Leave Her to Heaven

Starring:Gene Tierney, Cornel Wilde, Jeanne Crain, Vincent Price, Mary Philips, Ray Collins, Gene Lockhart, Reed Hadley, Darryl Hickman, Chill Wills, Kenner G. Kemp, Jim Farley, Betty Hannon, Milton Parsons, Hugh Maguire, Addison Richards, Ruth Clifford, Paul Everton, Guy Beach, Kay Riley
Director: John M. Stahl
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Leave Her to Heaven is one of the most unblinkingly perverse movies ever offered up as a prestige picture by a major studio in the golden age of Hollywood. Gene Tierney, whose lambent eyes, porcelain features, and sweep of healthy-American-girl hair customarily made her a 20th Century Fox icon of purity, scored an Oscar nomination playing a demonically obsessive daughter of privilege with her own monstrous notion of love. By the time she crosses eyebeams with popular novelist Cornel Wilde on a New Mexico-bound train, her jealous manipulations have driven her parents apart and her father to his grave. Well, no, not grave: Wilde soon gets to watch her gallop a glorious palomino across a red-rock horizon as she metronomically sows Dad's ashes to the winds. Mere screen moments later, she's jettisoned rising-politico fiancé Vincent Price and accepted a marriage proposal the besotted/bewildered Wilde hasn't quite made. Can the wrecking of his and several other lives be far behind? Not to mention a murder or two.

Amazon.com

Leave Her to Heaven is one of the most unblinkingly perverse movies ever offered up as a prestige picture by a major studio in the golden age of Hollywood. Gene Tierney, whose lambent eyes, porcelain features, and sweep of healthy-American-girl hair customarily made her a 20th Century Fox icon of purity, scored an Oscar nomination playing a demonically obsessive daughter of privilege with her own monstrous notion of love. By the time she crosses eyebeams with popular novelist Cornel Wilde on a New Mexico-bound train, her jealous manipulations have driven her parents apart and her father to his grave. Well, no, not grave: Wilde soon gets to watch her gallop a glorious palomino across a red-rock horizon as she metronomically sows Dad's ashes to the winds. Mere screen moments later, she's jettisoned rising-politico fiancé Vincent Price and accepted a marriage proposal the besotted/bewildered Wilde hasn't quite made. Can the wrecking of his and several other lives be far behind? Not to mention a murder or two.

Description

Leave Her To Heaven is a stylish psychological thriller starring Gene Tierney as Ellen, the stunningly beautiful wife of handsome writer Richard Harland, played by Cornel Wilde. Ellen panics as her perfect marriage unravels and Harland's work and invalid brother demand more and more of his attention. Her husband becomes unnerved by her compulsive and jealous behavior. And when the people close to him are murdered, one by one, it is obvious that this dream marriage has become a full-fledged nightmare. Based on the best-selling novel by Ben Ames Williams. This film won the Oscar(r) for Best Cinematography (Color) and received three other Academy Award(r) nominations: Best Actress for Gene Tierney, Best Sound Recording, and Best Art Direction (Color)/Interior Decoration.

Customer Reviews:

1940's Drama.......2007-06-28

The most wonderful thing about the golden age of Hollywood were that stars of that time were not interchangeable. None of the stars looked or reminded you of anyone else, they were all highly unique. Especially the beautiful and icy Gene Tierney, who gives an outstanding performance as the jealous and possessive bride of Cornel Wilde. Anyone who enjoys old movies will love this one and it doesn't have the usual "pat" ending. It will leave you wanting to see more of Ms. Tierney's films.

You can't always get what you want..........2007-06-10

...but if you try enough, you can cause to the object of your desire a lot of suffering and torment.

Gene Tierney, the most beautiful villainess on the screen in "Leave Her to Heaven" (1945) is ready to destroy herself if it causes her husband whom she madly loves to suffer. What a killer combination of divine beauty and insane possessive jealousy that would hurt even beyond the grave.

There are many reasons to see this stylish, well written and acted thriller/noir/drama. One of them is the astounding Oscar winning color cinematography by legendary Leon Shamroy who had been nominated for an Oscar 18 times - more than any other DP. He won four Oscars.

4.5/5

20th century fox at its worst.......2007-05-12

gene tierney was a major star in the 1940s, but i will never understand why. well, she WAS pretty -- but so were a lot of other actresses; her acting ability consists of little more than that, and this "womans movie" (today we call it a "chick flick") with pretensions of film noir never takes off, save for the famed one minute sequence of the funeral-cum-horse ride down the beach. second stringers cornel wilde and jeanne crain offer little support, while the usually reliable vincent price is a mad magazine parody of his "laura" personality. and then theres child star daryl hickman, now in his 70s, offering some of the most ridiculous commentary ive ever heard (hey, this guy thinks he was a star, and not just dobie gillis's brother). a real time waster.

Over-the-top romance in gorgeous technicolor.......2007-04-14

Gene Tierney plays a possessive woman who snares a successful writer played by Cornel Wilde. Her obsessive love leads to murder.

Unusually for its time, Leave Her to Heaven is (beautifully) shot in gorgeous technicolor. The set decoration and location shooting takes full advantage of the color photography.

The film loses its grip a little bit during the stylised courtroom sequence which is totally over-the-top only to grab you again with a rousing finale.

Excellent commentary included on the DVD by Time film reviewer Richard Shickel and Darryl Hickman who played the writer's disabled little brother Danny in the film.

Unforgettable.......2007-03-23

I was so affected by this movie the first time I saw it at the age of 15 (almost ten yrs. ago). I only saw it once, but I remembered it always as if I had seen it the day before. It is unbelievable to know that this movie was made over 50 years ago. The storyline is absolutely timeless. I recommend this movie to anyone who loves movies with suspense, betrayal, and love.

DVD:

DVD

DVD

DVD

Kiss of the Dragon

North Avenue Irregulars

Haint (REGION 1) (NTSC)

DVD: Double Jeopardy

John Wayne - The John Wayne Collection