They Won't Believe Me
RKO 1947
by Paulette Reynolds
August 21, 2015
Robert Young (Larry Ballentine), Jane Greer (Janice Bell), Susan Hayward (Verna Carlson), Rita Johnson (Greta)
"Whether or not a man has committed murder..." Irving Pichel’s They Won’t Believe Me opens with Lawrence Ballentine on the witness stand, as he testifies about the events that lead him up to his trial for murder. It seems as though noir's grand dame, Jane Greer, has played Mr. Ballentine like a Stradivarius, with a little help from diamond-hard Susan Hayward as Verna, and his boss, Mr. Trenton.
The murder in question is of his wealthy and controlling wife, Greta, and a lot of missing money from their savings account. It's fascinating to watch nice-guy Robert Young play the unconventional role of a cynical married man who doesn't seem to mind getting involved with a pretty girl - and more than once. Larry Ballentine seems to have easy answers for all the women in his life, and manages to believe his own tall tales, too. The musical score by Roy Webb, reminiscent of Miklos Rozsa's Double Indemnity, keeps a perfect balance between noir and melodrama.
The trio of women capture out attention as they each clamor for Larry's affections, while dressed in some pretty snappy fashions by Edward Stevenson (Out of the Past, The Woman on the Beach). Greer plays Janice as a bad girl who thinks she's basically a good person, which is terrific to watch.
Director Pichel guides the plot to deliver a few surprises at a steady clip, and the biggest treat is how three-dimensional the characters are drawn, thanks to scriptwriter Jonathan Latimer. Latimer, a graduate of the hard-boiled crime school, manages to draw the character of Larry as a anti-hero who tries to make sense of his own motives for a doubting jury - and himself. The story leaves a few loose threads but the shock ending stays true to Larry's core character.
They Won't Believe Me goes beyond the usual characterizations built into the noir genre: Larry Ballentine isn't just a straying husband, anymore than Janice is just your generic femme fatale. Who knew?
RKO 1947
by Paulette Reynolds
August 21, 2015
Robert Young (Larry Ballentine), Jane Greer (Janice Bell), Susan Hayward (Verna Carlson), Rita Johnson (Greta)
"Whether or not a man has committed murder..." Irving Pichel’s They Won’t Believe Me opens with Lawrence Ballentine on the witness stand, as he testifies about the events that lead him up to his trial for murder. It seems as though noir's grand dame, Jane Greer, has played Mr. Ballentine like a Stradivarius, with a little help from diamond-hard Susan Hayward as Verna, and his boss, Mr. Trenton.
The murder in question is of his wealthy and controlling wife, Greta, and a lot of missing money from their savings account. It's fascinating to watch nice-guy Robert Young play the unconventional role of a cynical married man who doesn't seem to mind getting involved with a pretty girl - and more than once. Larry Ballentine seems to have easy answers for all the women in his life, and manages to believe his own tall tales, too. The musical score by Roy Webb, reminiscent of Miklos Rozsa's Double Indemnity, keeps a perfect balance between noir and melodrama.
The trio of women capture out attention as they each clamor for Larry's affections, while dressed in some pretty snappy fashions by Edward Stevenson (Out of the Past, The Woman on the Beach). Greer plays Janice as a bad girl who thinks she's basically a good person, which is terrific to watch.
Director Pichel guides the plot to deliver a few surprises at a steady clip, and the biggest treat is how three-dimensional the characters are drawn, thanks to scriptwriter Jonathan Latimer. Latimer, a graduate of the hard-boiled crime school, manages to draw the character of Larry as a anti-hero who tries to make sense of his own motives for a doubting jury - and himself. The story leaves a few loose threads but the shock ending stays true to Larry's core character.
They Won't Believe Me goes beyond the usual characterizations built into the noir genre: Larry Ballentine isn't just a straying husband, anymore than Janice is just your generic femme fatale. Who knew?
COPYRIGHT 2012/2015. Paulette Reynolds. All CineMata Movie Madness blog articles, reviews, faux interviews, commentary, and the Cine Mata character are under the sole ownership of Paulette Reynolds. All intellectual and creative rights reserved.
