by Linda Kay
Also Known As: Room 43
Directed by: Alvin Rakoff
Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains spoilers for this film!
Synopsis: Naive French girl Malou (Odile Versois) is tricked into being indebted to English madam Aggie (Brenda de Banzie) who works for the loathsome high-end pimp Nick Biaggi (Herbert Lom). Biaggi arranges a marriage of convenience for Malou with hard up cab driver Johnny McVey (Eddie Constantine) but the patsy falls for the girl and is determined to rescue her from a life on the streets.
Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): Malou is moved into the classy apartment next to the whorehouse under the pretense of becoming Aggie’s lady in waiting. Call girl Vicki (Diana Dors) watches from the neighboring balcony as Malou finds a tuxedo kitten wandering around the adjacent terrace.
Aggie tells Vicki to watch after Malou while she is out and to remember to close the connecting doors between the residences. When Vicki arrives in Aggie’s apartment, Malou rushes forward with the kitten thinking it is Aggie.
Malou shows Vicki the kitten and explains she will name him Mignon, which means cute. She wonders if Aggie will let her keep the kitty.
Vicki can’t let on the danger Malou is in and gets frustrated with the girl’s innocent questions.
Aggie returns with Biaggi and introduces him as her business advisor.
Malou places Mignon on the chair behind her as Vicki is motioned to leave the room and Biaggi says the quota of work permits has been used up and suggests the idea of a one day marriage to gain citizenship for Malou. As they are talking, the mischievous Mignon plays on the chair, being completely adorable.
After the wedding, Aggie and Malou return to the apartment and Mignon runs up the stairs ahead of them.
In the room, Malou gives Mignon some milk before cuddling with the kitten, thinking about Johnny and what a nice man he seemed to be.
Mignon runs down the stairs and through the connecting door to the other apartments which Vicki accidentally left open. Oddly enough, in the next shot of the door a filament can just barely be seen being pulled taut. We suspect something was tied to the line to lure the kitten through the door, then the shot right before that happened was used to show the open door, assuming theater goers wouldn’t notice the thread.
Malou catches up with the kitty but also observes Vicki dressed provacatively in a room with a man who has given her money.
Malou tries to exit down the stairs but another woman is coming up with another man. Malou is horrified as she starts to put the pieces together.
As if not convinced enough, Malou continues to cling to Mignon as she follows Vicki out onto the street where she sees the girls plying their trade first hand.
Aggie returns to find Malou gone and calls Biaggi who says he’ll be right over. Malou enters, looking horrified and still clutching Mignon.
Malou immediately starts to pack up the clothes Aggie had given her while Mignon jumps off the bed.
After gathering Mignon from the floor, Malou runs for the door but is cut off by Biaggi and his goons. She clutches Mignon but at one point she must drop the kitten and as much as we keep hoping he will make a return to the story the poor kitty is never seen again.
Purr Blur: Johnny is sent on a wild goose chase while looking for Malou, pulling his taxi into the demolished Grant Street where a black and white cat is sitting by a wall. The cat runs when the car pulls onto the lane.
Final Mewsings: Kittens don’t belong on the street where men are looking for . . . never mind.
Many thanks to Mark Murton for letting me know about the kitten in this film.
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