in the US.
Legacy
Joan Henry later wrote the novel ''Yield to the Night'' which Thompson filmed with Dors in 1956. Henry and Thompson were later married.
Notes
*
References
External links
*
The Weak and the Wickedat BFI
*
Review of filmat Variety
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weak And The Wicked, The
1954 films
1950s prison films
1954 drama films
British prison drama films
Films shot at Associated British Studios
Films directed by J. Lee Thompson
British black-and-white films
Films with screenplays by J. Lee Thompson
Films based on autobiographical novels
Women in prison films
1950s English-language films
1950s British films