The Mafu Cage

The Mafu Cage (also released as My Sister, My Love, Deviation and Don't Ring the Doorbell)[2] is a 1978 American psychological thriller film directed by Karen Arthur, and starring Carol Kane and Lee Grant. 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.[3] The finished product premiered at Cannes in 1978.[4]

Theatrical release poster
Directed byKaren Arthur
Produced byDiana Young
Written byDon Chastain
Based onToi et Les Nuages
by Eric Westphal
Starring
CinematographyJohn Bailey
Edited byCarol Littleton
Release date
  • December 1, 1978 (1978-12-01)[1]
Running time
104 minutes[1]
Budget$1 million

Plot

Grant and Kane play a pair of incestuous sisters who live together in a house that is falling apart in the Hollywood Hills. Their house was formerly owned by their late anthropologist father. Ellen (Grant), an astronomer, tries her best to take care of Sissy (Kane), a mentally ill eccentric who enjoys keeping her pet "mafus" (apes) in a cage in their living room.[5] None of the mafus last long, given Sissy's violent outbursts.

Cast

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.[6]

Distribution

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 a distributor who changed the name to Don't Ring the Doorbell and tried to sell it as an exploitation film, a move that was unsuccessful (and ultimately bankrupted him).[7]

The film went on to attain cult status, despite being unavailable on VHS or DVD for many years. In 2010, Scorpion Releasing finally released it on DVD.[8]

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References
  1. "The Mafu Cage". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on June 18, 2019.
  2. "30 Jul 1982, 82 - The Los Angeles Times at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-11-30.
  3. "16 Apr 1978, 363 - The Los Angeles Times at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-11-30.
  4. "2 Oct 1979, Page 37 - Arizona Daily Star at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-11-30.
  5. "The Mafu Cage". The San Francisco Examiner. March 17, 1979. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "16 Apr 1978, 363 - The Los Angeles Times at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-11-30.
  7. "30 Jul 1982, 82 - The Los Angeles Times at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-11-30.
  8. Roberts, Jerry (2009-06-05). Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810863781.
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