Leave Her to Heaven
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Movie Reviews of Leave Her to Heaven
Movie Review: "I'll Never Let You Go"
Summary: 5 Stars
*SPOILER ALERT*
"Leave Her to Heaven" may be the quintessential story of jealousy and obsession. This film, which came out in 1946 and certainly daring for its time, tells the story of a beautiful woman, whose obsession and jealousy destroys everyone around her. I'm not sure if any other film on the subject matter has been done as well as this one.
The story centers around a woman who "loves" her husband, Richard Harland, so much, that she is willing to do anything and everything for him. However, she wants him all to herself. Not even the company of other family members is greeted with gratitude from the cold Ellen Berent. She sees everyone else as obstacles, and she desperately tries to find means of "eliminating" those people by whatever means. I still get chills during the scene in which Ellen sits in the boat and watches Danny, the brother of Richard, drown even when he cries to Ellen for help. This single scene really sets the tone for the rest of the film, for the audience now has a clear idea of how cold, calculating, and even diabolical, Ellen can be.
This movie simply cannot be mentioned without recognizing Gene Tierney in, arguably, her best performce of her career, which is saying something considering her vast body of work. But the character of Ellen Berent is the most complex character of the film, and Tierney expertly weaves the character from seemingly soft and loving, to vicious and brutal. This is not an easy task for an actor or actress to tackle. This isn't like Glenn Close's character from "Fatal Attraction." Ellen is much more subtle and calculating. Ellen believes all of her actions are justified by her "love" for Richard. She never realizes that she destroys their relationship by destroying everyone around Richard.
Cornel Wilde does a great job with the character of Richard Harland. He's a writer who meets Ellen aboard a train to the Jacinto, New Mexico. It's obvious that he's captivated by her right from the start, and he soon tries to spend as much time with her as possible. However, doubts quickly begin to seep in after Ellen coldly informs her former fiance, Russell Quinton (wonderfully played by Vincent Price), that she's marrying Richard. This is news to Richard since he had no idea about their upcoming marriage. One of the most effective scenes in the film is just after Ellen has berated her cousin, Ruth, for seemingly getting all of Richard's attention. Ellen is unaware of Richard standing there listening to her jealous tirade. Richard simply stands there and stares at Ellen, as if he's seeing her for the first time. The look is all that is needed, and it creates enough tension for the audience as Ellen quickly begins back-pedaling and trying to explain things to him.
Perhaps least recognized is Jeanne Crain as Ruth Berent. She isn't in the film much, and when she is, she's mostly in the background. And yet, Crain has to use as much time in her scenes to establish in a very subtle but effective way, that Ruth loves Richard. Ruth is softer but also more quiet. She's a woman who isn't interested in getting attention. She knows all about Ellen, and it is through Ruth and the looks on her face that we get a hint that something is terribly wrong about Ellen. Ruth conveys those feelings with small looks of concern. She knows that Richard is in trouble.
Perhaps more than any other film, "Leave Her to Heaven" most effectively demonstrates the destructive emotions of jealousy, and how they can affect all those around. Gene Tierney stated, "Jealousy is, I think, the worst of all faults because it makes a victim of both parties."
Nearly every master and saint have talked about love as being something that you have to give/to let go. It isn't something that can be held without giving it. Ellen's statement to Richard of "I'll never let you go" is actually a scary thing to hear, because it demonstrates that she doesn't feel love for Richard, but an obsession for his attention. Perhaps that is why we can agree with Richard in the end when he states, "Yes, Ellen was that kind of monster."
"Leave Her to Heaven" is a powerful film with tremendous acting performances all around. It addresses the issues of jealousy and obsession in a poignantly frightful way.
Movie Review: Dark Melodrama in Very Bright Early Technicolor.
Summary: 5 Stars
"Leave Her to Heaven " is often considered to be the only color film noir of the classic era. Its bright, oversaturated Technicolor does belie the film's themes, but "Leave Her to Heaven" is more dark melodrama than film noir. The story is grounded in emotions, not ambition; love, not sex; culpability, not cynicism. The film is based on the novel by Ben Ames Williams and directed by John M. Stahl. Cinematographer Leon Shamroy won an Oscar in 1946 for his wonderful work. In fact, "Leave Her to Heaven"'s most striking aspect may be its predominant oranges and blues and intricate shadow play. This early Technicolor film stock produced downright garish colors and little texture, but the production design and cinematography are so masterful as to outshine the film stock's limitations.
The tale is told in flashback by Glen Robie (Ray Collins), an attorney whose friend and client Richard Harland (Cornel Wilde) has just regained his freedom after spending 2 years in prison. Robie relates the story of Harland's troubles, which started when Harland, a novelist by profession, met his wife: On a train en route to New Mexico, Harland meets a beautiful young woman of privilege named Ellen Berent (Gene Tierney). Immediately taken with Ellen, Harland is elated to find that they will be staying at the same ranch, along with Ellen's family. Ellen is engaged to be married to an ambitious hometown politician, but she favors Richard, so breaks her engagement. They are married after a whirlwind romance and move to Harland's lakeside lodge in Maine, along with Richard's crippled young brother Danny (Darryl Hickman). But Ellen has an all-consuming need to be with her husband and is insanely jealous of any attention he gives anyone or anything else -a need that threatens to consume everyone she touches.
Gene Tierney's character is a femme fatale, but not the sort normally associated with film noir. She's sinister and scheming, but driven by impulse and intense emotions, not by ambition. Ellen is the housewife from hell. As her mother says, somewhat optimistically, "There's nothing wrong with Ellen. She just loves too much." Ellen is a strong character in spite of the oppressive domestic love that consumes her, smothers every man she attaches herself to, and torments everyone around her. For all of this, Ellen hates children and is rather athletic, so she isn't simply an over-the-top cliché. She's unbalanced, but she's single-minded to a fault. I don't know if this film will appeal to fans of film noir, because it is simply about the destruction wreaked by one emotionally ill woman. But "Leave Her to Heaven" is quite a good film in its own right thanks to a strong script, Gene Tierney's star power, brilliant cinematography, and notable supporting performances by Mary Phillips as Ellen's mother and Vincent Price as her ex-fiancé.
The DVD (20th Century Fox 2005 release): Bonus features include a "Still Gallery" of on-set photos, 2 "Hollywood Spotlight" featurettes of old new reels, a restoration comparison, a theatrical trailer, and an audio commentary. "Galaxy of Stars Attend World Movie Premiere" (1 minute) is newsreel footage of the red carpet at the film's 1945 premiere. "Motion Picture Awards 'Oscar' for Film Achievements" (1 minute) is footage of Leon Shamroy receiving his Oscar for cinematography at the 1946 Academy Awards. There are newsreels or trailers for 4 other films. "Restoration Comparison" (2 minutes) shows side-by-side comparisons of the 1994 film transfer, the 2003 film restoration, and the 2003 DVD for several scenes. The audio commentary is by film critic Richard Schickel and Darryl Hickman, who played Danny in the film when he was 13 years old. These 2 commentaries were recorded separately and put on the same track, which is a little awkward in this case. Schickel talks about actors, story, characters, and a little bit about style. Hickman, who now teaches acting, talks about his career as a child actor, his experiences shooting the film, and the interrelationships between people on the set. He gets gossipy at times, but his commentary includes some interesting observations. Subtitles are available for the film in English and Spanish. Dubbing is available in Spanish.
Movie Review: "What's Wrong With Ellen?" ...
Summary: 5 Stars
Movie: ***** DVD Transfer: ***** Extras: *****
20th Century-Fox's highest-grossing film of the 1940's showcases exquisite leading lady Gene Tierney in a mesmerizing, Oscar-nominated performance as a femme fatale whose placid beauty masks a murderously possessive heart. Based on the best-selling novel by Ben Ames Williams, the astonishingly perverse screenplay by Jo Swerling touches on such then-taboo (and still-shocking) subjects as incestuous obsession, the victimization of the disabled, self-induced abortion, and suicide disguised as homicide! Pretty potent stuff for its time, and it's all presented in lush candy-box Technicolor by Oscar-winner Leon Shamroy, whose masterful cinematography skillfully emphasizes a central theme of the film: that a beautiful surface can sometimes hide a thoroughly rotten core.
By design and through her acting skills, Miss Tierney's tour de force performance dominates the film; she especially shines in two challenging sequences, one involving a rowboat and another which takes place on a staircase. Among the supporting cast, solid work is turned in by Cornel Wilde as the object of Tierney's intensity; Jeanne Crain as her sweet-natured cousin and adopted sister; and Mary Philips as her alienated mother; but it is Vincent Price who stands out in a bravura performance as Tierney's former suitor. Price's character takes center stage throughout the final twenty minutes of the movie, and he plays some very long and difficult scenes with aplomb.
Fox Home Video's DVD presentation of this classic drama is truly impeccable, featuring a gorgeous, digitally restored print and remastered soundtrack. I've seen this movie dozens times over the past thirty years - in theatres, on video, and on cable - and it's never looked or sounded so magnificent. The bonus features include the film's 1952 Theatrical Re-release Trailer; Fox Movietone News segments featuring footage of the film's Los Angeles premiere and the 1945 Academy Awards; a fascinating stills gallery featuring photos taken during the film's location shooting at Bass Lake; and a restoration comparison demonstrating how the film was remastered for DVD. The disc also features an audio commentary by film critic Richard Schickel, who clearly was unprepared for the job: he refers to Price's character by the wrong name; mistakenly identifies two child players as boys (one, played by Betty Hannon, is obviously a girl); and vacillates back and forth in his opinions regarding the film's qualities. Additional commentary is also offered by actor Darryl Hickman, who played Cornel Wilde's brother in the film. Hickman clearly loathed making the movie, and snipes ungraciously about Tierney as an actress and as a human being, ignoring the fact that she was struggling with the devastating prospect of institutionalizing her mentally enfeebled 18-month-old daughter during the course of the film's production. Hickman also takes potshots at Jeanne Crain (appearing in her fifth film role of any size), director John M. Stahl, and the personality of cameraman Leon Shamroy (although he is clearly an admirer of the latter's work). The sour and ineffective commentary aside, the DVD presentation of "Leave Her to Heaven" is a superb example of 1940's Hollywood moviemaking and the DVD format at their very best, and is most highly recommended for your viewing pleasure.
Movie Review: Dated, but Heavenly
Summary: 5 Stars
I saw this movie a long time ago on television, and have always remembered it; not only for it's visual beauty, which is great, but for the fascinating story.
Unusual for it's day is the very slow progression of Gene Tierny's character - an element of the writing that holds up well over the years. While in her introduction she seems a bit odd, the moment passes, and she appears to be the "perfect 40s woman" in every respect. It is only through time that we see other aspects of her personality, and... isn't that how life is!
Vincent Price turns in a beautiful performance, except for the courtroom scene where the dialogue (not his fault) is WAY over the top. This is a melodrama, and the second half of the film reminds us of it.
The DVD commentary includes the child star that played the younger brother with polio. He's not very kind to Gene Tierney, but to sounds as if she wasn't very kind to him, either. Ironically, while he faults her acting, it seems that she may actually have been using a "method" technique; being detached and cold off screen as well as on. Certainly, she gives a very superficial performance, but it works; especially as played against Jeanne Crain as her sympathetic adopted sister.
More than anything, this movie is lovely to look at. The cinematography is lovely; the locations, and color all beautiful. Being a "woman's film" the costumes are fantastic. This film is a perfect study for women's clothing of the era; especially as the characters as so delineated in their manner of dress. This was obviously a big budget movie, and it was masterfully done in all these technical aspects.
If you are a film buff, it is worth many viewings.
(additional note June 2009) - I have found over the years that this is one of my three most watched DVDs. It is not so much the story itself as the overall production that makes this emminently re-watchable. It has the glorious color, varied beautiful locations, interesting architecture, and over time, one appreciates how rich in detail this production is. ex: Jeanne Crain's character is playing a Chopin Nocturne by memory in an early scene. Not only does it set a mood, it tells us about the character -that she is intelligent, talented, and the ability to focus and work - we can see that she is beautiful. But this is such a subtle detail... the film is filled with this kind of detail, a "thriller/courtroom" elelment, and has all the surface beauty of a regular melodrama. It's embarassing to admit I probably turn this DVD on at least once a month.
Movie Review: The first film noir in technicolor!
Summary: 5 Stars
This classic film noir, based on the best-selling novel by Ben Ames Williams, has been wonderfully restored to its original glory in this outstanding FOX studio classics dvd. The breathtaking color cinematography (which won an oscar) has never looked so awesome, and virtually all age-related flaws with the original print have been fixed.
Gene Tierney plays Ellen, a stunningly beautiful woman who marries a famous writer, Richard Harland (played by Cornel Wilde). Ellen loves her husband so intensely that she'll let nothing and no one destract Richard from her. Richard soon realizes that something is very wrong with his wife, but when he asks Ellen's mother, he gets the naive reply,"There's nothing wrong with Ellen. It's just that she loves too much." Talk about the understatement of the year!
Richard's younger brother, Danny, is crippled and craves attention from him almost as much as Ellen. When Ellen can't get rid of him peacefully, she "accidentally" lets Danny drown while watching calmly from a nearby boat, in one of the most chilling scenes from any film noir ever made! But even with Danny out of the picture, Ellen sees that her nice step-sister (played by the lovely Jeanne Crain) is getting more and more attention from Richard. Richard is also becoming more and more detatched from his devoted wife.
Eventually, Richard learns the full truth about his sinister, selfish wife, but when he finally leaves her, she proves to have one last evil trick up her sleeve. To reveal any more would spoil the ending, but I can assure you that the movie ends great and is a real gem from the golden years of film noir. Gene Tierney gave a great, oscar-nominated performance that only furthur heightened her star status, and Cornel Wilde, Jeanne Crain, and Vincent Price (who plays Ellen's rejected fiance) are all terrific as well. The best bonus features on the dvd are the commentary by Darryl Hickman and Richard Schickel, and Movietone news footage showing Gene Tierney and many other stars at the premier of "Leave Her to Heaven." Highly recommended.