Sans ton amour

The film is nothing but fluff--not even enjoyable fluff. I watched this film because I'm a fan of Loretta Young. It's a bit of a soap-opera and the plot is so unbelievable it's laughable. I found myself laughing at how silly the story was because it didn't make much sense. I found Chandler's character to be a bit annoying. He was always butt-hurt at something Young's character did or didn't do. What a cry baby!

Have you ever watched a film where one of the main characters was just too dumb to be believable? Sure, in a comedy such as "Talladega Nights" you expect this...but not in a drama like "Because of You"!

When the story begins, Christine (Loretta Young) is engaged to a sleazy man. When he gets arrested, she is arrested as well...though she is innocent. Regardless, she's sent to prison. While inside, she is trained as a nurse's assistant and upon release, she gets a job at a hospital...all the while on parole. During the course of her duties, she falls in love with a wounded vet who is suffering from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. He is a swell guy but emotionally fragile...and she doesn't tell him about her past. She also agrees to marry him...but does so in Mexico so her parole officer doesn't know.

Years pass and she's been off parole most of this time. Her life is great and her new husband, Steve (Jeff Chandler), is not just a nice guy but is quite rich. However, when her old scummy boyfriend returns, her life is suddenly in chaos....and, once again, Christine says and does the wrong thing. This is a HUGE problem in the picture...as again and again, Christine make terrible choices...and dumb ones at that. So many that I found her character annoying and it detracted from the movie. And, believe it or not, there is STILL a lot more to the film after all this.

While I was not impressed with Young's performance (she was WAY too passive to be believable), Chandler's performance, especially when he learned the truth, was amazingly good. I also though the film went on too long...as the big confrontation scene between the couple occurred too early...and the impact of this seemed muted because of this.

Well done soap-opera theatrics where injured soldier, Jeff Chandler, falls for nurse Loretta Young and the two soon wed and have a lovely daughter. Sounds typical with a poor girl marrying a rich, handsome businessman like Jeff.

The big secret is that Loretta was in jail as no one believed her innocence in the participation of a robbery.

She never told Jeff about her former life. Years later, the guy who led her down this path, suddenly shows up one afternoon and kidnaps her with the child. After another robbery, there is a high speed chase and the guy is killed instantly. Loretta and daughter survive the wreck physically-but there are plenty of emotional problems as a result.

An enraged Jeff accuses Ms. Young of being a tramp and immediately files for divorce and gains full custody of the child.

Loretta takes a job as an entertainer for children's parties. Her sister-in-law comes has her come over. Since this is years later, the child does not know that Loretta is her mother. The kid has hangups. (Who wouldn't after all this?) Unexpectedly, Jeff comes home and there are fireworks.

While we see many clichés here, the film is nicely done with Chandler showing that he was a good actor. His emotional outbursts are believable. Young is subdued but as always turns in a competent performance.

The film was originally supposed to be called "Magic Lady," but there is no magic here. Just a tale of tell your entire background to your mate-to-be.

Expectations were mixed here before watching 'Because of You'. The subject did intrigue somewhat, though with and do like Loretta Young in other things, always watchable and more and with a long and versatile career. Jeff Chandler too, another actor that died too young tragically with more to give, especially in 'Broken Arrow'. Haven't seen enough of Joseph Pevney's work it has to be admitted, personally am more familiar with him in support acting roles.

Do sadly have to agree with everybody else here regarding 'Because of You'. It has its good things but on the whole it didn't do it for me for reasons said very well already. It is a good representation for Chandler, who apparently considered it his personal favourite of the films he made (can actually name better myself, 'Broken Arrow' included). Not so much an against type Young, good to see a different side to her but the way her character is written lets her down.

'Because of You' has two particularly good things. One is the photography, which is both beautiful to watch and atmospheric. In fact, 'Because of You' is a well made film visually, as the costuming is also true to period and elegant and the settings expansive enough without being overblown, the atmosphere is also present in the lighting. The other particularly good thing is Chandler, who to me was excellent. Especially when he learns the truth agreed, some very intensely moving acting there.

Frank Skinner's score has some suitably haunting moments that fits well and doesn't make the mistake of being melodramatic like most of the rest of the film's components. The highlights dramatically being the big confrontation (which agreed should have happened much later and the film ended with it) and when Steve finds out the truth, the only scenes really to ring true.

In a film that is badly let down by its overwrought soap-opera-heavy and nonsensical story, with too many credibility straining scenes and a very drawn out and not particularly necessary final third. Personally actually thought 'Because of You' did get too maudlin, the sentimentality was hard to stomach and hard to believe in the daughter encounter especially. None of the supporting cast stand out in underwritten roles and Pevney's direction is as soggy as watery cucumber sandwiches.

Really didn't care for the characters, only feeling sorry for Steve in one scene. Not only because they were dull but also because they frequently made decisions that were stupid, came out of nowhere and made little or no sense. While it was admirable that Young played against type here, to me she was very bland (her looks were sensual but her acting wasn't) and suffered the worst from how badly the characters were written, far too passive and quite silly. The script is both under-cooked in depth and overwrought in the delivery of the excessive soapiness it frequently suffers from, it never sounds natural either.

All in all, very conflicted here. 5/10

A perfect choice if you love old melodrama ;the subject is not unlike that of "Madame X "which was filmed several times : a good woman,deprived of the custody of her only child, thrown out of her desirable house ,complete with servants..

Loretta Young is not very convincing as a gangster's moll with a blond wig ,but she's the nurse every patient would like to have ;and she's even better as a conjurer's assistant ; the "magic performance" scenes are the best and we do believe the show can brighten up a sullen child,suffering because something is defin itely lacking in her life of luxury; the scene when Young appears to Chandler in the mirror in also a good moment.