Leave Her to Heaven
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Movie Reviews of Leave Her to Heaven
Movie Review: Classic color film noir arrives on DVD looking great
Summary: 4 Stars
A fascinating film noir suspense thriller that's part of Fox's Academy Awards series of DVD releases (the film won for its beautiful color cinematography by Leon Shamroy), "Leave Her to Heaven" was one of the earliest (and rare) film noirs in color. Writer Richard Harland (Cornel Wilde) meets Ellen Berent (Gene Tierney) on a train (shades of "Strangers on a Train"!) to Maine. He falls in love with her and marries her. Shortly after their marriage a number of tragedies happen to Harland including the death of his brother and the loss of his son. Soon Harland begins to suspect that his wife may be mentally unbalanced and is behind these deaths.
Featuring a wonderful restoration by Fox, "Leave Her to Heaven" looks positively yummy with the deep, rich Technicolor hues so common to films of the period. A comparison between an earlier film transfer demonstrates the amount of work that went into cleaning up the print, enhancing the fading color from the negative and improving the clarity and sharpness of the images. The soundtrack has also been restored with a nice stereo mix of the original sound elements (you can hear the original mono mix by for comparison sake on a second audio track).
We get two brief Movietone newsreels concerning the premiere of the movie with lots of shots of stars from the era and a staged sequence where the Academy Awards are presented to winners for their Fox films by Bob Hope. There's also the original theatrical trailer and a restoration comparison giving the viewer an ideas as to how much work went into color correcting and improving the image.
We get an audio commentary by child actor Darryl Hickman who appeared in the film and Film Critic Richard Schnickel from Time Magazine. It's clear that the two were recorded separately as there isn't any interaction which is too bad as I think Hickman's rambling (but interesting) commentary would have benefited from Schnickel's knowledgeable questions about the era and the film. Hickman comments on everything from growing up as a child actor in Hollywood (including telling us about his friendship with the late Roddy MacDowall, Elizabeth Taylor and Shirley Temple), working on the movie, his first date (arranged by his best friend MacDowall because Hickman was too shy to ask Elizabeth Taylor himself) and working with the various producers/directors throughout his career. Schnickel's comments range from a discussion of the actors in the film and their careers (his observations about Cornel Wilde are particularly interesting. His comments about Wilde's "innocence" as an actor and how that also benefited the unusual movies he directed later including "The Naked Prey" are also quite interesting) and the trials that Academy Award winning actress Gene Tierney (best known for the film "Laura") faced when she suffered from depression and sought shock treatment in the 50's are also quite insightful.
A terrific vintage film noir with beautiful cinematography, strong performances and a great commentary track, "Leave Her to Heaven" continues to work as a thriller because of the great screenplay by Jo Swerling ("Guys & Dolls", "Lifeboat") and the sharp direction of John M. Stahl ("Imitation of Life", "Magnificent Obession", "The Keys of the Kingdom"). The strong performances by Tierney and the supporting cast make this vivid film noir successful.
Movie Review: Can't Leave This One To Chance - A Brilliant Thriller!
Summary: 4 Stars
By its very definition, "film noir" (meaning, dark film) does not encompass Technicolor productions. A shame, since Darryl F. Zanuck's "Leave Her To Heaven" (1945) is as thrilling, disturbing and evocative of the noir style as anything shot in black and white. At best then, let's just say that "Leave Her to Heaven" is a rich, finely wrought tapestry of sinaster thoughts and destructive ambition. The film, based on a novel by Ben Ames Williams, is concerned with the seemingly congenial romance that blossoms between famous writer, Richard Harland (Cornel Wilde, looking quite stylish and very handsome) and statuesque beauty, Ellen Berent (Gene Tierney, as smoldering, sultry and radiant as ever). Richard and Ellen meet as strangers on a train - a chance pairing that leads to an idyllic first summer retreat in the mountains with Ellen's family; mother, (Mary Philips), father (Ray Collins) and younger sister (fresh faced Jeanne Crain - clearly being groomed on this occasion as the odds on favorite for Richard's affections). A slight hickup in Ellen's plans happens when her former beaux, Russell Quinton (Vincent Price) deliberately turns out to pitch a little rice on the side of her pending nuptuals. Later, Quinton's own desires for Ellen will culminate in his prosecution of Richard for murder. But for now, Ellen isn't about to let anything or anyone come between her and the man of her passions. By the time Tierney made "Leave Her To Heaven" she had developed a reputation as Fox's good girl. The culmination of this role and her formidable zest to make the transformation from congenial maiden to cold-hearted vixen believable, forever altered that perception of her in Hollywood.As her younger sister, Jeanne Crain is an excellent foil and runner up for Richard's affections. Even Vincent Price is exceptionally convincing as Ellen's former and very jealous lover. The one disappointment, in terms of acting, is Cornel Wilde. Undeniably eye candy, Wilde's performance comes off rather stiff and unconvincing once the character of Richard awakens from his love struck stupor and realizes what sort of monster he's actually married. Nevertheless, the material given to all is indestructible, and directed with slick and sinaster panache by the gifted John M. Stahl, "Leave Her To Heaven" emerges as sensational sure fire entertainment.
Fox Home Entertainment has done a simply outstanding job in remastering this film for DVD. From its opening title sequence, so clear and finely rendered that one can make out the texture of paper on which the actor's names have been printed, to the deep focus photography which is luminous, there is absolutely no finer example of a Technicolor film to video transfer of this vintage available on the home video market today. Colors are rich and fully saturated. Shadow and contrast levels are superbly rendered. Clarity and fine detail throughout is outstanding. Blacks are solid and deep. Whites are pristine. The exterior photography is absolutely eye-popping. The audio has been remixed to stereo. But there is very little to distinguish it from the original Mono mix that has also been included. Extras include a stills gallery, audio commentary track, restoration comparison and theatrical trailer. Highly recommended for anyone who loves classic films.
Movie Review: Lurid color and even more lurid story in a lush and strange noir
Summary: 4 Stars
It's not surprising that John Stahl, a director who made his name helming lush romantic weepies like MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION would direct one of the most romantic and over-the-top of all films noir. Despite being in color, LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN fits the noir paradigm in many ways - the flashback structure indicating that the seemingly upstanding young man who begins the story taking a boat to his house in the wilds of Maine has a dark, terrible past; the femme fatale whose seductive powers are the root of all the ills suffered by both our hero and most of the other significant characters in the film; the terrible prices paid by the innocent, and the reach of fate beyond the grave.
Ellen Berent (Gene Tierney) is the fatal femme in this tale, latching onto Cornel Wilde's somewhat naïve writer Richard Harland when they meet by accident aboard train towards a New Mexico ranch where they are (also by chance) spending a vacation at the same time, he alone and she with her mother and sister. Except it's not entirely a vacation for the Harlands - they are scattering Ellen's father's ashes, and this plot point gives us several opportunities to note the powerful attachment that existed between the two - and that soon develops between Ellen and Richard, who bears a striking resemblance to the late Mr. Berent.
Amazingly soon, Ellen has given up on her ambitious attorney fiancé (Vincent Price) and thrown herself wholly over to the smitten Richard, demanding more and more from him as the film progresses, and her madness and jealousy deepen. To say much more would spoil the fun...this is truly one of the crazier madwoman melodramas from the period, with vivid work from Tierney and Jeanne Crain as her nicer, saner sister and stunning, riotously colorful Technicolor photography from Leon Shamroy. Price disappointingly doesn't get that many good scenes though he is suave and charming and reliable as ever when he is on screen. I was less impressed by Wilde, and the coda seems a bit protracted and obvious to me, but still a must-see for noirophiles or fans of romantic excess - after all, Douglas Sirk was soon to remake a couple of Stahl's earlier films, and he must have known this one quite well also.
Movie Review: Meets film noir guidelines.
Summary: 4 Stars
Expressions may have meanings that are at odds with their singular word definitions. In determining film noir status, I am reminded of a very young and inexperienced member of candidate Clinton's advance team in 1992 who informed the editors of The Denver Post that the rectangular table designated for a "round table" discussion was unacceptable. [He thought his assignment to set up a "round table" expressly called for a round table.] Likewise, some folks believe that "film noir" refers only to a black and white film because the word "noir" is in the expression. Considering that all early films were in black and white, that means all films could be described as film noir. Also, the French expression would have been "film noir et blanc" because "film black" makes no literal sense.
Critics maintain film noir includes colored films because the content is what must meet the criteria (and many b & w films have been colorized). Indeed, "Heaven" is already included on lists of film noir. At The Greatest Films site, Tim Dirks explains that: "Strictly speaking . . . film noir is not a genre, but rather the mood, style, point-of-view, or tone of a film."
Dirks characteristics of film noir include: melancholy, alienation, bleakness, disillusionment, disenchantment, pessimism, ambiguity, moral corruption, evil, guilt, desperation and paranoia. Protagonists are cynical, tarnished, obsessive, brooding, menacing, sinister, sardonic, disillusioned, frightened and insecure loners. Female femme fatales are: mysterious, duplicitous, double-crossing, gorgeous, unloving, predatory, tough-sweet, unreliable, irresponsible, manipulative and desperate." Plots are sadistic, and self-destructive. In "Heaven," Tierney's character meets all criteria.
[Remember that many of these films were shot during WWII in black and white because of budgetary concerns and shortages. America was producing movies "for the troops" and "for the world" and needed quantity. However, many black and white films were happy and hopeful and patriotic. B & w had nothing to do with "film noir."]
Movie Review: Beauty is only skin deep
Summary: 4 Stars
The title, "Leave Her to Heaven," could mean anything, and the cover of Fox's video release suggests it's a sweet romance. Gene Tierney and Cornel Wilde are embracing, and the gorgeous Tierney, dressed in a silky pink top, is gazing upon Wilde with a look that suggests lust. Yes, "Leave Her to Heaven" must be a romance, one whose title refers to a girl so darned wonderful only an angel could successfully woo her.
Guess again. The title comes from Shakespeare's "Hamlet," and despite "Leave Her to Heaven"'s lush Technicolor cinematography (which won an Oscar), this is a dark tale of obsession worthy of Alfred Hitchcock. The Jo Swerling screenplay would have been better served by the legendary "Master of Suspense," but even the less heralded John M. Stahl manages to put most of this story's potential on the screen.
Tierney is Ellen, a woman engaged to marry an ambitious politician (Vincent Price), but who surrenders to her wandering eye before she makes it to the altar. She dumps the politico for Richard (Cornel Wilde) whom she proposes to only days after they meet. They marry, but Richard soon finds himself trapped in a relationship that leaves no room in his life for anyone but the jealous Ellen who even sees Richard's teenaged brother as a rival.
Ellen's obsession with Richard, and her hatred for everyone that comes between them, takes several bizarre turns, and the film's most memorable sequence is a macabre masterpiece.
With the exception of Tierney, the cast is strictly average. Cornel Wilde is his usual dull self, and Vincent Price, sans mustache, is wimpy and inconsequential. Jeanne Crain is good as Ellen's sister, and Darryl Hickman is typical of the young performers of the `40s, which is to say he's a trifle annoying. But Tierney, in an Oscar nominated role, rises above her co-stars with a brilliant portrayal of a cold, calculating woman whose beauty, alas, is only skin deep. With skin that stunning, however, it's understandable that she has everyone fooled.
Brian W. Fairbanks