For You I Die (1947) User Reviews

Good low budget film from the 1940's

[Panamint · 6/10 · 12 November 2015]

Its basically the old story of some prisoners on the run but manages to rise above what you would expect. The leads, little known Paul Langton and beautiful smoky-voiced Cathy Downs, are terrific together and deliver quality performances. All of the acting is generally good and as the film progresses you will get interested in the characters and what happens to them.

Much is said about the darkness of the film's available prints but it takes place mostly at night and to me the dark nature of the story is suitable for old faded dark film stock, but yes it does need a good restoration someday. The copy I bought was viewable and good enough.

Somehow this film, rather than the usual claustrophobic look of many studio-bound cheaply made films of the era, has managed to convert the closeness and night into an intimacy and immediateness that uses the "smallness" to its advantage. Very few small films are able to achieve this.

Taught and well-acted by an ensemble cast, "For You I Die" breaks out of the black and white cheapie mold and is far above being just another obscure second bill throwaway.

Decent

[arfdawg-1 · 5/10 · 2 May 2014]

Arpi Productions only produced two movies. This one and the following year, Sophia. Both directed by the same guy.

This film is a tight production however the public domain prints are horrible. They do not appear to come from a negative but from a direct transfer -- film to film.

That's means all the grays bleed out and you are left with blacks and whites in high contrast. Not enjoyable to watch.

Too bad. For a B picture it's not half bad.

The synopsis:

A young convict,Johnny Coulter, serving as a trustee and with only a year remaining on his sentence, is forced to participate in a prison break by one of the hardened criminals.

They separate after the break but circumstances bring them together again. Johnny and a waitress, Hope Novak, fall in love and, together, they help the law recapture the escapee and his henchmen.

Just Like It Says In The Script

[boblipton · 5/10 · 7 January 2019]

Paul Langton and Don C. Harvey escape from prison. Harvey threatens Langton if he squeals, and sends him to a motel, where Harvey's old girlfriend, Cathy Downs, will cover for him. When Langton first arrives, he mistakes thrill-crazy Jane Weeks for the girl, but as time goes on, the collection of kindly characters and Miss Downs, who has come to despise the woman she used to be, begin to have an effect on him.

It's definitely a film noir, but it reaches back to the poetic realism roots of the movements with its collection of character studies. Alas, those characters are drawn with a few bold strokes, making them caricatures, even as the actors try to inhabit them. It's not simply the obvious cheapness of the production. I attribute the lack of depth to screenwriter Robert Presnell, but more to director John Reinhardt, one of the emigree directors who came to the US during the War and returned to Germany after it. His handling renders the movie an impressionist work, and while cinematographer William Clothier gives him a fine visual interpretation of the noir world, there's no subtlety in the handling of the movie. It turns out that the plot seems to drive the characters' changes more than they drive the plot. It's always interesting, but never surprising.

Not As Bad As It Might Be.

[rmax304823 · 14 November 2011]

There used to be a secure niche in the movies for these inexpensive little B features in the 30s and 40s. The A feature would be some splashy, well-publicized show announced in overwhelming big red letters: "LEAVE HER TO LIMBO" or something, usually "based on the best selling novel" by F. Scott Bostwick. In between showings of the A feature, there would be a short black-and-white little movie, often about crime or cowboys. They frequently had titles like "Blondie Goes to Hollywood" but some of them were dandies They usually provided work for promising newcomers or old pros whose bones were beginning to creak. (Karl Freund, who was the photographer on Fritz Lang's "Metropolis", wound up shooting "I Love Lucy.")

This one isn't a dandy but it's earnest enough. It's about a disillusioned inmate, Paul Langton, who escapes from prison and finds himself stuck in a road house run by the watchful and forbearing Marian Kerby, a Ma Joad for the common man. Her tiny family of guests and relatives is diverse and familiar. There is the blond hootchy-kootchy floozie, the hypomanic Russian that Mischa Auer always played, the drunken but affectionate old cook, and finally the girl of the fugitive's dreams, Cathy Downs.

The performances aren't particularly bad. Langton will be a familiar face to movie buffs, though they may have a hard time placing him. He hooked into some conspicuous supporting parts in a handful of popular war movies. He was Ski in "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo," the barber who tries to cut Alan Hale's hair in "Destination Tokyo," and one of the sailors in "They Were Expendable." Always a likable and reliable player, his career never went anywhere. He's the lead here, a kind of bitter everyman, but if he's not dynamic, he's not an insult to his art either.

Cathy Downs, an ex model, was an attractive young woman with a deep and honest voice. She was the object of Wyatt Earp's affections in "My Darling Clementine" and here -- less distant and reserved, with her hair down -- looks a little like Ella Raines. One can imagine why Langton finds her attractive.

In fact, one can imagine that this might have been a far better movie if it had had double the budget and a bit more talent behind the camera. It was shot by the expert William Clothier, but the director is John Reinhardt. His work is pedestrian. Whenever a group comes together, they stand as if staged for a tableau vivant. Let's see -- Langton, you stand there, and Marian over there, and Cathy, get close to Auer and stare at Langton. Good -- now, nobody move.

The drunken cook is Roman Bohnen and he makes little impression although he's capable of doing a good job in the right part, as when he reads Dana Andrews' commendations aloud towards the end of "The Best Years of Our Lives."

It was written by Robert Presnell in a strictly functional manner but one feels that he's repressing some of the zest he brought to movies like "Meet John Doe." In a dull comic scene, Auer pretends to be conducting a recording of some orchestral work by Brahms and Langton complains that you can't put ketchup on it. "My friend," says the ever exuberant Auer, "if you had a million bucks in the bank, Brahms' music would not be more beautiful!" It's not much but it's a palpable hit. There are a few other examples, including a dramatic conversational exchange that incorporates that silly sounding title.

I could be wrong but I'm left with the feeling that someone brought out a script, said "Make this in ten days," and then threw it in the direction of the wrong man.

For You I Die

[CinemaSerf · 6/10 · 2 June 2023]

There is actually quite a lot going on in this crime-noir. Petty criminal "Johnny" (Paul Langton) is coming to the end of his sentence but before he makes it to the gates, he is coerced into taking part in a prison break that sees him on the run, alone, making for a remote diner where he is to meet "Hope" (Cathy Downs) and wait for his nemesis "Gruber" (Don Harvey). Now it turns out that she's not one of his biggest fans either, and together the two youngsters concoct a plan to alert the police and, meantime, they start to take a shine to each other. Perilous stuff for all concerned and the young, green, "Johnny" isn't best equipped for what's to come. The acting from Downs and Langton here is quite effective, delivering a degree of chemistry and with a strong supporting cast - including the usually reliable Mischa Auer, and Roman Bohnen as the dipso chef - makes for quite a competent, low-budget, thriller. I'm not sure about the ending, but it's certainly not what I was expecting. It's well paced and worth a watch.

I am gonna work in Maggie's snack...

[ulicknormanowen · 7/10 · 29 July 2022]

Very classic film noir,but with interesting characters:Marian Kirby , as the matronly owner of an eating-house , who acts like a mom for two losers;ditto for Ronan Bohnen as Smitty , who left his family and whose solitude has become too hard to bear ; Cathy Downs is the next-door girl , the gentle but determined girl Teresa Wright style ; she too ,has a racy past ,and she winds up in Maggie's restaurant to forget it. Paul Langton is a convict forced to escape willy nilly because an inmate "stuck a gun in his guts" ; he soon considers Maggie -who calls him "son"- his mother ;both Hope (what a well-chosen first name) and johnny are losers and think that their love is already doomed ; they go out on a limb because Matt , the other convict ,is Hope's former evil genius and may return any day now to find back his girl .It all begins in a sewer ,where Paul and Matt hide from the police; the ending seems a little hurried and botched, but it's a low budget movie ,and it generally makes the best of it.

One for Mischa Auer's Legion of Fans!

[JohnHowardReid · 4/10 · 24 August 2012]

Unless you're a Mischa Auer fan (I'm not), your enjoyment of this minor 1947 film noir will depend on how eager you are to see every noir escapade that Hollywood ever made. True, the lovely Cathy Downs does make her presence felt when she's on screen, but that doesn't happen very often. Mostly the script focuses on the lead man, Paul Langton (competent but somewhat lacking in personality), or the garrulous Marion Kerby. Yes, super-sexy Jane Weeks gets an occasional close-up, and Mischa Auer certainly manages to waste a fair amount of our time with pointless "comedy relief", but it's mostly Langton's film and he lacks the charisma to carry it. Dull direction by John Reinhardt doesn't help, but cameraman William Clothier does his best to give this minor entry an appropriately dark, noirish atmosphere.

Moody Atmosphere

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 22 May 2017]

For an independent film produced on a dental floss wide budget, For You I Die will leave quite the indelible impression. That is mostly due to the moody atmosphere of the film and the sincere playing of the leads Cathy Downs and Paul Langton.

Langton is a prisoner who was forced to participate at gunpoint to accompany Don C. Harvey on a break. Harvey's a vicious killer and Langton is intimidated by him. They split up with Harvey telling Langton to go to an out of the way motel camp run by Marian Kerby and her husband Roman Bohnen.

But when he gets there after a few false starts, Langton finds a strange contentment and a bit of romance with Cathy Downs who is a waitress in their small restaurant. The place is so isolated it kind of brings on a strange kind of peace. But always hanging over their heads is the threat of Harvey's return.

Cheap hardly describes For You I Die. But the performances are great and the atmosphere created so fits what the actors are doing.

This one's a sleeper and a keeper.

'You can't put ketchup on it!'

[mackjay2 · 8/10 · 14 October 2008]

Another in the list of solidly made B movies, FOR YOU I DIE is very much worth seeking out. This taut little Film Noir has good actors and a fine, dark atmosphere. Paul Langton is excellent as down-and-out Johnny Coulter, newly escaped from prison, but basically a decent guy. His companion, seen briefly in the film's shadowy opening, is Mac (Rory Mallinson), a hard-as-nails con-type who instructs Johnny to head alone to the restaurant where Mac's girlfriend Hope works. Nervous Johnny arrives and is immediately misled by floozy Jane Weeks as Georgie, who pretends to be Hope in order to seduce handsome Johhny. As the real Hope (symbolic name, no doubt), Cathy Downs is a standout, avoiding all the good-girl clichés and creating a believable character. Other very good performers in the film are Marion Kerby, Mischa Auer and Roman Bohnen. These actors give their all in what was most likely just a low-budget production. Director John Reinhardt keeps the pace fast and the details interesting, and William Clothier does some nice things with obscure, Noir lighting effects. A top-notch minor Noir, whose theme is the enjoyment of what life offers for free.

A lot better than you might expect.

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 2 March 2014]

"For You I Die" is a very low budget movie with mostly lesser-known actors. Apart from Mischa Auer, the cast is filled with talented but anonymous looking actors and actresses. However, this does NOT mean the film is poor in any way. And, apart from a lull during the unnecessary castanet scene, it's a dynamite little film.

In an unusual break with conventional style, the film begins just after a prison break. All the things leading up to it you learn later in the film--such as how Johnny Coulter (Paul Langton) was forced into the escape even though he was nearing the time for his parole. And, with his 'pal' killing a guard in the process of their escape, Johnny is scared not only of being caught by the police but of his fellow ex-inmate, Gruber (Don Harvey). Johnny has been instructed to go to a certain small town and look up Hope Novak (Cathy Downs)--and to wait with her until Gruber returns. However, it turns out that Hope hates Gruber as much as Johnny--and both are scared to do anything. And, over the course of this week, they start to fall for each other--something that could easily get them killed.

The film works well because of the Langton's nice but tough performance. Additionally, the supporting characters really did a nice job--mostly because the writing and dialog worked so well. Not a great film but an exceptional film considering its humble pedigree.

A little bit of that old time religion and romance never hurt any escaped convict.

[mark.waltz · 8/10 · 14 October 2014]

This surprisingly excellent film noir mixes every element of the classic noir, mixing a prison break, a reluctant participant forced at gunpoint to aid the escapee, a trashy vixen, an innocent young girl wrongly accused of being a robbery accomplice, a tough-talking restaurant owner obsessed with religion, and a confrontation between the two convicts, all in a rustic setting. There are also assorted locales, including two cops who frequent the restaurant and a married couple who live like gypsies, popping in and out to entertain the owner and staff of the roadside dive which has cabins where the misunderstood convict hides out. Other than Mischa Auer, who plays the traveling actor husband, the cast is filled with obscure unknowns who all deliver totally believable performances that are naturalistic and sharp.

Paul Langton, a veteran T.V. actor, plays a prison trustee forced to aid another prisoner in his escape attempt. Knowing that his attempt to return to prison could mean his death, he decides to hide out in the tough Marian Kerby's roadside inn, doing odd jobs and ultimately becoming a part of Kerby's extended family. That clan includes two nieces as different as night and day (Cathy Downs as the noble one; Jane Weeks as the trampy one) and the alcoholic chef (Roman Bohnen) whose affection for Downs is based upon his own abandonment of his family and his realization that Downs would be the same age as his own daughter.

Kerby's Aunt Maggie is a tough old broad, greeting her customers with home-spun friendliness, but harping at Bohnen for his drinking, Weeks for her floozy ways, and Langton for reading the Sunday paper instead of going with her to church. In short, she's a big-hearted doll who uses tough love on the people around her, although she definitely is tired of Weeks' philandering. In the scene where she finds out the reason behind Bohnen's dependency on alcohol, she shows what really lies behind all that sweet talk and harping. While she only made three films, Kerby's performance is that of a pro, and you will find yourself rooting for her, especially when she makes her feelings towards Langton known after discovering the truth.

The performance of Jane Weeks as the slutty Georgie reminds me of Gloria Grahame. She is obviously no good, and any association with Langton would lead him to the same fate of the anti-hero in the low budget noir classic "Detour" where Ann Savage was just as sexually manipulative and twice as devious. Downs is feisty, if a lot more realistic and down to earth, yet not too sweet, as the ingénue who was briefly involved with the mastermind behind the prison escape (Rory Mallinson). Bohnen is excellent as Smitty, whether confiding his past to Kerby or drunkenly giving Downs a bowl filled with goldfish. Auer goes a bit too over the top and his character seems rather out of place.

While the print of the available DVD is extremely grainy, the sound is good enough to listen to, and the film itself is extremely fast moving, so the print quality should not be a factor. The characters are all fascinating, even if a few of them (particularly Weeks and Auer) deserve a good slap down. The excellent screenplay builds up tension towards the exciting climax which ends on a promising note for one, but an untimely end for another.

Two prisoners breaking out of jail, but one involuntarily, expecting only trouble ahead and getting it.

[clanciai · 9/10 · 17 September 2021]

This is one of those great B-features with only B-actors that achieve a better result than most A-features. The acting is perfectly natural and convincing, the story Is as fascinating and sustained as any noir, and this is yet another testimony of the fact, that the art of the film reached in the noir genre a higher level of sustained drama and quality than almost any other cinema genre. To this is added the very special quality of Mischa Auer, a great comedian with dark undertones, who here as usual shows off his musical abilities. The music of the film is surprisingly good, there is even an excellent performance by Cathy Downs with castanets, dancing to Schumann's "Aufschwung" played on a primitive gramophone but nevertheless conducted by Mischa Auer. This is a great minor thriller, and just the beginning promises in its very dramatic tension something of a classic. It is minor, but nevertheless outstanding.

For You I Die (Fuga Trágica)

[StevenKeys · 8/10 · 2 September 2023]

A deadly prison break sends two convicts in different directions, the instigator (Harvey), vicious and bucking for the electric chair, heads to San Fran, the other (Langton), a trustee forced at gunpoint to drive the getaway, treks to a roadhouse in San Maria where Grubers's ex-girlfriend works and rendezvous is planned. But before the reunion, Coulter "finds a new slant" on life, befriending the locals and winning the heart of Hope (Downs) who's no interest in rekindling past passion with Matt the mugshot.

This is a dark one, in part due to the fact that nearly the entire film (76m) is pitched at night, good for building tension and trust both. It's also the homiest noir you'll ever see, the characters in and around Dillon's roadway rest stop so likeable you almost wish you were in Johnny's spot, even as the poor guy is a nervous wreck waiting on his nut-job nemesis. There is Maggie (Kerby), proprieter and mother figure, a bit crusty but always a song in her big heart; Georgie (Weeks), the naughty niece and gun moll aspirant ("I like a he-man!") who keeps missing her bus to the big city; the Shaws, cute couple who return each year to relax & entertain, Louisa (Callejo) a doctor and dancer, Alec (Auer) a cabbie and Renaissance man, a charmed act that tops Mischa's Oscar nom'd Carlo (Godfrey); Smitty (Bohnen of Best-Years) is the decorated seaman turned café cook whose binging hides a sad secret; and then there's Hope, pretty femme swell true to her name. A rough start in life (dad split, mom died) left her to drift, working seedy joints and hitching her wagon to a snake with "a little bit of money (Fargo)." But now the angels have lighted, Maggie is her guide, Johnny Galahad and all is possible.

John Reinhardt (b. Vienna), husband of Elizabeth (Laura), directs on a screenplay by Robert Presnell whose catalog includes Meet-John-Doe My-Man-Godfrey Employees-Entrance. This film marked their third team in 1947 alone, Die preceded by The-Guilty and High-Tide, all around 70 minutes and well received. Watch for familiar face Rory Mallinson as Mac the cop and Tom Noonan in a bad boy role (hold-up crook). You "can't put ketchup on it" but I check-in at this cozy noir at least once a year (3.5/4).