While I Live

While I Live is directed by John Harlow and written by Robert Bell, John Harlow and Doreen Montgomery. It stars Tom Walls, Clifford Evans, Sonia Dresdel, Patricia Burke, John Warwick, Edward Lexy and Audrey Fildes. Music is by Charles Williams and cinematography by Freddie Young.

It has been 25 years since her composer sister died in tragic circumstance, but Julia Trevelyan (Dresdel) still obsesses over her. Then one day an amnesiac woman arrives at the family home looking for help, and now Julia is certain that she is the reincarnation of her beloved sister.

It has become one of those films more known for its theme music than for the film itself. For here we have Charles Williams' quite beautiful "The Dream of Olwen" featuring as a key part of the narrative. It's the piece of work that Olwen Trevelyan (Fildes) was struggling to finish before her untimely death. While it's undeniably the beating heart of the pic, it's a disservice to ignore what characteristic and narrative smarts are on show.

This is a fascinating delve into not only the world of amnesia, but also to that of grief as a sometimes unstoppable force. Thus with the setting to the tale being a cliff top dwelling in Cornwall, pic is ripe for ethereal tones and shadowy visuals, with the mystery of the amnesiac lady a constant intrigue. It's all very improbable of course, and much of the acting is of its time and very "correct" as it were, but this is a lovely film with sharp themes at the core, some nifty tech aspects on show and a bona fide classic piece of music driving it forward. 7.5/10

This film is only 80 minutes long, and yet it makes an impression of being at least 20 minutes longer. Although the action is mainly talk, the intrigue is so crowded with important questions of existence and identity, that the metaphysical issues and problems here almost burst the limits of the dimensions, especially that of time. The first part of the film happens in 1922, when a young oianist and composer (female) happens to a mortal accident, leaving her last compositiion unfinished. The rest of the film happens 25 years later and provides a tremendous intricacy of an existential experiment. The phenomenon can't just be brushed aside, as Christine tries to do away with it, but even if the problem ultimately is resolved by logic and rational therapy, the phenomen and experiment must remain as an unanswered question. You need to se this film several times and will probably still not quite understand it, as there are too many aspects on it to be fathomed and grasped at once, and even if you see it again and again, there will remain unanswered questions. This is a metaphysical phenomenon and nothing else, and only the old,Cornish gardener is competent enough to treat it the right way. It's one of the three great English musical films of the 40s, the others being "Dangerous Moonlight" (with the Warsaw Concerto) and "Cornish Rhapsody" with Stewart Gramger and Margaret Lockwood as the pilot and the pianist. They are all three unique and remarkable for their unsurpassed musical psychology, and this film is actually basically most about the mental strain of a pianist and composer who happens to be a woman. The risk is that you will find the film more fascinating and interesting every time you see it again.

I remember seeing this film on TV as a boy in the late 50s/early 60s and have never forgotten it. Very powerful with wonderful music. The image of a sleep-walking woman on the cliffs sticks with me after 40 years.Would love to see it again, but for some reason it isn't regarded as Classic enough for release on DVD. Why doesn't someone release the theme tune as a single with clips from the film on the accompanying video? It worked for 'Love is all around me'... Have sometimes toyed with the idea of writing to Total Film and submitting candidates for the Top 100 British films which they never seem to mention, such as this and some of the best George Formby and Gracie Fields films. When I was a boy they were often on TV. Why aren't they now?

I have to disagree with all the other reviewers.Unfortunately this nothing but melodramatic tosh which because of its slightly spiritualistic theme was popular with audiences after the war since they were still grieving for those lost in the war.This film actually makes Madonna of the seven Moons seem to be a work of the realist school.The acting is rather hammy,Tom walls with his mummerset accent is particularly bad.The production generally poor and the script is just a laugh a minute.Every possible cliché of this type of film is piled on.Much as i love films of this era i have to say that i just found it to be preposterous nonsense but suited to the audience that viewed it.

I could not have stated it better than Jeremy Ross (London).I watched the film too when I was a kid. I even remember that it was on a Sunday afternoon. Haven't seen it since. It must have been about 1963. I have lived in America since 1974 but I remember that there was very excellent TV pro grammes in England during the 60's, this film being one of them! The scene where Olwyn is standing at the edge of the cliff still sticks in my memory after all these years. I didn't actually know the name of the film it's self until I looked up the music (dream of Olwyn on You tube. If the film were available on DVD, I am sure it would appeal to a lot of people.