Review of I Want To Live!

Introduction

The story of Barbara Graham is a `true` one in so much it is based on the testimony and letters she left behind. She was executed for a murder she said she didn`t commit in the gas chamber of San Quentin.

Barbara Graham is a low life woman, happy to lie for her friends if she is paid enough. Meeting a decent man she leaves her life of petty crime and gets married. After her son was born she hopes her husband will kick his drugs habit. However things get out of control and when she is flat broke she returns to her previous life. Unhappily she is set up to take the full rap for a murder she claims she didn`t commit. Her clumsy attempt to get a false alibi results in her being found guilty of the crime.

The papers condemn her but one columnist has a sharp about face. He believes she is innocent and so begins a log process to try to clear her name.

The many times nominated Susan Hayward finally got her Oscar for this movie.
She wanted meaty and demanding roles and this certainly gives her the chance to emote big time.

There is one major problem with the film as it stands -it is generally considered to be a Hollywood version of what actually happened. Barbara Graham is considered to be guilty of the crime she was charged with and the only controversy here is what you happen to think of the death penalty.

Video

Made in black and white, possibly for cost it also gives it a grittier feel than colour would have achieved. It has also survived well and offers good picture quality for its age.

Audio

Made in 1958 this film features a jazz soundtrack. The dialogue is good and Susan Hayward is casually brilliant in her portrayal of the amoral Barbara.

Features

Alas this is a plug and play disc with no extras. It was a major release for the Studio in 1958 and was surely controversial. Susan Hayward was a powerful actress who liked to take the larger than life roles. This would have been a suitable showcase film on DVD if anybody had thought about it.

It would also have been fascinating to get a documentary on the real story. Looking around the internet t is quite easy to find out details of the case that give the lie to this fictional version.

Conclusion

Although slow to get going the last hour of this film that deals with the process of authorised killing by the State will set the hairs on the back of your neck up. Having recently watched a film dealing with the Holocaust it seemed especially grotesque to see how the State of California executed its citizens using a similar process as the Nazis.

Although the film is pushed along by wanting us to believe in Barbara`s innocence it is secondary to the barbaric process of what passes for law. The very mundanity of preparing a gas chamber is totally absorbing. Along with the `will they-won`t they` scenario it makes the film very tense indeed.

The film itself sparks a debate not only on the death penalty but on how easy it is to get people to remember the fictional version of history rather than the truth. The screenplay of `The Three Kings` is after all much more fun than what actually happened in the Gulf War. Propaganda works for everybody in different ways.

This film would simply be an interesting period piece but for the fact that many states in America still use the death penalty. My researches found that cyanide gas is no longer used as it is a `cruel and unusual punishment, you`ll be pleased to know that lethal injection is preferred.

Worth a watch for anyone interested in the career of Susan Hayward and `true` crimes.