(1965)
1.5
Craig Butler
Pure trash, and a great deal of campy fun for those who relish over-the-top soap operas, A Rage to Live does at least have the redeeming value of a solid lead performance from Suzanne Pleshette. Now granted, there's only so much that any actress could do with this kind of part, which requires the performer to indulge in excesses of emotions, often while spouting lurid lines that have "arch melodrama' written over every single syllable. But Pleshette is so committed that, even as one laughs at the ludicrous dialogue and the ridiculous character, one can't help but be caught up a little by her fierce dedication to making the part work. And it should also be noted that few actresses could be as simmeringly sultry in as natural a way as Pleshette is here -- an important quality for a character that is essentially a nymphomaniac, Hollywood style. Beyond Pleshette, there's some good costumes (although not really worthy of the Oscar nomination they received) and an often-catchy Nelson Riddle score. And Ben Gazzara, while not turning in a particularly good performance, at least is convincingly sensual. Beyond that, though, there's all that sudsy, senseless plotting, the heavyhanded moralism, the dialogue that makes one want to cover one's ears and the paper-thin characters who behave the way they do only because it is convenient for the screenwriter to have them do so. Waler E. Grauman's direction is hopeless, and aside from Pleshette and Gazzara, the actors are at far -- very far -- from their best.
A Rage to Live on AllMovie
A Rage to Live (1965)
