★ 6 / 10
Loretta Young as a blond
Strange Film with a blond floozy type (Loretta Young) getting ready to marry a gangster, though she's not aware of it.With the evidence in her purse, she is…
Strange Film with a blond floozy type (Loretta Young) getting ready to marry a gangster, though she's not aware of it.With the evidence in her purse, she is arrested and sent to prison. Once out (but on parole) she works as a nurse's aide and falls for a troubled patient (Jeff Chandler).Chandler's psyche being on the delicate side, she doesn't tell him about her past. After a few years of marriage and a child, the old boyfriend is released from prison and abducts her and her daughter.He is caught, and her husband disowns her and doesn't allow her contact with the child.I'm the biggest sucker there is, but this film became a little too cloying, even for me, as it continued.The cast was good though I didn't care much for the daughter. I love Loretta, so I didn't consider this a waste.
★ 5 / 10
Past haunting
Expectations were mixed here before watching 'Because of You'. The subject did intrigue somewhat, though with and do like Loretta Young in other things, always…
Expectations were mixed here before watching 'Because of You'. The subject did intrigue somewhat, though with and do like Loretta Young in other things, always watchable and more and with a long and versatile career. Jeff Chandler too, another actor that died too young tragically with more to give, especially in 'Broken Arrow'. Haven't seen enough of Joseph Pevney's work it has to be admitted, personally am more familiar with him in support acting roles.Do sadly have to agree with everybody else here regarding 'Because of You'. It has its good things but on the whole it didn't do it for me for reasons said very well already. It is a good representation for Chandler, who apparently considered it his personal favourite of the films he made (can actually name better myself, 'Broken Arrow' included). Not so much an against type Young, good to see a different side to her but the way her character is written lets her down.'Because of You' has two particularly good things. One is the photography, which is both beautiful to watch and atmospheric. In fact, 'Because of You' is a well made film visually, as the costuming is also true to period and elegant and the settings expansive enough without being overblown, the atmosphere is also present in the lighting. The other particularly good thing is Chandler, who to me was excellent. Especially when he learns the truth agreed, some very intensely moving acting there.Frank Skinner's score has some suitably haunting moments that fits well and doesn't make the mistake of being melodramatic like most of the rest of the film's components. The highlights dramatically being the big confrontation (which agreed should have happened much later and the film ended with it) and when Steve finds out the truth, the only scenes really to ring true.In a film that is badly let down by its overwrought soap-opera-heavy and nonsensical story, with too many credibility straining scenes and a very drawn out and not particularly necessary final third. Personally actually thought 'Because of You' did get too maudlin, the sentimentality was hard to stomach and hard to believe in the daughter encounter especially. None of the supporting cast stand out in underwritten roles and Pevney's direction is as soggy as watery cucumber sandwiches.Really didn't care for the characters, only feeling sorry for Steve in one scene. Not only because they were dull but also because they frequently made decisions that were stupid, came out of nowhere and made little or no sense. While it was admirable that Young played against type here, to me she was very bland (her looks were sensual but her acting wasn't) and suffered the worst from how badly the characters were written, far too passive and quite silly. The script is both under-cooked in depth and overwrought in the delivery of the excessive soapiness it frequently suffers from, it never sounds natural either.All in all, very conflicted here. 5/10
80%
AUDIENCE
6.4/10
365
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Another movie with a KINO LORBER splash screen added that desynchronizes the audio