Leave Her to Heaven (1945)
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Leave Her to Heaven Movie Review
Leave Her to Heaven is a 1945 noir film directed by John M. Stahl and starring Gene Tierney, Cornel Wilde and Vincent Price. It’s a terrific genre film.
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“I’ll never let you go.
Never, never, never“
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It’s about a dangerous, psychopathic woman who will do at nothing to prevent anyone being close to her husband as she’s obsessed with him and extremely jealous. That eventually led to her committing full murders. Needless to say, this is a very dark, psychologically disturbing movie. No violence is portrayed here, but the situations and the murders themselves are so horrible to imagine that those scenes truly made a big impact.
Yes, the film truly can be considered to be too far-fetched and implausible, but even though that’s obviously the case, I mostly liked it as I love me some 40s melodramas and this one is gloriously melodramatic and sensational in the best way possible. She basically killed her own unborn baby and that sequence, though crazy, remains the most unforgettable moment of the film. But the rowboat scene is the most suspenseful for sure.
I agree with Martin Scorsese wholeheartedly that Gene Tierney is by far one of the most underrated actresses from the Golden Era of Hollywood. She could just do no wrong and I don’t know why she isn’t appreciated more nowadays as she’s not only incredibly talented, but also downright stunning physically speaking.
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Here, she absolutely excelled at playing this highly dangerous woman and a great femme fatale to the point of receiving her only Oscar nomination and deservedly so, but it’s a shame that she only got one nom for herself. She’s here so believable in a difficult role and truly a star. As for Ellen Harland herself, she should be considered among the greatest villains to ever grace the silver screen as she’s chillingly evil.
Cornel Wilde certainly could not compare to her, though he did give a solid performance, but a better, more iconic actor would have been a better choice in this instance. However, that I did not mind too much as his role isn’t as important as hers is. As for Ruth, she’s a great character herself and very relatable here whereas Vincent Price absolutely killed it per usual, but his role is very small admittedly.
Let’s talk about the technical aspects. Yes, Leave Her to Heaven is a rare sight to behold for the genre of noir as it was shot entirely in Technicolor. I have to admit, that really bothered me at first and took me aback quite a bit and I thought I was in for a romance movie suddenly, but eventually I really grew to appreciate it as it led to an original, different noir film where the lightest scenes in terms of photography can still be the deadliest. Ultimately, it was a terrific, very authentic choice that paid off as the movie looks lovely throughout.
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The pacing is admittedly clunky as at first I was not truly involved as I was later on. Yes, the first act is nowhere near as interesting as the rest of the movie as it’s much less eventful, but it was essential to establish their relationship properly nonetheless. I found the direction solid, the score is good too and the dialogue is excellent. The courtroom drama elements also were stupendous and I loved the ending too.
Leave Her to Heaven is a rare sight to behold for the genre of noir as it was shot in Technicolor instead of black-and-white, and although that bothered me at first, I eventually came to really appreciate it as it led to such an authentic experiment where the most horrible scenarios could play out in the lightest, most colorful sights. The film’s story surely is far-fetched, but gloriously melodramatic and incredibly memorable too. Gene Tierney again showcased how awfully underrated she is as she killed it in this amazing role of a very dangerous femme fatale who should rank among the best villains to ever grace the silver screen.
