A Rage to Live

A Rage to Live is a 1965 American drama film directed by Walter Grauman and starring Suzanne Pleshette as a woman whose passions wreak havoc on her life.

As a precocious teenager, she is assaulted in her room in her own house by her older brother Brock's friend Charlie Jay, to whom she finally yields willingly, the first of a long series of lovers.

Grace understands her weakness but goes on in her path of seduction, until she meets San Francisco real estate broker Sidney Tate at a Christmas party.

Grace confesses her past but despite being taken aback, Sidney marries her and she commits herself to a relationship, a pledge she keeps for the first few years of their union, which produces a son and a seemingly idyllic life on a farm.

Problems ensue when lusty contractor Roger Bannon, the son of one of her mother's former servants, confesses to Grace he's been in love with her for years.

with Pleasures too refin'd to please, With too much Spirit to be e'er at ease, With too much Quickness ever to be taught, With too much Thinking to have common Thought: You purchase Pain with all that Joy can give, And die of nothing but a Rage to live.

"[12] TV Guide rates it 1+1⁄2 out of a possible four stars and adds, "In the transfer from novel to screen, O'Hara's characters have been transformed from vital, living personalities into stiff, unmotivated soap opera fodder.