I Want to Live! (1958) | Keeping the Score Series

Our year-long Keeping the Score series continues on September 18th with a rarely seen classic from Robert Wise--I WANT TO LIVE!𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗧𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀: amblertheater.org/specials

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗲: Susan Hayward gives a tour de force performance in this loosely biographical film about the life of habitual criminal Barbara “Bloody Babs” Graham. Expertly directed by Robert Wise (West Side Story, Sound of Music), the film traces the trajectory of her life as a petty criminal to a convicted murderer on death row in San Quentin. I WANT TO LIVE! satisfyingly walks the genre line of stylish film noir and provocative exploitation. Boasting six Academy Awards — including a well-earned Best Actress statuette for Hayward.

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲: A conventional dramatic score would have proven entirely unsuitable for I WANT TO LIVE! and for Susan Hayward’s difficult, unapologetic performance. Composer Johnny Mandel, in his feature film debut, capitalizes on his strength with jazz to deliver an overwhelming and chaotic musical setting to underscore Barbara Graham’s equally chaotic and unapologetic life. When the law finally comes down on Barbara, however, that jazzy score dissipates, appearing more sparsely as the protagonist’s freedom and future slip mercilessly away. Mandel shows how film music can express a character’s core psychology in ways even the best scripts cannot quite achieve. He makes fully possible the viewer’s ability to see a frequently unlikable character with empathy and even sympathy.

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: Be it a gentle piano interlude or a glorious orchestral fanfare, no element of filmcraft sets a movie’s tone and identity quite like the musical score. Film music has the power to underline a filmmaker’s narrative ideas, forge our bond to a heroic character, and move us to the point of tears. Join us all year long as we showcase cinema’s iconic composers whose musical talents enrich the images we see on screen and have us humming their unforgettable melodies as we exit the auditorium. See what else is playing this year at amblertheater.org/score

You may also like the following events from The Ambler Theater:

• This Saturday, 9th August, 12:30 pm, Titanic (1997) | Hollywood Summer Nights Series in Ambler
• This Sunday, 10th August, 04:00 pm, Cosmic Dawn (2025) w/ NASA TV Producer & Ambler Native James Tralie- FREE FOR MEMBERS in Ambler
• Next Wednesday, 13th August, 07:00 pm, My Cousin Vinny (1992) | Hollywood Summer Nights Series in Ambler

Also check out other Entertainment events in Ambler, Music events in Ambler.