Vive-se uma Só Vez

Joan Graham is the secretary for Stephen Witney, an honest and dedicated public defender, who succeeds in doing something he would almost rather not do: get Joan's sweetheart, Eddie Taylor, out of prison. Eddie is a good man, but Joan's sister, Bonnie, and Stephen both agree that he is no good for Joan. Eddie was born trouble. Joan and Eddie get married and set out to prove the naysayers wrong. Eddie gets a good, steady job as a truck driver; but a series of disasters sends his life spiraling out of control and the fiercely loyal Joan's along with it.

Fritz Lang directs this hard-hitting melodrama and, as always, fills it with striking images. The shot of Eddie (Henry Fonda) in his cell, with the shadows of the bars reaching out to meet the bored and uninterested guard, stands out. The shots of a wide-eyed and desperate Fonda asking Joan (Sylvia Sidney) for a gun are a triumph for Lang, Fonda and Lang's cinematographer, Leon Shamroy. Lang also gets excellent work out of his editor, Daniel Mandell, who helps Lang to juxtapose images in a suggestive way, e.g. the shots of the frogs with shots of Joan and Eddie.

Standing back from the film and looking at is as a whole makes it something of a marvel. We begin with light comedy, proceed to an adorable romance and then follow the characters as their lives - and the film itself - grows steadily darker.

The sad and unfortunate life of a couple living in the Great Depression era that becomes involved into a spiral of distresses with fateful results . The exiled German director Fritz Lang gives a nice fim in his American stay , following the debut with "Fury" starred by Spencer Tracy, later to become master in all kinds of genres . This is the story of an innocent man, Henry Fonda, accused for arson , he is an ex-convict who is helped by his girlfriend : Sylvia Sidney , and eventually both of whom escape .

A stirring and moving drama with an adorable love story , though some date and glum. It results to be a peculiar variation on a Bonnie and Clyde theme , though the latter were a real criminals , this couple Fonda/Sidney turns out good-natured and kind people . Here there is a feeling of deep sadness and distress, as well as inevitability of doom that was never more compellingly captured than in this exciting . Henry Fonda gives a nice acting as an ex-con wants to mend himself his ways and attempts to cross into Canada along with his sweetheart very well played by Sylvia Sidney . They are stunningly accompanied by William Gargan, Barton MacLane , Margaret Hamilton, Big Boy Williams , Jean Dixon , among others .

This shattering motion picture with brilliant cinematography by Leon Shamroy , was poignantly and competently directed by the master Fritz Lang , being impressively scripted by Graham Baker . It results to be Fritz Lang's second Hollywood film , after his German career that includes titles as "Metropolis" , "Crimes of Dr Mabuse" , "Woman in the Moon" , "Sigfried" , "Destiny" , "Spiders" . After his consolidated German career and due to Nazi uprising , he established in America where shot a lot of films with considerable successes , such as "Return of Frank James" , "Western Union" , "Hangmen also Die" , "Woman in the Window" , "Ministry of Fear", "Scarlet Street" , "Cloak and dagger" , "Secret beyond the Door" , "Rancho Notorious" , "Clash by night", "The Big Heat" , "Moonfleet", "Human Desire", "When the city Sleeps" , "Beyond a resonante doubt" , among others . Rating 7/10 . Worthwhile seeing .

In Fritz Lang's second American movie, 1937's "You Only Live Once" (not twice), Sylvia Sidney, aka "the Face of the Depression," plays what must be the loyalist girlfriend/wife in screen history. Her man, three-time loser Eddie Taylor (played by a pre-"Grapes" Henry Fonda), has just been released from prison, and wastes little time getting himself into all sorts of trouble again. But Sylvia is all forgiveness, and even takes it on the lam with him in her gravid condition, in one of Hollywood's earliest instances of criminal lovers on the lam...a genre that would later produce such classics as "They Live By Night" (1949), "Gun Crazy" (1949), "Badlands" (1973) and, of course, 1967's "Bonnie and Clyde." Although "You Only Live Once" creaks a bit here and there, I must say that this in one very involving film. Sidney and Fonda make a marvelous team, and it is nice to see Barton MacLane playing a nice guy for a change, instead of his usual growling bully. Lang's roots in German expressionism are evident here, as shown particularly in the design of Fonda's isolated prison cell, during a fog-enshrouded prison break, and in that final, heavenly shot. The film is a bit bleak and depressing, as decent characters fight futilely against their fates, but the filmmakers leave little doubt whose side they're on. And, to its credit, the film shows very vividly how dangerous it can be to give in to the temptation to purchase a pack of smokes! Oh...this DVD is in fair condition at best, revealing a damaged print source, and with zero extras to speak of. If ever a film warranted a restoration...

This film stands the test of time as the story of a man trying to become someone else and a woman's loss of faith in justice. Lang's comment on the difficulty of the romantic couple may stem from his former wife's transition to a Nazi, but the strong relationship between Eddie and Joan is both beautiful and disturbing. This film is meticulously shot, with perfect casting (who knew Henry Fonda was ever young?). It's always enjoyable to watch the old Hollywood movies with no blood, and very strange looking kisses.... Superb example of a Lang film and film noir. Worth watching on DVD for a quality restoration.

Upon release from prison an ex-con (Henry Fonda) tries to go straight and start a decent life with his new wife (Sylvia Sidney). However, he is sacked by his former employer and increasingly desperate considers returning to a life of crime.

An impressive film with excellent direction by Fritz Lang who brings his unusual camera angles to bear on a bleak story. The film is said to be somewhat inspired by Bonnie and Clyde, but more than anything is an interesting exploration of how fate and circumstance can lead to disaster and tragedy. Moving at a crisp pace the film delivers plenty of suspense and surprises as Fonda is framed for murder not long after his release and, interestingly not long after he is fired, threatens to return to his miscreant ways. This keeps the viewer guessing as to whether Fonda's proclamations of innocence are true when he is arrested. The film is quite bleak for its time and contains quite an uncharacteristic performance from Fonda as a man desperate and disgusted by the callous treatment given him by society. Fonda doesn't entirely convince, but the film is still very good.