Loved Susan Hayward's work and the famous jazz musicians in the opening scenes. But, you need to read court records and the account of the LAPD lead investigator if you care about what really happened. This movie is largely a fictional account, written and produced by people against capital punishment. Which is fine--we have freedom of speech here. Freedom for Hollywood to pass off fiction as truth, and freedom for me to call them out on it. Two examples of unnecessary fictionalizing in an attempt to gain public sympathy for the anti death penalty movement: 1. She certainly wasn't going to visit her baby when they caught up with her--she was going after a fix. They knew her main drug supplier and had him under surveillance. They followed her back to the hideout from a drug score. 2. When the main LAPD investigator reached the hideout, there was no scene with people and spotlights out in the parking lot. It was a surprise bust--they forced the door and found Barbara and one of the two male gang members naked. Neither one a big deal, bust just examples to show you how full of chit the plot was.

it is her film. a strange film because, without be great, it is more than touching. the story of a prostitute and her guilty. a film about a murder. and about life in a different perspective. Susan Hayward has the huge science to explore each nuance of her character . and this did the film more than one of many sad stories about the waste of life. because it is easy to be prey of melodramatic solutions in this genre of role. it is easy to ignore the limits. or to give to public only a sketch or shadow. and this subtle art to propose a living Barbara Graham, with her superficiality, hopes, courage, fears defines a film who remains, after a half of century, not remarkable but special.

"I Want To Live!" is an incredibly powerful drama about a woman who was found guilty of murder in the early 1950s. The events depicted are claimed to be factual and the convicted murderess is portrayed as the innocent victim of a flawed judicial system which found her guilty because of her lack of credibility as a witness, her previous criminal behaviour and the testimony of other criminals who had their own ulterior motives. The lack of hard evidence against her makes the outcome of the trial seem to be a travesty and this plays into the strong position that this movie takes against the use of capital punishment.Following the failure of her third marriage, Barbara "Bonnie" Graham (Susan Hayward) who'd been involved in petty crime throughout her life, returns to work with one of her previous bosses Emmett Perkins (Philip Coolidge). She's unaware that Perkins and his associates John Santo (Lou Krugman) and Bruce King (James Philbrook) had recently carried out an attempted robbery during which an elderly widow called Mabel Monahan had been pistol-whipped to death. It comes as a great surprise, therefore, when she, Perkins and Santo are arrested by the police and charged with involvement in the old lady's murder.Despite her protestations of innocence, Graham becomes the prime suspect after Perkins, Santo and King all claim that she was responsible for the killing. Perkins and Santo think that if she's convicted, it will reduce their chances of being sentenced to death and King is granted immunity for turning state's evidence. Graham is subsequently found guilty of murder and is sentenced to be executed at San Quentin prison. A whole series of appeals and stays of execution then follow as every effort is made to prevent Graham's sentence from being carried out.Barbara Graham is depicted as a sympathetic character who, as the product of a broken home, had known no other way of life than being involved with the criminal fraternity. Her various convictions provide evidence of her reprehensible lifestyle but her propensity to eschew self-interest to help others (as she does in the circumstances which result in her being found guilty of prostitution and perjury) is also shown as a redeeming quality. Similarly, the circumstances under which she's tricked into incriminating herself by a fellow prison inmate and an undercover police officer are also conveyed as being just as odious as the way in which she was betrayed by her criminal associates.Judged purely on its merits as a drama, "I Want To Live!" is top class and Robert Wise's direction is terrific as so much pace is injected into the early part of the movie and then later it slows down very effectively as the tension intensifies when the story's conclusion approaches. Susan Hayward's Oscar-winning performance is also integral to the film's success because so much of the focus is on her throughout. Her ability to capture her character's range of emotions and behaviours at different stages of her life is flawless and a considerable achievement by any standards.

Whether Barbara Graham was really framed for murder or not is never really the point of this melodramatic look at a woman on death row, played to the hilt by SUSAN HAYWARD in one of her gutsiest performances. The main point seems to be showing us what a devastating time any prisoner on death row has while waiting for that execution to proceed. And in this, Robert Wise succeeds with his powerful film about the accused murderess Barbara Graham.That Hayward can actually make us feel sympathy for her character when she's depicted as a tough-talking, bitter dame who takes no nonsense from anyone (even those trying to help her), is a credit her talent as an actress who never tries to soften her portrayal of the party girl paying for a life of petty crimes that may include murder.SIMON OAKLAND as a reporter who begins to have doubts about her guilt, is excellent. There's an almost documentary feel to the whole film and this is partly due to the uniform excellence of the entire cast, all of whom come across as real people. But the main credit must be given to director Robert Wise who does a fine job with some truly harsh material.The jazz score background effectively balances the look and feel of the story. Well worth watching as an inside look at how justice sometimes works, while raising questions in the viewer's mind as to Graham's guilt or innocence.