''You Only Live Once'' is a 1937 American

crime drama film In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Can ...

directed by

Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), known as Fritz Lang, was an Austrian film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety'', August 4, 1976, p. 6 ...

and starring Sylvia Sidney and

Henry Fonda Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor. He had a career that spanned five decades on Broadway and in Hollywood. He cultivated an everyman screen image in several films considered to be classics. Born and ra ...

. Considered an early

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

, the film was the second directed by Lang in the United States. At least 15 minutes were trimmed from the original 100-minute version of the film due to its then unprecedented violence. Despite the removal of such scenes, the film is widely considered an early film noir classic.

Plot

Eddie Taylor is an ex-convict who feels he is reformed and deserves a break, but he expects he will not get one. In spite of his marriage to Joan, the woman who waited for him and who has always believed in him, it seems his expectations will be met. With the help of Joan's boss, Stephen, the public defender, Eddie gets a steady job and he buys a house with Joan. He is summarily fired, however, by a boss who makes it clear he had no interest in giving him a chance. Eddie's old gang want him to join them in bank robberies, and he is tempted, but chooses to search for legitimate work instead. Then, a bank job occurs during which six people are killed. Eddie is framed and subsequently wrongly convicted for the murders. He is sentenced to death by electrocution. On the eve of his execution date, a gun smuggled into the medical area in which he is being held enables him to escape. As his escape is taking place, it becomes known to authorities that the bank vehicle containing the money, which had been driven from the robbery as part of the plan, has been recovered from a lake - with the body of the guilty bank robber/murderer inside. Eddie receives a last-minute pardon and the prison chaplain, who Eddie has always trusted, tries to convince him of this reprieve. Eddie is too bitter and disillusioned to accept he is a free man. He kills the chaplain in his desperation to escape. He and a pregnant Joan go on the lam, hoping to make it across the border to Canada. They become infamous and are blamed for every crime in the areas they pass through. After the baby is born, Joan manages to meet Stephen and her sister. The two have arranged for Joan to hop a boat to Havana with the baby and wait there while Stephen works to clear her name. She refuses to leave Eddie. They continue their run, but are ambushed by the police and killed. As he dies, Eddie hears the voice of the chaplain telling him he is free.

Cast

Reception

The film recorded a loss of $48,045.

Legacy

Radio adaptation

''You Only Live Once'' was presented on ''

Philip Morris Playhouse ''Philip Morris Playhouse'' is a 30-minute old-time radio dramatic anthology series.Terrace, Vincent (1981), ''Radio's Golden Years: The Encyclopedia of Radio Programs 1930–1960''. A.S. Barnes & Company, Inc. . P. 214. The program " nerally .. ...

'' on November 28, 1941. The adaptation starred

Burgess Meredith Oliver Burgess Meredith (November 16, 1907 – September 9, 1997) was an American actor and filmmaker whose career encompassed theater, film, and television. Active for more than six decades, Meredith has been called "a virtuosic actor" and "on ...

Cultural impact

James Baldwin James Arthur Baldwin (August 2, 1924 – December 1, 1987) was an American writer. He garnered acclaim across various media, including essays, novels, plays, and poems. His first novel, '' Go Tell It on the Mountain'', was published in 1953; de ...

writes fondly about the film in ''

The Devil Finds Work ''The Devil Finds Work'' is a book-length essay by writer James Baldwin. Published in 1976, it is both a memoir of his experiences watching movies and a critique of the racial politics of American cinema. Synopsis The book opens with a discuss ...

'', arguing Lang "never succeeded quite so brilliantly again". François Truffaut wrote the film "is about destiny and fate", explaining: "''You Only Live Once'' is about interlocking forces: everything may seem to be going well, but the truth is, everything is going badly."

References

External links

* * * * {{Walter Wanger 1937 films 1937 crime drama films Film noir Films directed by Fritz Lang American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films United Artists films American crime drama films Films scored by Alfred Newman Films produced by Walter Wanger 1930s American films