I Want To Live - 1958
Cats: Drama, True Story|This is a tough, nothing held back, indictment of capital punishment. It makes Dead Man Walking look like Wlly Wonka. The picture takes a stand and shows us an innocent woman, a mother yet, railroaded into the gas chamber at San Quentin. There is never any doubt in our mind that Barbara Graham was innocent.
Barbara Graham was a woman with dubious morals, a barfly and a passer of bad checks. She had done time for some petty crimes. Two men she knows murder an older woman during a burglary . When they get caught they believe that Barbara has snitched to the police. As a revenge they tell the police that Barbara was the murderer.
Gritty and realistic the picture is made so perfect by the great Susan Hayward. This is one of those roles, one of those performances that explain why someone is a star, why they get paid the big bucks and why they win an Oscar for Best Actress. Her portrayal is so human that at times I find myself getting mad at Barbara for being so flippant (before she realizes the seriousness of her situation). There is nothing that I can say here that will explain Ms. Hayward’s performance, one has to see it.
December 5th at 9:30AM on Turner Classic Movies.
Absolutely not for the kids.
November 15th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
i miss your emails and, of course, movie place. hope you are doing well. the rest of us are coping!
November 19th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Sorry, I am in the process of fixing the email situation. Keep checking for more postings and thanks for your kind words.