I Want to Live! (1958)

(On Cable TV, April 2021) If you’re surprised at the I Want to Live’s downbeat conclusion, then you really haven’t been paying attention to the film’s opening moments, which scream and insist that this is a true story based on the author’s reporting and the letters of its protagonist, a woman on death row. A 1950s issue movie, this is about a woman (Susan Hayward, in a very good performance) who falls on the bad side of the law and is eventually convicted of murder. The flip side of her story is the journalist who comes to believe her innocence and fights for her release. Again—it’s not much of a spoiler to say that it doesn’t end well—but you don’t have any idea how cruel the film becomes in dangling one shred of hope after another before taking it away. There’s a reason why I Want to Live is often considered a late-period film noir — there’s a built-in fatalism in the way our protagonist goes from one bad break to another, getting herself deeper into a situation she can’t escape. (But keep in mind the difference between movies and reality — there’s plenty of evidence, elided from the screenplay, to suggest that the accused was guilty. Of course, this doesn’t excuse anything about the use of the death penalty.)  Hayward is very, very good in the lead role, and she received an Oscar for her portrayal. The procedural aspect of the film is definitely grounded in mid-century California to good effect. I Want to Live may not be fun or pleasant to watch, but it’s certainly memorable.