This Is My Love

This is my love the love I thought would be These are my tears that you will never see..."

an unheralded gem of a romantic melodrama. Not really noir - but not that far away either - and Linda Darnell is popping up this month...

As soon as Franz Waxman's lush score swelled up over the credits I knew this one would deliver - and I wasn't disappointed. Vida (Linda Darnell) is a "spinster" who slings hash in her Brother in Law's diner and is engaged to the world's most boring man. Into the diner wanders her fiancée's army buddy - foxy Rick Jason - a "gas station casanova", and when left alone together Rick comes on to her... she plays hard to get - so hard to get in fact that Rick turns to her married sister Evelyn (Faith Domergue) for comfort, and the stage is set for resentment, deceit, adultery, jealousy, sibling rivalry.. and murder. This one really deserves to be better known. I'm not sure whether the lurid greens and purples that dominate the colour scheme are symbolic of the jealousy and anger simmering below the surface, and mark out Stuart Heisler as an neglected auteur... or it was just a lousy print. Connie Russell sings the tune with lyrics as Darnell and Jason go out dancing. Dan Duryea is a bitter cripple. and Darnell is absolutely heartbreaking here - never knew she had it in her. Its everything I wanted from Douglas Sirk or late period Minnelli and never got. Absolutely delicious from start to finish and highly recommended. 9/10 (on my fourth watch now in one week!)

Directed by Stuart Heisler {The Glass Key} and starring Linda Darnell {Vida Dove}, Faith Domergue {Evelyn Dove/Myer}, Dan Duryea {Murray Myer} & Rick Jason {Glenn Harris}, This Is My Love is a Noirish potboiler dealing in sexual repression, deception, heartbreak, sibling strife and murder. All of which sounds like the film should be a most potent piece of work, sadly the film never rises above being a ponderously paced story that's devoid of a blood pumping heart.

It's a shame this vastly underachieves as a drama since the performances of the three principal actors are very strong, especially Darnell, who as Vida Dove neatly blends a smouldering sexuality with a tinted confusion of the life she is leading. Based on Hugh Brooke's story, Fear Has Black Wings, This Is My Love is filmed in Pathécolor and theatrically released out of RKO. Never released on DVD and mostly forgotten by all but Darnell/Duryea purists, Heisler's film hints at being far more intriguing than it actually is. It's not so much that one finds themselves waiting for a plot spark that never arrives, it's the overriding feeling that the finale here will be a let down. The very nature of the piece telegraphs where these characters will end up, thus rendering the ending the damp squib it ultimately is.

It's a testament to Darnell, Domergue and Duryea that they have given the characters some substance, managing to hold the viewers attention span by way of their craft. One scene as Darnell's Vida shouts down at the wheelchair bound Murray is worth sitting thru the movie for. But it's a rare moment of heat raising as the tepid screenplay, staid direction and the woefully bland performance of Rick Jason swamp any chance of movie ignition. There's some value with Franz Waxman's score, and Connie Russell popping in to sing the title song is a bonus. But much like the sisters Vida & Evelyn Dove in the picture, I too felt boxed in, and that is something I'm sure the makers wasn't aiming for. 4/10

anyone know where i could get a copy of THIS IS MY LOVE . rick jason is great. he was lt. hanley in the COMBAT TV series. loved his voice. wonder why he did not become a bigger star, linda darnell was also a great actress and i read she died in a fire when she went in to get a child. wish that other rick jason stories were available as he not only could act well, he was very handsome. rick jason wrote in his autobiography that linda darnell was excellent to work with and played her role very well. rick jason is a fox in a henhouse. darnell and married sister both want him, and who can blame them. but this leads to trouble. tensions build and come to a climax, i especially liked jason taking darnell dancing. well worth seeing.

Strong performances but Darnell, Duryea, Domergue and Jason make this worth watching but you get the feeling that this could have been much better. Part of the blame is in the direction and part in the script.

This Is My Love was made near the end of Darnell's Hollywood career. She kept getting better as a actress but never learned how to market herself in a business where the studio system was collapsing. I'm reading a book which claims Darnell's millionaire second husband offered to make her a producer so she could choose her own scripts and costars but she turned him down and got a divorce instead. A shrewd businesswoman would have taken the deal and extended her film career but I guess we all have to be true to ourselves in the end. You have to feel sorry for actresses like Darnell that had the talent and beauty to be megastars but ended up on the B list instead.

I have always been a Linda Darnell fan and this movie is her at her finest acting ability.I enjoyed this movie from beginning to end. It's a storyline that delves into the subject matter of heartbreak,infidelity, disappointment, and abuse. How many people are at a loss when dealing with life's complexities? It makes one think about about one's own shortcomings and vulnerabilities. I felt for her through out the movie considering everything she had gone through. It's been about 50 yrs. since I've seen it. Maybe I would see her role in a different light now.Great acting especially by Linda Darnell. At this point in her career it seems her movies ended. It was such a shame because she seemed to finally be cast in a role that could prove her ability. She was very talented and beautiful.It's too bad she was never appreciated for the great actress she was. I'm also a Dan Duryea fan and this role was made for him. His reputation for playing mean,angry,abusive men casts him in a role he sinks his teeth into. He is a very convincing actor who makes the plot come together. It was the first time I saw the actor Rick Jason and what a head turner. Also irresistible sex appeal. He was perfect in the role as a charming and handsome womanizer. The setting takes place in old Cali. The old diner gives you a sense of the Calif of back in the day. The romantic beach scenes also take one back to Calif before all the development. The channel on TV that shows old classics has a place on internet to vote for films, fans would like to see come out again. If you're interested go and vote for this one.