A Life of Her Own, directed by George Cukor, is a 1950 romantic drama starring Lana Turner and Ray Milland. While I had never been much of a Lana Turner fan, I discovered this movie on TCM about a year ago and was interested in it solely for Ray Milland. Since then, though, I have developed a real appreciation for the beautiful Miss Turner, and I now count her among my 20 favorite actresses; therefore, I recently enjoyed a re-watch of the film, this time, concentrating more on Lana than on Ray.
Lily James (Turner), an aspiring model from a sleepy little Kansas town, goes to New York, hoping to make it big, which, in due time, she does. Through a friend, Lily meets wealthy mine-owner Steve Harleigh (Milland), who is in town on business. Though Steve is married, he and Lily hit it off and begin spending time with each other---at first, Lily is rather Steve's tour guide around New York. Before long, though, the two are in love with one another, which makes for an agonizingly painful parting when Steve's business is complete and he departs for home.
Steve's next trip to New York brings him into Lily's life once more, and despite being cautioned that his wife can't take another tragedy, Steve can't stay away from Lily, nor she from him. In fact, Lily moves into a new apartment, since her previous living arrangements didn't allow for men to be in "after hours." Their affair doesn't bring happiness, though, as Steve is torn between his love for Lily and his commitment to his wife, who, it turns out, is crippled. In an effort to get Steve's wife out of the picture, Lily plans to confront her with the truth of their affair.
Will Lily tell Steve's wife that he has been unfaithful to her and that he doesn't love her? Will Steve leave his wife in order to be with Lily? Will either of them find the happiness they are seeking? These are the questions that play out through the remainder of the film.
While A Life of Her Own isn't a spectacular movie, it is interesting and entertaining and it tackles the question of "Can I obtain my happiness through someone else's unhappiness?" I think both Lana Turner and Ray Milland were very good in their roles. I could easily see Milland's agony of conscience as he struggled with what to do. The two of them had pretty good chemisty together as well. While there was an occasional scene where their love didn't seem totally believable, for the most part, I thought they were great together.
It occurred to me as I watched this movie that there are hundreds of movies all with the same theme...married man falls in love with another woman. Just by changing a few small details as well as the actors and actresses in the film...voila...all the movies seem quite different.
Anyhow, for those that are Turner or Milland fans...or just a lover of the "romantic triangle" kind of film, you might enjoy A Life of Her Own. The film is not out on DVD, though it is on VHS. Also, TCM airs it fairly regularly.
Happy viewing!!
