Press Release Warner Archive Press Release: They Won't Believe Me (1947) (Blu-ray) (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

THEY WON'T BELIEVE ME (1947) NEW 2021 1080p HD Master Sourced from 4k scan of Nitrate Preservation Elements of Original 95 Minute Release Version!
Run Time 95:00
Subtitles English SDH
Audio Specs DTS HD-Master Audio 2.0 - English, MONO - English
Aspect Ratio 1.37:1, 4x3 FULL FRAME
Product Color BLACK & WHITE
Disc Configuration BD 50
Special Feature: Introduction by Film Noir Historian/TCM Host Eddie Muller.

Robert Young stars in They Won’t Believe Me, an absorbing film noir melodrama. The original RKO publicity tells the story: “When a man goes to the devil he usually takes a woman with him...this man took THREE!” Young plays a dirty rotten scoundrel who sponges off his wealthy wife (Rita Johnson), seduces and abandons another woman (Jane Greer) and runs off with a third (Susan Hayward). Returning home, Young plots to murder his wife and get away with her money, but a series of ironic plot twists leaves him battling for his life. The role of faithless cad was a startling change of pace for Young, and he pulls it off brilliantly. Irving Pichel directed Jonathan Latimer’s uncompromising script.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Thank you for supporting HTF when you preorder using the link below. If you are using an adblocker you will not see link. As an Amazon Associate HTF earns from qualifying purchases

 

[Robert Crawford]

No hesitation on this BD purchase.

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

Never saw this one but I love almost all of the noir's that the WA has released, so this seems like a safe bet.

 

[Bernard McNair]

Really looking forward to owning this film after seeing the recently posted clips.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Really looking forward to owning this film after seeing the recently posted clips.

If it looks like another 1947 RKO release "Crossfire" on BD, I'll be extremely happy.

 

[Robin9]

If it looks like another 1947 RKO release "Crossfire" on BD, I'll be extremely happy.

I'll be happy if it looks like this publicity shot:

Or like this one:

I haven't seen this film for a long time and I'm impatient for Warner's Blu-ray disc to arrive!

 

[Robert Crawford]

Hubba, Hubba, Susan.

 

[JoeDoakes]

This is great. I’ve wanted to see this but it hasn’t been available in the US

 

[Keith Cobby]

Good film, will be interesting to see the extra few minutes (mine runs at 1.19). Jane Greer on blu ray is a purchase from me.

 

[cadavra]

I've only seen the truncated reissue version, so this will be a major revelation.

 

[richardburton84]

Per Eddie Muller’s Twitter page, TCM will be premiering the restoration during this year’s Classic Film Festival.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I just added the Amazon Link that hasn't gone live yet to our Pre-Order Listing for a May 11th release date.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Thank you for supporting HTF when you preorder using the link below. If you are using an adblocker you will not see link. As an Amazon Associate HTF earns from qualifying purchases

 

[Garysb]

As part of the TCM Virtual Festival TCM will be showing the 4K Restoration.

May 8th 8:00PM EDT

THEY WON’T BELIEVE ME
19471HR 35MTV-PG
World premiere of a recent 4K restoration from the nitrate film. This restoration returns the film to its original 95 minutes thanks to the return of 15 minutes of original footage cut by RKO at the film’s reissue in the 1950s. A philandering playboy with a wealthy wife and two girlfriends ends up on trial for murder when two of the ladies turn up dead, and he’s the most likely suspect.

 

[JoeStemme]

The Restoration to its original length to some fanfare a couple of years ago comes as a bit of a disappointment. It's a decent enough entry in the DOUBLE INDEMNITY/POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE style crime film, but it has such a leisurely and soap opera-ish first half that it barely registers as noir until the accused murderer Larry (Robert Young) schemes with Verna (Susan Heyward).

Young's casting is a bit of a signal that this was never going to be a hard-bitten noir (not to mention Victor Young's score), but the trio of female actresses are stellar: alongside the sultry Heyward who is the de facto main femme fatale, it has Jane Greer as the sweet girl and Zita Johnson as Larry's long-suffering wife. Johnson never became as big a star as her cohorts, but, she delivers in a pivotal role.

Director Irving Pichel's film picks up once Jonathan Latimer's screenplay gets going (Gordon McDonell gets story credit). There are a couple of good twists and the cast keeps it interesting. The framing device is partly effective even if one never believes that the Prosecutor would let the key witness drone on for some 85 minutes and barely does a cross-examination!

I've never seen the 80 minute version that has been the standard for decades, but this 95 minute edition has pluses and minuses. It was restored from the negative so it looks and sounds very good. I'm certain a few key details that were cut were important, but, the pacing does feel slow which saps much of the suspense; Further, it resembles a melodrama more than thriller for much of its length.

Fortunately, the cast (even Young), the couple of unexpected turns and the archetypal murder mystery angle are enough to make it mildly compelling.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Hmm, Robert Young being cast in another movie from that same year "Crossfire" was a pretty hard-bitten noir.

 

[JoeStemme]

Sure, but that one had two of the most hard-bitten ROBERT(s) ever in MITCHUM and RYAN!!

 

[Robert Crawford]

Sure, but that one had two of the most hard-bitten ROBERT(s) ever in MITCHUM and RYAN!!

I figured that would be your response, but Young in that movie played a tough cop and did a good job in that role.

 

[JoeStemme]

I figured that would be your response, but Young in that movie played a tough cop and did a good job in that role.

A. Young wasn't the heavy
B. I do say Young wasn't bad in THEY WON'T BELIEVE ME. It's also one of several reasons I cite that the movie feels lite when it comes to Noir. You can't take one phrase out of context.