I Want to Live! (1958)

120 min · Biographical picture, Crime, Drama, biographical film, crime film, drama film, prison film, trial film

Popularity4.5/5

12-month trendExpand

12-month trend

Monthly article views

Sep3.9kOct4.7kNov4.1kDec3.6kJan4.0kFeb3.1kMar4.4kApr18kMay5.9kJun4.9kJul4.4kAug12k

2025-09 to 2026-08

Directors

Robert Wise

Cast

Susan Hayward, Simon Oakland, Virginia Vincent, Theodore Bikel, Wesley Lau

The story

In 1950 San Francisco, petty criminal and prostitute Barbara Graham faces a misdemeanor charge for soliciting sex. She returns to her native San Diego, but is soon charged with perjury after she provides two criminal friends a false alibi. She subsequently returns to prostitution and other criminal activities to make a living and begins working for thief Emmett Perkins by luring men to his gambling parlor.

Catalogue themes and tags

Crime Fiction, Crime Drama, Black-and-white, Drama, Biopic [feature], Prison, Film noir, Courtroom Drama

Genres

Biographical picture, Crime, Drama, biographical film, crime film, drama film, prison film, trial film

Find trailer on YouTube ↗ Plot source & revision Wikipedia Wikidata Open Media Database Permalink

Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.

Your lists

Loading your lists…

Movie themes