The Razor's Edge
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Movie Reviews of The Razor's Edge
Movie Review: a Beautiful Surprise
Summary: 5 Stars
I picked this up in the library! As someone who has carefully avoided Saturday Night Live and wouldn't see Caddyshack on a bet, I was really surprised to see Bill Murray's face on a film based on Sumerset Maugham's novel.
Wow! I think I was lucky to have avoided Murray's comic roles (I did see and like Lost in Translation and Groundhog Day) because I didn't have a lot of preconceptions to overcome. Likewise I hadn't read the novel or see the Tyrone Power version of the film. I was free to just take this as it was.
And it was .....beautiful. I was captured by Murray's performance from the beginning. You can tell that this was a labor of love on his part -- he is so present and intense that his performance touches one deeply. The casting was perfect. Theresa Rusell is perfect as the tragically poetic Sophie. (Wasn't the beautiful prostitute in Crime and Punishment also named Sophie?) Everyone else is perfectly cast, including the most despicable Isobel, Catherine Hicks.
I did have a bit of disappointment at the end when Murray's character walked through Paris in that same wooden, expressionless way. Somehow that robotic walk which was so effective during most of the film, felt wrong in the end. More movement would have been better. Small quibble, though. I really enjoyed the film and recommend it highly to anyone who is open to a serious, but sometimes light hearted version of the Maugham novel.
Movie Review: Peter O'Toole, Lawrence Olivier, Bill Murray...
Summary: 5 Stars
...Seems impossible? While Bill Murray might be best known for films like Ghostbusters, he deserves much greater recognition for his role in The Razor's Edge; as much for his acting ability as his ability to adapt the script to his unique stage presence. While it is a favorite of mine, it should be recognized as one of the best films ever made (am I oveselling it?).
For those who have read Maugham's novel, the stuffiness and pretense are replaced with life, vibrance, and cinematic scope. This is one of those movies that struts films occasional superiority to the written word. Grand vistas, poignant staging (the final staircase exit), and again Bill Murray.
The movie retains all that is essential from the novel. Yet somehow, by not taking itself too seriously, Larry Darrel (Murray) is a more effective protagonist and philosopher. At each viewing I'm tempted to flee my cubicle for good and go in search of the meaning of life. Now that's power!
Ultimately, it seems a shame that such worthwhile films as this gather dust while Ghostbusters airs weekly on TBS and the like. Buy the DVD now (even with its shortcomings). You will at least be entertained by Murray's wisecracks (and a funny if brief performance from his brother Doyle). More significantly, movies like this are able to transcend mere entertainment and teach us something about what it means to be human.
Movie Review: Epiphany...
Summary: 5 Stars
I saw this movie on what can only be called a dare by an English teacher. If I hated it, and could tell him that, he'd pay for the movie and not make me read the book. I liked it I had to pay for my admission and I had to read the book and to the report, as I was supposed to, but school was, well, optional for me. As the movie rolled along, I got it, okay, not too subtle, war sucks, okay, then the scene in the fox hole, and I got it. I got the juxtaposition of what Murray was doing, why he was doing it, the way he was eulogizing Belushi, but basing it in this character. He was weaving. Old story, with new lines, he time on the mountain, he turns in Paris with Sophie, his forgiveness of Isoldore, implied, not spoken, his epiphanies, making up the punctuation of the story. Up until this time, my movie experiences had been Star Wars and other pop culture movies, but this was different. Movies it turned out could be subtle, not just Proky's and 48 Hours. This was the definition of juxtaposition, subtle, subtext, all those words English teachers had been saying to me for years, this is what it meant. This was craft, art, story telling. This was the meaning of learning, philosophy, of why you should try and make yourself better. I paid, I read, I wrote the damn paper and I have been reading books and trying to make myself at least a little better person as a once in a while.
Movie Review: Labor of Love
Summary: 5 Stars
I absolutely loved this film when I saw it in the autumn of 1984. The theatre was mostly empty because it wasn't GHOSTBUSTERS (from what I've read, Murray only agreed to do GHOSTBUSTERS if Columbia would finance RAZOR'S EDGE--so no one really lost on that deal!). I remember both Roger Ebert & Gene Siskel raved about it, so not every critic was unkind. Everyone just had a difficult time seeing Bill Murray in a dramatic role and never gave it a chance, which was their loss: I was completely absorbed by its classic story, its authentic locations, its beautiful score. To see Murray in this role added another layer to the character and only made him more unique and interesting. The cast couldn't have been better.
I'm so glad to see it hit DVD but I'd really hoped to hear a commentary from Murray and director/co-screenwriter John Byrum. This is obviously a labor of love and it would've been very illuminating to hear from them. Regardless, this is a wonderful film and I look forward to taking the journey again on DVD.
Movie Review: Wonderful Film, Loosely Based on Book
Summary: 5 Stars
I say loosely because if you are a fan of the book, there are many striking differences. However, while Murray is a more playful version of Larry, most major elements of the book are served up in their original spirit. Many book to film transitions loose the soul of the original work. The Razor's Edge does not. While the timeline, various characters and elements are "adapted" to make the story work in film, the message of the film is the same as the book. For me, the Bill Murray version of the Razor's Edge is a different angle on perhaps my favorite book. If you know Bill Murray, you will recognize the humor he brings to an otherwise relatively serious role. To the film's credit, it is beautiful to look at, the music is epic and a timeless tale of longing for an understanding of spirituality, purpose and life. Buy it, watch it and read the book, over and over again!