Me condena la conciencia

Larry Ballentine is on trial and isn't helped by the fact that his unshaven defence lawyer isn't risking cross-examining the witnesses because their statements have built such a strong case against his client. Ballentine's main hope is that he can take the stand and convince the jury that he is innocent of his crime. He tells the story of how he met Vernia and how they fell in love, only for him to be trapped between the two women in two relationships and the lack of courage to go one way or the other.

A nicely tough little film that twists a relationship drama with a pulpy thriller to produce a film that doesn't always work but just has enough of a hook to it to hold me from start to finish. For the majority of the film we are following Ballentine as he fails to do anything with his life other than be a real low-life in how he treats the women in his life, however we also have the ongoing hook of the court case to keep us interested in where it is going. In both these threads the film works reasonably well and, despite being a bit melodramatic, is generally a good pulpy drama with nice use of guns and interesting (if obvious) references to drug use (heroin – the horse with the taste for sugar). It gets tougher as it goes along and our "hero" gets in deeper and deeper to the point where the "perfect crime" appears a possibility (had he never seen this genre before!). It is a generally good plot and I liked it although I could see why the mix of relationships, court cases and crime would not sit so easy for most viewers.

The cast are pretty good. Although the main character Young is given second billing to a delicious performance from Hayward who plays her character really well. Young is also good though, playing his character smart enough to try and get out of his situation but also weak enough to get into it. Support from Greer, Johnson and a few others do well to fill out the cast. Pichel's direction has some good atmosphere when required but is mostly just solid and standard for the genre, although the general delivery of the story is good and well put together.

Overall a solid pulpy drama that touches on noir and melodrama at different stages. The mix works well and I enjoyed the story, the characters and the acting. I did think that the court case frame could have been used better to inject more of a sense of doom to it and the ending was a bit "fair" due to the period pressures but still I enjoyed it and found it interesting.

Contrary to what some previous reviews have stated, Susan Hayward was not first billed; Robert Young was the top billed player. Cast against his usual type of role, Robert Young was perfect in the role. Comparing him to how other actors might have played the role makes no sense to me, except as an exercise in "armchair casting". The standout for me in the actresses was Rita Johnson, who was terrific. A most underrated actress (catch her in "The Big Clock"). Jane Greer was a truly beautiful woman, and it is a shame that she never achieved the heights of stardom that others did. Susan Hayward, on her way up the ladder, was as always a knockout - this is my personal favorite period for her (including "Deadline At Dawn") I thought the picture was almost perfect, full of irony and suspense. As always, the RKO cinematography is second to none. What a look those RKO movies had!

Intricately plotted noir with one too many surprises for my book, but is still underrated. Nice guy Robert Young gets to break character and play a real heel for a change. He's not wicked, just weak, following his wife around because that's where the money is. He's about as faithful as a Tom cat in heat, but she's too dependent to care. Even his one noble gesture ends in a fiery crash.

Young looks the part of a married gigolo, all slicked down in fancy suits, sipping martinis in upscale bars. But then who could resist that luscious package Susan Hayward even if she is just an office girl with scheming ambition. Their gambits of conversation amount to little gems of carnal aggression. Pity poor wife Rita Johnson who's all business-like competence, but can hardly compete in the glamor department with either Hayward or the sultry Greer. The faithful stallion is, I guess, her consolation prize and an excellent touch. He's like the eye of fate watching from above the mountain pool in a meaningful moment that foreshadows the reckoning yet to come.

In passing-- I can't help noticing the true-love embrace of Hayward and Young washed clean now in the mountain lake and the similarly meaningful ocean scene of Garfield and Turner in The Postman Always Rings Twice. The aftermaths look also suspiciously similar. Postman came out about six months earlier than this one, so draw your own conclusions.

Too bad director Pichel adds so little to the screenplay. Indeed, the story's strong enough to carry interest; still, he films in straightforward, unimaginative fashion. The cross-currents and conflicts, however, cry out for a stronger expressionistic approach, especially the waterfall and pool scenes. A better noir director like Siodmak or Lang could have deepened the visuals to complement the strong screenplay. Also, someone muffs the staging of the very last scene which comes across as incredible given the crowded courtroom and police guards. It also distracts from an interesting ambiguity-- is Young too weak to face a verdict or has he simply passed judgement on himself.

For those of us who remember the wholesome TV series Father Knows Best, seeing Young here takes some getting used to.

Robert Young plays a gigolo type on trial for murder. In flash back he tells his story, and things are not necessarily what they appear to be. Despite some criticisms accusing him of being miscast I thought Young was convincing enough and played the role well. Sure, Robert Mitchum or Dick Powell would have been preferable, but I didn't think it was that much of a problem. The three major women in Young's life are played by Susan Hayward, Rita Johnson, and my favourite Jane Greer (who subsequently co-starred with Robert Mitchum in two great films 'Out Of The Past' and 'The Big Steal' in the late 1940s). All three are very good. 'They Won't Believe Me' is a minor Noir picture, but is still entertaining enough. The most memorable thing about it is the unexpected shock ending, which would be too corny to pull off these days, but is very effective in the context of the movie. A much more interesting Robert Young picture from this era is 'Crossfire', in which he co-stars with Roberts Mitchum and Ryan. 'They Won't Believe Me' isn't as compelling as that, but it's worth watching.

Robert Young scores a real acting triumph playing against his nice guy Father Knows Best type to play a womanizer who fate deals a really tricky hand. The film is a combination of The Apartment and The Postman Always Rings Twice.

As in The Apartment where Fred MacMurray has the nice established front of the wife and kiddies and carries on with whomever in the office, Young is the outwardly happily married man whose got a real itch that needs scratching. He's scratching it with Jane Greer at the moment while he's married to Rita Johnson. Greer gets tired of the arrangement and gives Young the door. Young then takes up with the saucy office tramp Susan Hayward and in doing so takes her away from Tom Powers the boss.

I can't go any further except to say two women wind up dead, the third one turns evidence on him and Young winds up on trial for his life. The film is told in flashback while Young is put on the witness stand by his lawyer Frank Ferguson. As he tells his story he knows that They Won't Believe Me.

This is one of the cleverest noir films going. Had it been done at 20th Century Fox it would have been played by Tyrone Power in one of his heel characterizations. Young did a brilliant job with this role juggling his love life around these three beauties. And I can't single one of the women to say they stood above the others.

Definitely a must for fans of the noir genre.