There is, as you would expect with a film that has a sting in its tail, a hostile reception. On release it was dismissed and defamed for a number of reasons. Mostly it would seem for the actions of Grace Caldwell, a woman who is sexually permissive and emotionally vacant. Played with sincere bombast by Suzanne Pleshette, who as the excellent interview with Sinyard reveals, is such an under rated actress to have been lost solely for her role choices. In modernity, the view would and should be taken that A RAGE TO LIVE is a frank (for the time) depiction of sex, post war morality and abuse. Grace is an abuse victim, the book makes it very clear, as does the film. Those who chastised it, ignored this and instead levelled venom at it simple for its frankness on sex. In Imprints very nice looking but underserved release, this is equally centre stage.

Grace Caldwell (Pleshette), is a young Pennsylvania heiress, studying and partying. Her widowed mother is deeply upset at her loss of a husband and now it seems, her daughter. You see Grace has trouble restraining herself. Young men are throwing themselves at her and see is happy to take them on. Their amorous attentions serve them well but leave her empty. Leave her with ‘almost love’. Small town and small minds start to take hold and the word starts to spread, Grace becomes a problem and her family heartache almost sees her mother die. When normal married life beings to take ahold of her, she is left with a stark choice.

There is of course a lot to unpack in this melodrama that crosses two worlds. The worlds of pre war and post war morality. Grace is stuck in a world of judgement that wouldnt affect a man certainly. She is also living at a time where the modern world began rationalising personal trauma. Pleshette was the perfect choice for a woman (or even a girl), who is trapped in judgement yet also is the object of sexual desire. Likely to mentally decay as her world restricts her and also abuses her. So when Daniel Kremer digs into the pyschological aspects of Pleshette, it is not without a lot to go on. Not without a painful presendent to underscore it. He does a great job at looking at her and not through her. Granting her role as Grace, the respect that it deserves. Weighted against the ‘morality’ of the time. A RAGE TO LIVE is brilliantly effective at delivering pain and passion, sometimes with the audience unable to fully avoid its sting, or watch. It resonants more today than before, simply because we see it for what it is. A film about abuse that wouldnt bring shaken heads at the girl today. The fact that the transfer is stunning helps deliver the sting even deeper.

Special Features and Technical Specs:

• 1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray from a 4K scan
• NEW Interview with author and film historian Neil Sinyard on the career of Suzanne Pleshette
• NEW “Paralyzed Segments: Suzanne Pleshette Tangled Up In Codes” – video essay by film historian / filmmaker Daniel Kremer
• Theatrical Trailer
• Original Aspect Ratio 2.35:1
• Audio English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English HOH subtitles
• Limited Edition slipcase on the first 1500 copies with unique artwork