I Want to Live!

crime drama starring Susan Hayward as an innocent woman who is framed for murder by the two men that commited the crime. Can she clear her name before it’s too late?, A prostitute and drug addict who was convicted of murder, though she claims she is innocent, is sentenced to death, and proceeds to do everything she can to convince authorities to spare her life. Susan Hayward won a Best Actress Oscar as the convicted woman., Petty criminal Barbara Graham was guilty of prostitution, forgery and theft, but murder? Anti-death penalty drama based on a real-life case which was nominated for five Oscars. The fine jazz score is by Johnny Mandel., Grim, almost unbearably intense, I Want To Live is the story of the life and execution of Barbara Graham (Susan Hayward) a perjurer, prostitute, liar and drug addict. The product of a broken home, Graham works as a shill, luring gullible men into crooked card games. She attempts to go straight, marries the wrong man, and has a baby. When her life falls apart, she returns to her former profession and is involved in a murder. Despite her claims of innocence, she is convicted and executed. Robert Wise directs the uniformly fine cast with grim efficiency, telling Graham’s story in a series of adroitly crafted scenes that won him a well-deserved Academy Award nomination. However, the film belongs to Susan Hayward who gives a intense, shattering performance without one false note. Her performance is so grimly focused that she is, at times, almost unbearable to watch. The final scenes, which lead up to Graham’s execution, are exhausting in their emotional intensity as the audience is spared nothing of Graham’s agony, despair and desperation when she finally loses the long battle to save her life. Whether one sees Graham as a murderer or a hapless victim of society, the power and relentless, sordid reality of her story leaves an indelible memory in the mind of the viewer., Susan Hayward won the Best Actress Oscar for her shattering portrayal of a fast-living girl who suddenly finds herself facing the death penalty for a murder she didn’t commit.