Based on the best selling novel of the same name by Ben Ames Williams, Leave Her to Heaven (1945) is often cited as the high point of Gene Tierney's career. She looks absolutely stunning, her classically beautiful visage perfectly captured in brilliant technicolor. Dramatically, Leave Her to Heaven has her most versatile performance displayed, for which she was nominated for the Best Actress Academy Award. The film is a sort of Film Noir, with Gene Tierney's character being as chilling a Femme Fatale as one could never hope to meet. She was especially proud of her work on the film, saying in her autobiography A Portrait, it was "the finest work I have done."
The story centers on Richard Harland (Cornel Wilde)- a novelist, who, leaving his invalid teenage brother to recuperate at a hospital, boards a train to New Mexico on a much needed vacation. On board, he meets young Ellen Berent (Gene Tierney), who's unrivaled beauty leaves Harland to think about little else...
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| Leave Her to Heaven. 1945: Gene Tierney |
Turns out they are both headed to the same NM ranch and, despite Ellen already being engaged to another man (Vincent Price), they wed two weeks later...
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| Leave Her to Heaven. 1945: Gene Tierney |
They are in love...
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| Leave Her to Heaven. 1945: Gene Tierney |
But Harland soon learns that the enormity of Ellen's beauty is only equaled by her psychotically possessive personality. She can go from pleasant...
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| Leave Her to Heaven. 1945: Gene Tierney |
to sadistic very quickly when she doesn't get her way. She has a terrible jealous streak...
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| Leave Her to Heaven. 1945: Gene Tierney |
Quite simply- she wants Harland for herself and ONLY herself, and will do whatever necessary to get rid of any other person who makes the tiniest bid for some of his attention. This includes his young invalid brother. She allows a tragic accident on the lake to occur...
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| Leave Her to Heaven. 1945: Gene Tierney |
and that's just the beginning...
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| Leave Her to Heaven. 1945: Gene Tierney |
