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LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN (1945) (***)

This Technicolor noir begins with writer Dick Harland (Cornel Wilde, THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH) returning to his family cabin after serving two years in prison. His lawyer and friend Glen Robie (Ray Collins, THE BACHELOR AND THE BOBBY-SOXER) then tells the story of what happened to lead to this point.

On the way to Robie’s house in New Mexico, Dick meets Ellen Beret (Gene Tierney, THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR), who along with her cousin/ adopted sister Ruth (Jeanne Crain, 1950’s CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN) and mother (Mary Philips, 1932’s A FAREWELL TO ARMS), is also going to Robie’s house. There her family has gone to spread the ashes of their dead father. Ellen is engaged to DA Russell Quinton (Vincent Price, LAURA), but that doesn’t stop Ellen from falling in love with Dick and marrying him within days. Oh, did I mention that Dick looks like her father. Yep, this picture gets Freudian.

The lush, beautiful Technicolor cinematography really serves as a counter to the plot of the film, which starts like a simple melodrama, but descends into the sub-genre of thrillers that can be called “From Hell.” (Mistress from Hell, Roommate from Hell, etc.) But unlike some modern From Hell films like SINGLE WHITE FEMALE and THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE, this film builds a more complex villain in Ellen, who is the wife, sister and daughter from hell all wrapped into one.

Tierney is the center of the film’s success. As her jealousy grows, Tierney plays the role fairly toned down with a clear smoldering fire burning underneath. She never goes for hysterics, which makes the character even more creepy and maniacal. She deserved her Oscar nomination. Wilde is the weakest link in the cast, but it is fair to say that the other characters are really just placeholders for the Ellen character to work off of.

The pacing is great and creates some wonderfully tense moments, especially the famous lake and the stairs scenes. However, what really unravels the film is a closing conceit that is so forced that it brings down what could have been a nice twisted conclusion. Yet, the film works much better than a lot of the recent From Hell features, which follow formulas to the letter. With its bright colors contrasting the dark tale and some nice Freudian elements, the film attempts art, which is more than so many thrillers could even hope for.

Rick DeMott's picture

Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks