A Rage to Live
Encyclopedia
A Rage to Live is a 1965
American
drama film
directed by Walter Grauman
and starring Suzanne Pleshette
as a woman whose passions wreak havoc on her life. The screenplay
by John T. Kelley is based on the 1949 novel of the same name by John O'Hara
.
family. As a precocious teenager, she succumbs to the advances of her older brother Brock's friend Charlie Jay, a decision that apparently ignites her passion for all men.
After a series of meaningless dalliances with strange men in cheap motel rooms, she meets San Francisco real estate broker
Sidney Tate at a Christmas party. The two fall in love and he proposes marriage, prompting Grace to confess about her past. Despite being taken aback by her candid revelations, Sidney still wants to marry her, and she commits herself to a monogamous
relationship, a pledge she keeps for the first few years of their union, which produces a son and a seemingly idyllic life on a farm.
Problems ensue when lusty contractor Roger Bannon, the son of one of her mother's former servants, arrives to repair their barn and seduces Grace. When she eventually tries to end the affair, he becomes enraged, gets drunk, and accidentally crashes his truck, killing himself. Reports of his death include details about his tryst with Grace, prompting her husband to wonder if she also is involved with newspaper editor Jack Hollister, a suspicion shared by Jack's wife Amy. Brandishing a gun, she publicly confronts Grace at a charity event and attempts suicide but is rescued by Sidney who, realizing that Grace never will change, decides the time has come to begin a new life with his son and leaves his wife.
said, "In this banal transfer from tome to film, the characters in John O'Hara's A Rage to Live have retained their two-dimensional unreality . . . Nympho heroine goes from man to man amidst corny dialog and inept direction which combine to smother all thesps
."
TV Guide
rates it 1½ out of a possible four stars and adds, "In the transfer from novel to screen, O'Hara's characters have been transformed from vital, living personalities into stiff, unmotivated soap opera
fodder."
but lost to Julie Harris
for Darling
.
1965 in film
The year 1965 in film involved some significant events, with The Sound of Music topping the U.S. box office.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:...
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Walter Grauman
Walter Grauman
Walter E. Grauman is an American director of stage shows, films and television shows.-Early life:Grauman was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Jacob and Irene Grauman, both children of German immigrants who married after settling in the United States...
and starring Suzanne Pleshette
Suzanne Pleshette
Suzanne Pleshette was an American actress, on stage, screen and television.After beginning her career in theatre, she began appearing in films in the early 1960s, such as Rome Adventure and Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds...
as a woman whose passions wreak havoc on her life. The screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
by John T. Kelley is based on the 1949 novel of the same name by John O'Hara
John O'Hara
John Henry O'Hara was an American writer. He initially became known for his short stories and later became a best-selling novelist whose works include Appointment in Samarra and BUtterfield 8. He was particularly known for an uncannily accurate ear for dialogue...
.
Plot
Newspaper heiress Grace Caldwell's nymphomania threatens to destroy the reputation of her staid, wealthy PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
family. As a precocious teenager, she succumbs to the advances of her older brother Brock's friend Charlie Jay, a decision that apparently ignites her passion for all men.
After a series of meaningless dalliances with strange men in cheap motel rooms, she meets San Francisco real estate broker
Real estate broker
A real estate broker, real estate agent or realtor is a party who acts as an intermediary between sellers and buyers of real estate/real property and attempts to find sellers who wish to sell and buyers who wish to buy...
Sidney Tate at a Christmas party. The two fall in love and he proposes marriage, prompting Grace to confess about her past. Despite being taken aback by her candid revelations, Sidney still wants to marry her, and she commits herself to a monogamous
Monogamy
Monogamy /Gr. μονός+γάμος - one+marriage/ a form of marriage in which an individual has only one spouse at any one time. In current usage monogamy often refers to having one sexual partner irrespective of marriage or reproduction...
relationship, a pledge she keeps for the first few years of their union, which produces a son and a seemingly idyllic life on a farm.
Problems ensue when lusty contractor Roger Bannon, the son of one of her mother's former servants, arrives to repair their barn and seduces Grace. When she eventually tries to end the affair, he becomes enraged, gets drunk, and accidentally crashes his truck, killing himself. Reports of his death include details about his tryst with Grace, prompting her husband to wonder if she also is involved with newspaper editor Jack Hollister, a suspicion shared by Jack's wife Amy. Brandishing a gun, she publicly confronts Grace at a charity event and attempts suicide but is rescued by Sidney who, realizing that Grace never will change, decides the time has come to begin a new life with his son and leaves his wife.
Cast
- Suzanne PleshetteSuzanne PleshetteSuzanne Pleshette was an American actress, on stage, screen and television.After beginning her career in theatre, she began appearing in films in the early 1960s, such as Rome Adventure and Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds...
as Grace Caldwell - Bradford DillmanBradford Dillman-Early life:Bradford Dillman was born on April 14, 1930 in San Francisco, California, the son of Josephine and Dean Dillman, a stockbroker. He studied at Town School for Boys and St. Ignatius High School. Later he attended the Hotchkiss boarding school in Connecticut, where he became involved in...
as Sidney Tate - Ben GazzaraBen Gazzara-Early life:Gazzara was born Biagio Anthony Gazzara in New York City, the son of Italian immigrants Angelina and Antonio Gazzara, who was a laborer and carpenter. Gazzara grew up on New York's tough Lower East Side. He actually lived on E. 29th Street and participated in the drama program at...
as Roger Bannon - Peter GravesPeter Graves (actor)Peter Aurness , known professionally as Peter Graves, was an American film and television actor. He was best known for his starring role in the CBS television series Mission: Impossible from 1967 to 1973...
as Jack Hollister - Bethel LeslieBethel LeslieBethel Leslie was an American theatre, film, and television actress and a screenwriter.Born in New York City, Leslie was discovered by George Abbott, who cast her in the play Snafu in 1944...
as Amy Hollister - Carmen Mathews as Emily Caldwell
- Linden ChilesLinden ChilesLinden Chiles is an American character actor. His television roles include Steve Kirk on Convoy, Paul Hunter on James at 15 and Clyde Darrell on Perry Mason. He has also appeared in a guest starring role in numerous other TV series during the 1960s and 1970s including The Fugitive.-External links:...
as Brock Caldwell - Mark GoddardMark GoddardMark Goddard is an American film actor who has starred in a number of television programs. He portrayed Major Don West, the space adversary of Dr. Zachary Smith in the cult 1960s CBS series, Lost in Space, and Detective Sgt...
as Charlie Jay - Brett SomersBrett SomersBrett Somers was a American actress, singer, and comedienne who was born in Canada and raised in Maine...
as Jessie Jay
Critical reception
VarietyVariety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
said, "In this banal transfer from tome to film, the characters in John O'Hara's A Rage to Live have retained their two-dimensional unreality . . . Nympho heroine goes from man to man amidst corny dialog and inept direction which combine to smother all thesps
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
."
TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
rates it 1½ out of a possible four stars and adds, "In the transfer from novel to screen, O'Hara's characters have been transformed from vital, living personalities into stiff, unmotivated soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
fodder."
Awards and nominations
Howard Shoup was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design, Black and WhiteAcademy Award for Costume Design
The Academy Award for Best Costume Design is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for achievement in film costume design....
but lost to Julie Harris
Julie Harris (costume designer)
Julie Harris is a British costume designer.Born in London, Harris began her career in 1947 at Gainsborough Pictures with Holiday Camp, the forerunner of the Huggett family film series...
for Darling
Darling (film)
Darling is a 1965 British comedy/drama film written by Frederic Raphael, directed by John Schlesinger, and starring Julie Christie, Dirk Bogarde, and Laurence Harvey. It is considered one of Schlesinger's best films and an insightful satire of mid-sixties British culture...
.