Leave Her to Heaven

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Clint E Gorgeous Gene Tierney as a Villian? Spoiler-alert: Yes, Gene Tierney is the villain, a psychopath full of pathological jealousy. This has to be her best acting performance, although "Laura" will endure as the best movie of her storied career. All of the performances are solid, although I consider Vincent Price a little too over the top for his character. Cornel Wilde is solid and believable. Beyond the shocking story however, the real star here is the photography. The technicolor is striking, even magnificent and undoubtedly the best of any film noir (kind of a contradiction in terms. The mountain locations, the house, etc. are likewise fantastic. The film won the Oscar for Best Color Cinematography. Highly recommended for any movie buff. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/15/25 Full Review Philip M Super Great for young people who have never seen a good 40鈥檚 Murder Movie Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/15/24 Full Review Peter G If there were ever a contradictory but appreciative film category the term 藡trash masterpiece 麓 would certainly apply to this utterly absurd, on the one hand & a memorably involving experience on the other. Pauline Kael, I believe, came up with a term regarding enjoyably trashy movies & here is one of the greatest examples. Gene Tierney, mainly thanks to LAURA, was a huge star by this time & gives a no holds barred performance, that never ceases to fascinate. Sitting on a boat in the middle of a lake in ominous dark glasses & impassively watching her husband鈥榮 crippled younger brother drown is one of the creepiest scenes of sheer depraved yet understated selfish jealousy that I have ever seen. It, momentarily, puts the whole film on another level. Tierney had another go at a selfish character the next year with THE RAZOR鈥� EDGE but seldom returned to roles of such selfish depravity. Great roles seldom came her way thereafter which is unfortunate but one more remained for certain - THE GHOST & MRS. MUIR in 1947. She remains one of my favorite actresses during these years & really deserved better roles as time went on. Another great moment in LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN has Tierney鈥榮 character riding with her horse over the New Mexico landscape tossing her father鈥榮 ashes to the winds. Some of the melodramatics were, for me, a bit much especially with Vincent Price鈥榮 scenery chewing. However that鈥檚 appropriate for the situation, I guess. Cornel Wilde & his performance do not exactly light up the screen & he fares better as an actor in some film noirs down the road. A special mention of praise for Leon Shamroy鈥榮 color photography which deservedly won him an Oscar. A real & rare treat if one is in the mood & I often need a fix of this crazy & wonderful film of which. I fortunately own a DVD. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 07/22/24 Full Review Karen R I found the lead actor a little unappealing so couldn't get what the obsession was from Ellen - she had some great clothes. The title is rather silly and doesn't add to the theme of the movie at all unless its a old Hollywood tip of the hat to religion which otherwise is missing from the whole story. Its visually interesting to watch the sets, the fussy Bar Harbour set which looks like a stage set and the fake outdoors in some parts, but worth a look to see how gorgeous the lead lady was and also Jeanne Craig... my sympathies are drawn to Ellen's mother whose marriage was ruined by the daughter and who obviously liked her adopted daughter much more. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/29/24 Full Review Alec B A really strange technicolor noir/melodrama. As silly as a lot of the movie is, there is something strangely beguiling about it. I think the key ingredient is Tierney who gives a performance that sidesteps a lot of the era's conventional femme fatale traits (more subtle and unnerving than outwardly evil) even after she's exposed to the other characters. Also, everyone involved plays this thing straight without much overacting which invites the audience to take all of this seriously. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/21/24 Full Review Farah R One of my favorite classic Hollywood films ever made, Leave Her to Heaven proves that good writing and acting are the two most essential factors in creating a timeless masterpiece. The film's plot is fascinating, and thanks to the solid performances of the entire cast, it's told aptly in a beautifully shot motion picture. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/02/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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