The Hard Way

Directed by: Vincent Sherman

Memorable quotes:

Helen: Many of us had dreams of a different life, a better life. What could we do? Not even the sun could break through that prison of smoke.

Helen: We're half dead but she's beautiful, she's alive, she's the only living thing we've ever had nothing to do with! When something is that beautiful Sam, you got to take care of it, you got to protect it.

Sam: It's easy enough to criticize, it's not so easy to change things.

Helen: I'm gonna get you out of here if it's the last thing I do.

Katie: "Stop it Albert, what are you doing? He didn't say anything!
Albert: No, that's just the trouble with me. I'm too easy going, I let people walk over me."

Paul: You feel good don't you? Don't you ever wake up at night and say to yourself: maybe there is something just a little poisoned about me?

Albert: "I changed my mind see.
Paul: I see.
Albert: But she wants me, she wants me to come down alright.
Paul: When? 1950? I'm gonna give you some advice, whether you like it or not.
Albert: Nevermind.
Paul: You go on to New York tonight. Get your wife, don't wait.
Albert: I said nevermind.
Paul: Can't you see what they're doing to you? Why don't you wake up?
Albert: Cut it out Paul!
Paul: You leave that girl with Helen another two weeks, and she's gonna end up a first rate tramp."

Albert: Come back with me Katie, please. Let's make some sort of life for ourselves.

Helen:" People get hurt. It's nobody's fault. You just live and get hurt that's all.
Paul: That's right. The world's full of murderers. Katie, be careful, for Albert's sake. He wouldn't want you to get hurt. "

Helen: Something happened to Katie. Something went wrong inside. I couldn't quite understand. I knew she wasn't happy, but I didn't know what to do.

Helen: Katie went on and on to one success to another. But she didn't seem to care anymore. Something crumbled up.

Paul: You know that feeling you get when you're on a tall building, and you want to jump off? A desire for self destruction? Well, those two ladies represent my deepest desire to cut my own throat.

Katie: "Wait a minute! You haven't even told me you loved me!
Paul: There are lots of things I haven't told you.
Katie: And you haven't kissed me!
Paul: Later on, come on!"

Paul: I want her to have her own career, not yours.

Paul: "The next time you fall down baby, I'm gonna be there to catch you.
Katie: You better be!"


Plot: Small town girl Katie is desperate to get away from her miserable life, but not nearly as desperate as her sister Helen, who swears she'll do anything in her power to achieve success through her younger sister.

Review:

The Hard Way is a 1943 movie, and I must admit that I hadn't heard about it until very recently. Nevertheless, the storyline was appealing and I thought that it would be a good opportunity for me to discover a new era through this film. I must say that I was somewhat wrong. What I mean by that is that what really struck me was how modern the themes of the movie were: love, climbing the social ladder, pain, death, fame, money.  I guess some things just never change.
I must say that I highly enjoyed all of the actors. Ida Lupino was especially amazing and talented. Her character is certainly interesting and I've loved to hate her. It's one of those rare occasions where you deeply despise a character, yet understand her motivations. I think that the character of Helen lives vicariously through her sister, and she wants her sister to have what she never had, although she's clearly using her to get out of their small and dodgy town they grew up in. Although her intentions were never bad, helping her sister achieve fame became a very unhealthy obsession. Joan Leslie, who played Katie, was also really good. Now, I must say that my favourite character got to be Dennis Morgan, who played the smart and good looking Paul Collins. I loved his charm and the chemistry he had with both females leads.
I must say that the moral of the movie is one that we can still learn from: money doesn't buy happiness, and sometimes a simple life is more than you can ask for.
The ending is rather tragic, but very realistic as Helen ends up getting somewhat too poisonous for her own good. In the end, she completely loses her identity and without her sister's career to manage, she has absolutely nothing left. In fact, she is no one.
I'd advise anyone who doesn't resent black and white movies to check out The Hard Way, for this might just agreeably surprise you.

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