Ils ne voudront pas me croire

I'm not a fan of old movies, but I got up early this morning and intended to go back to bed. Something about this movie caught my eye, so I thought I'd watch a few minutes of it before heading back to bed. I ended up not going back to bed because I couldn't turn the tv off. I couldn't believe how interesting this story was! Despite another reviewer's comments, I found the main character to be flawed, but sympathetic. I wouldn't do the things he did, but I imagine someone out there would. He had everything going for him, but screwed it up, and hardly ever made the right move. I did find the end to be... strange, let's say. I can't imagine THAT happening in any year, 1947 or 2000, but otherwise, it's a great flick. If you like older movies, beautiful starletts, solid acting, and an interesting storyline, you shouldn't pass this movie up. I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

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.

Great performances from the four leads make this noirish melodrama a stand-out. Cast against type, Robert Young gives one of his finest performances (far more interesting than that in Crossfire), subtly giving his role of philandering but strangely sympathetic heel a depth which may perhaps go by unnoticed by some. Rita Johnson, in the minimal screen time alloted her, is likewise able to intimate complexities of character which imbue her role of manipulative wife with a touching frailty.

The shortened re-release version (which I viewed in a colourized copy) has been cleverly edited to leave the plot intact, but with 15 minutes of cuts significant elements of character development (all-important in a film of this type) have been sacrificed. The deletion of part of the scene at Nicks dilutes the initial warmth of the relationship between the Young and Jane Greer characters. And a concert scene which shows up the petulant nature of the Susan Hayward character has been deleted altogether. Other elements deleted from the re-release print are some of the opening remarks made by Frank Ferguson, and some dialogue between Young and Hayward when they are in his car on the way to her apartment.

Robert Young as a philanderer - that should tip you off that "They Won't Believe Me" is going to be unusual. Before finding success as a warm dad and a kind doctor on television, Young often played romantic roles, earnest roles, or the uptight boss. Occasionally, though, the role of someone with a criminal mind would sneak in. Here, Young plays a man who marries a woman for her money and then cheats on her constantly - though he always goes back to the comforts of home. After dumping one woman, portrayed by Jane Greer, he picks up with a secretary in his securities firm, a young Susan Hayward - he leaves her, too, but has second thoughts. The result is a very interesting drama, told in flashback.

This is an excellent movie with a surprise ending that probably was insisted on to satisfy the code. The acting is very good all around. Young comes off as just slimy enough without being offensively so; Hayward's gold digger is glamorous, sexy, and conniving; and Jane Greer, in the most sympathetic role, looks fabulous and is her usual marvelous self as a woman who can't help loving this man, even with his flaws. Rita Johnson is very good as Young's attractive and determined wife.

All in all, I really enjoyed "They Won't Believe Me." Very entertaining.

Robert Young? In a noir? He's near his best here, though for me his best is "Lady Be Good," in which he seems to be having a truly great time.

Jane Greer looks luscious. Susan Hayward is very good -- though her best was "I Can Get It For You Wholesale." And Rita Johnson is good, in a different type of role from her usual.

The rise and fall and rise and fall of a womanizer.

It's well plotted, though slightly dull till the final five minutes. Then, the climax: No one who's ever seen this will forget it. (And I'm certainly not going to give it away.)