The Mafu Cage

Last updated
The Mafu Cage
Mafu Cage poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Karen Arthur
Written by Don Chastain
Based onToi et Les Nuages
by Eric Westphal
Produced byDiana Young
Starring
Cinematography John Bailey
Edited by Carol Littleton
Release date
  • December 1, 1978 (1978-12-01) [1]
Running time
104 minutes [1]
Budget$1 million

The Mafu Cage (also released as My Sister, My Love, Deviation and Don't Ring the Doorbell) [2] is a 1978 American psychological horror film [3] [4] directed by Karen Arthur, and starring Carol Kane and Lee Grant. Its plot follows two sisters, both the daughters of a late anthropologist, residing in a dilapidated Los Angeles mansion: one, is an astronomer, and the other, is a dysfunctional eccentric who keeps and tortures a variety of monkeys and other primates.

Contents

Arthur worked with screenwriter Don Chastain to loosely adapt Eric Westphal's play Toi et Tes Nuages, which she had seen in Paris in 1975. [5] The finished product premiered at Cannes in 1978. [6]

Plot

Ellen Carpenter (Lee Grant) is a successful but emotionally repressed astronomer in Los Angeles who resides with her sister, Cissy (Carol Kane) in a dilapidating house in the Hollywood Hills; the sisters inherited the home from their late father, a successful anthropologist who worked extensively in Africa. Cissy is mentally imbalanced, childlike, and unable to carry on a functional life on her own, spending most of her time caring for her pet monkeys—which she refers to as "mafus"—which she keeps in a large cage in the living room. None of the animals last long in Cissy's possession, however, due to her violent outbursts, during which she kills them.

Cissy is angered when Ellen refuses to acquire another mafu for her, but continues her incestuous fixation on Ellen no less. Cissy threatens suicide if Ellen will not purchase her a king colobus monkey, to which Ellen acquiesces. When their godfather, Zom (Will Geer), a zoologist, is unable to provide a colobus, he instead brings an orangutan, which enthralls Cissy. Meanwhile, Ellen is romanced by David Eastman (James Olson), a coworker at the Griffith Observatory, but she is hesitant to allow him into her private life due to her and her sister's unusual circumstances. After Cissy learns of David, she spirals into a psychological breakdown, vying for sister's attention, and brutally beats her new orangutan to death with a chain.

Ellen subsequently takes a work trip to Arizona, leaving Cissy alone for several days. One day, David arrives at the house hoping to find Ellen, but is met by Cissy instead. She invites him inside, showing him the various African artifacts collected by her father. Cissy explains to David how their father built the mafu cage inside the home so he could continue his work at home while still being with his daughters. Cissy and David have drinks together and dance to tribal music in the house, eventually ending up in the mafu cage. Cissy chains David to shackles on the wall, which he assumes is a joke, but she proceeds to lock him inside.

Cissy proceeds to study David as an anthropological subject. Later that night, she paints her face red and dresses in tribal regalia to enact rituals studied by her father amongst African tribes; using an ornate wooden club, Cissy bludgeons David to death, and subsequently buries his corpse in the garden. Ellen returns home and notices a portrait Cissy made of a man that resembles David, which disturbs her. Her worries that Cissy might have harmed David are substantiated when she finds blood-soaked clothing in the laundry hamper. Realizing Cissy murdered David, Ellen locks herself in the bathroom while Cissy has a violent nervous breakdown.

Hours later, Ellen emerges from the bathroom only to be trapped by Cissy, who subsequently shackles Ellen in the mafu cage. A defeated Ellen refuses to eat, defying Cissy, and threatens that Cissy will be locked in an institution once authorities find Ellen's body. Cissy sketches an ornate mural on the walls of the mafu cage as Ellen grows progressively weak. Ellen eventually dies, leaving Cissy distraught. After placing Ellen in a burial garb, Cissy padlocks herself inside the mafu cage, and shackles herself to the wall.

Production

After making a name for herself with her $70,000 debut, Legacy, Arthur worked with an investor to scrape together $1 million to independently finance The Mafu Cage. The film was shot over the course of five weeks (beginning in August 1977) on location in a mansion in Los Angeles' Los Feliz neighborhood beneath the Griffith Observatory. Arthur—who spent some time in a mental hospital as part of the research process—was able to shoot in the mansion rent-free, and she says she also managed to convince art galleries and museums to loan her artifacts for the film's sets. [5]

Release

After premiering at Cannes' Directors' Fortnight, the film was distributed widely in Europe, but had a harder time in North America. Arthur ended up selling the film to distributor Jerry Gross, who changed the name to Don't Ring the Doorbell, and then My Sister, My Love, trying to sell it as an exploitation film, a move that was unsuccessful, and, in tandem with other underperforming releases, ultimately bankrupted him. [2]

Critical response

Cecilia Blanchfield of the Montreal Gazette wrote that the film "creeps up on you little by little" and described it as a thriller of a "rare and disturbing intensity." [7]

Home media

The film went on to attain cult status, initially released on VHS as My Sister, My Love by Charles Band's Wizard Video, and later as The Cage by Bill Lustig's Magnum Video. It was unavailable on DVD for many years at the dawn of that format. In 2010, Scorpion Releasing finally released it on DVD. [8] A Blu-ray edition was issued by Scorpion Releasing in 2019. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emily Deschanel</span> American actress (b. 1976)

Emily Erin Deschanel is an American actress. She played Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan in the Fox crime procedural series Bones (2005–2017).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cissy Patterson</span> American novelist

Eleanor Josephine Medill "Cissy" Patterson, Countess Gizycki was an American journalist and newspaper editor, publisher and owner. She was one of the first women to head a major daily newspaper, the Washington Times-Herald in Washington, D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birutė Galdikas</span> Lithuanian-Canadian primatologist, conservationist

Birutė Marija Filomena Galdikas or Birutė Mary Galdikas, OC, is a Lithuanian-Canadian anthropologist, primatologist, conservationist, ethologist, and author. She is a professor at Simon Fraser University. In the field of primatology, Galdikas is recognized as a leading authority on orangutans. Prior to her field study of orangutans, scientists knew little about the species.

<i>The Big Sleep</i> (1978 film) 1978 film by Michael Winner

The Big Sleep is a 1978 neo-noir film, the second film version of Raymond Chandler's 1939 novel of the same name. The picture was directed by Michael Winner and stars Robert Mitchum in his second film portrayal of the detective Philip Marlowe. The cast includes Sarah Miles, Candy Clark, Joan Collins, and Oliver Reed, also featuring James Stewart as General Sternwood.

<i>Lady Beware</i> 1987 film by Karen Arthur

Lady Beware is a 1987 American thriller film directed by Karen Arthur and starring Diane Lane, Michael Woods and Cotter Smith. It was filmed on location in and around Pittsburgh.

<i>The Last American Virgin</i> 1982 US sex comedy film by Boaz Davidson

The Last American Virgin is a 1982 American coming-of-age sex comedy film written and directed by Boaz Davidson, and starring Lawrence Monoson, Diane Franklin, Steve Antin, Joe Rubbo, and Louisa Moritz. A remake of Davidson's 1978 Israeli film Lemon Popsicle, it follows a Los Angeles high school student who, while attempting to lose his virginity, falls in love with one of his female classmates as she begins dating his rebellious best friend.

<i>Monkey Shines</i> (film) 1988 film by George A. Romero

Monkey Shines is a 1988 American science fiction psychological horror film written and directed by George A. Romero and starring Jason Beghe, Kate McNeil, John Pankow, and Joyce Van Patten. Its plot follows a young athlete who becomes a paralyzed quadriplegic, and develops a bond with an intelligent service monkey named "Ella" who becomes homicidal after she is injected with an experimental serum of human brain tissue. It is based on the 1983 British novel of the same title by Michael Stewart.

<i>Rose Red</i> (miniseries) 2002 television miniseries directed by Craig R. Baxley

Rose Red is a 2002 American television miniseries scripted by horror novelist Stephen King, directed by Craig R. Baxley, and starring Nancy Travis, Matt Keeslar, Julian Sands, Kimberly J. Brown, David Dukes, Melanie Lynskey, Matt Ross, Emily Deschanel, Judith Ivey, and Kevin Tighe. It was filmed in Lakewood, Washington. The plot focuses on a reputedly haunted mansion located in Seattle, Washington, named Rose Red. Due to its long history of supernatural events and unexplained tragedies, the house is investigated by parapsychologist Dr. Joyce Reardon and a team of gifted psychics.

<i>The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer</i> (film) 2003 television film directed by Craig R. Baxley

The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer is a 2003 American television film directed by Craig R. Baxley, and starring Lisa Brenner, Steven Brand, and Tsidii Le Loka. It is a prequel to the miniseries Rose Red (2002), and is based on the 2001 novel by Ridley Pearson, which itself is an accompaniment piece to the miniseries.

<i>Eyes of an Angel</i> 1991 film

Eyes of an Angel is a 1991 American drama film starring John Travolta and directed by Robert Harmon. It was released in France, Sweden, and on television in the United States as The Tender. It was released straight-to-video in 1994 under its proper title to coincide with Travolta's bigger name release, Pulp Fiction. According to the opening credits, the movie is based on a true story. The film was shot predominantly in Chicago with some pickups and reshoots in Los Angeles. It was the final film to be produced under the Trans World Entertainment label.

<i>Scream, Pretty Peggy</i> American television movie

Scream, Pretty Peggy is a 1973 American made-for-television horror film directed by Gordon Hessler and starring Bette Davis, Ted Bessell, and Sian Barbara Allen. Its plot follows a young college student who is given a job by a sculptor housekeeping at a mysterious mansion where his sister and their elderly mother reside. It was broadcast as the ABC Suspense Movie on November 24, 1973.

<i>My Brilliant Career</i> (film) 1979 Australian film

My Brilliant Career is a 1979 Australian period drama film directed by Gillian Armstrong, and starring Judy Davis, Sam Neill, and Wendy Hughes. Based on the 1901 novel of the same name by Miles Franklin, it follows a young woman in rural, late-19th-century Australia whose aspirations to become a writer are impeded first by her social circumstance, and later by a budding romance.

<i>Lady in a Cage</i> 1964 film by Walter Grauman

Lady in a Cage is a 1964 American psychological thriller film directed by Walter Grauman, written and produced by Luther Davis, and starring Olivia de Havilland and James Caan. The film was released by Paramount Pictures.

<i>Terror Circus</i> (film) 1973 American film

Terror Circus is a 1973 American exploitation horror film directed by Alan Rudolph, and starring Andrew Prine, Manuela Thiess, Sherry Alberoni, Gyl Roland, and Sheila Bromley. It follows three showgirls who are kidnapped in the desert by a psychopath who imprisons women in his barn near the former site of a nuclear disaster.

<i>Youll Like My Mother</i> 1972 American horror-thriller film directed by Lamont Johnson

You'll Like My Mother is a 1972 American horror and thriller film directed by Lamont Johnson, from screenplay by Jo Heims based on the novel of the same name by Naomi A. Hintze. The film stars Patty Duke, Rosemary Murphy, Richard Thomas and Sian Barbara Allen. The film follows a pregnant widow who travels to rural Minnesota to meet her mother-in-law, whom she discovers has sinister motives against her.

<i>Picture Mommy Dead</i> 1966 film by Bert I. Gordon

Picture Mommy Dead is a 1966 American psychological horror film directed by Bert I. Gordon and starring Don Ameche, Martha Hyer, Susan Gordon, and Zsa Zsa Gabor. It follows a young girl who, after being released from a psychiatric hospital following her mother's death, begins to experience strange events in the family's mansion.

<i>The Bride</i> (1973 American film) 1973 American film

The Bride is a 1973 American horror film directed by Jean-Marie Pélissié and starring Robin Strasser, Arthur Roberts, and John Beal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Martin (orangutan)</span> Silent-era film performer, zoo animal

Joe Martin was a captive orangutan who appeared in at least 50 American films of the silent era, including approximately 20 comedy shorts, several serials, two Tarzan movies, Rex Ingram's melodrama Black Orchid and its remake Trifling Women, the Max Linder feature comedy Seven Years Bad Luck, and the Irving Thalberg-produced Merry-Go-Round.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Universal City Zoo</span> Animal collection in California (1913–1930)

Universal City Zoo was a private animal collection in southern California that provided animals for silent-era Universal Pictures adventure films, circus pictures, and animal comedies, and to "serve as a point of interest" for tourists visiting Universal City. The animals were also leased to other studios. The zoo was closed in 1930, after cinema's transition to synchronized sound complicated the existing systems for using trained animals onscreen.

References

  1. 1 2 "The Mafu Cage". AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute. Archived from the original on June 18, 2019.
  2. 1 2 London, Michael (July 30, 1982). "From Australia to Hollywood and Back—By Choice". Los Angeles Times . p. 82 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ Heller-Nicholas 2020, pp. 33–34.
  4. ↑ Miller, Jeanne (March 17, 1979). "A horror film that's all of that". The San Francisco Examiner . p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 Gross, Lindadate=April 16, 1978. "Karen Arthur Dares to Do It All". Los Angeles Times. p. 363 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ Tully, Jacqi (October 2, 1979). "'Mafu Cage' is powerful, hypnotic—and flawed". Arizona Daily Star. p. 37 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Blanchfield, Cecilia (August 28, 1970). "Classic story is well-crafted in 'Mafu Cage'". Montreal Gazette . p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ Roberts, Jerry (2009-06-05). Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors. Scarecrow Press. ISBN   9780810863781.
  9. ↑ "The Mafu Cage Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.