The Man I Love (1946)
Overview
Tough torch singer Petey Brown, visiting her family, finds a nest of troubles: her sister, brother, and the neighbor's wife are involved in various ways with shady nightclub owner Nicky Toresca. Petey has what it takes to handle Nicky, but then she meets San Thomas, formerly great jazz pianist now on the skids, and falls for him hard.
Cast
Ida Lupino
Petey Brown
Robert Alda
Nicky Toresca
Andrea King
Sally Otis
Martha Vickers
Virginia 'Ginny' Brown
Bruce Bennett
San Thomas
Alan Hale
Riley
Dolores Moran
Gloria O'Connor
John Ridgely
Roy Otis
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John Chard
I ran down like a clock. It was just as though I'd been wound up too tight and the spring broke.
The Man I Love is directed by Raoul Walsh and adapted to screenplay by Jo Pagano and Catherine Turney from Maritta M. Wolff's novel. It stars Ida Lupino, Robert Alda, Andrea King, Martha Vickers, Bruce Bennett, Alan Hale and Dolores Moran. Cinematography is by Sidney Hickox.
Loved by some, not so by others, Walsh's film is pretty much a soap opera meller with some faint noir shadings. The plot, that has more holes than a bullet riddled bucket, sees Lupino's torch singer return home for the holidays and complications arise in the love and lust department - for her, her family, and the ruthless nightclub owner played by Alda.
There's a mature look at womanhood and masculinity in the post war years, with a poignancy factor boosted by it being set around the Christmas holidays. As usual Lupino is as watchable as ever - in fact into the bargain she's very sultry here as well - and there's some nifty noirish dialogue.
However, as the story is intent on reflecting upon damaged love across the board, there's a distinct lack of fatalism or bitter cynicism to be found, thus explaining why many have be forced to put it in the soapy meller category. This is good film making, but for entertainment purpose it helps if you go into it not expecting a hidden film noir gem, but a pic of unhappy people wandering aimlessly in a melodramatic fog. 6/10
