Love Me or Leave Me
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Movie Reviews of Love Me or Leave Me
Movie Review: A New Day...
Summary: 5 Stars
I was not a big fan of Doris Day. I've always appreciated her singing but her sunny-sweet disposition never appealed to me much. As I'm sure it it so with many actresses, if those character-types are all that they're allowed to do, that's all we'll get to see. Fortunately, in Love Me or Leave Me, Doris got the role of a lifetime playing Ruth Etting, in a fictional account of the singers' rise to stardom. Her performance was not only well-acted and beautifully sung, it was enjoyable to see Day's strength as well as her suffering. Day is matched with the incomparable James Cagney as her mentally and physically abusive gangster-husband Marty Snyder. Cagney has such a strong personality and usually dominates any role he plays. He's played gangsters so many times, I half expected his performance to be great with minimal effort. However, Cagney not only respects his fellow actors, but also the actors' process and chose to play Snyder's complexities with incredible delicacy. Snyder is not only vicious and controlling, but he's also desperate, lonely and devoted to Etting. He wants to be needed by her but also wants to pull all the strings. It is this monstrous fragility that makes Etting repulsed and fearful of him, indebted to him, but also unwilling to hurt him even in the final act. I wish Day and Cagney had done more films together (other than West Point Story). Day especially deserved more opportunities to show her worth.Movie Review: No Tacky Virgin in This One!
Summary: 5 Stars
I'd seen clips of Doris' more "known" movies and never thought I'd be purchasing a Doris Day flick. Then, I saw Doris' interpretation of "Shakin' the Blues Away" on "That's Entertainment III." Amazing. Had to buy the DVD "Love Me or Leave Me."
The film showcases an awesome vocal performer and surprisingly good acting on the part of Ms. Day. It made me feel that most of the other films of her career were a waste of her obvious talent. Let's put it this way--at many points of the film, she convinced me to be more sympathetic to her gangster husband than her. She was that convincing. James Cagney turns in a blistering performance with great subtlety. His obsession and misguided love for Ruth Etting (Ms. Day) are convincingly portrayed.
The DVD is in gorgeous Dolby Surround that will blow you away if you have a good system. The print is clear and clean--dripping in saturated Eastmancolor. Add this one to your collection of treasured DVDs and turn a friend on to Doris in a role suitable to her talent--if you can part with it!
Movie Review: A GEM FOR ALL CONCERNED
Summary: 5 Stars
This bio of Ruth Etting features a knockout performance by both stars. Mr. Cagney won an Oscar nod for Best Actor ... and it remains a 50-year old puzzle as to why Miss Day didn't receive one for Best Actress. The musical numbers have the classic MGM hallmarks. The only question I have concerns the 'new' songs. Since this is a biography of a 20's singing star, how can there be 'new' current songs? True, "I'll Never Stop Loving You" was a hit for Doris and she gives it a hauntingly beautiful rendition, but it surely doesn't belong here, since Miss Etting never sang it. Still, Mr. Cagney shows why he's remained a favorite for decades. One of his traits was to never make the villain 100% detestable; to have a touch of tenderness, no matter how much a bad guy he was. He does that here with great results. In fact, all of the players here can be proud of their work here. "Love Me or Leave Me" is tender ... tense ... and terrific!Movie Review: A Classic!! Doris Day and James Cagney Were Magnificent!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of those films I remember seeing years ago on television and I happened to catch it on TCM recently. It impressed me so much, I ordered the DVD. Doris Day was quite stunning as Ruth Etting, the band/torch singer of the 1920's, and James Cagney played her mentor/husband/agent, 'Marty the Gimp'. A handsome Cameron Mitchell (later on the High Chapparel) played the musician/love interest. If you've never seen a Doris Day film, this one truly highlights her acting and singing talent (although virtually all of her films were well-done and she truly shined in her motion pictures).
Cagney was effective, as always, as Marty -- the small time, jealous hood who fell for Ruth Etting and muscled his way into managing her career.
Most of the songs in the film were actually ones that Ruth Etting performed.
Doris Day -- what a beautiful woman, and what a magnificent voice!!!
Movie Review: "Love Me or Leave Me" is one of Day's crowning achievements
Summary: 5 Stars
Doris Day can do ANYTHING! And in this film, she is cast against type as a woman who "makes a pact with the devil" to get the career she so strongly desires. Well, it isn't "Faust",
but our Doris certainly makes you think it is. Doris Day and James Cagney both give complex performances that enrich this
film so much, and Doris Sings a wonderful batch of standards
that rival ANYTHING she has ever done. If all you got was the songs, you would have more than your money's worth...but you get a fascinating movie about a real woman and the mistakes she made. And for those of you who think Doris can only play the coy virgin...I assure you...our beloved Doris is neither coy nor virginal in this film. SHE will knock your socks off!!!
THANK YOU DORIS...for ALL your wonderful performances...you can do anything and everything...and if proof were needed this is it.