Review of Leave Her to Heaven (1945) by Kevin R — 19 Sep 2013

She loved her father too much.

A writer meets a socialite engaged to a politician and falls in love. They reluctantly agree to be together and later become married. The socialite had a deep relationship with her father and she sees a lot of qualities from her father in the writer. Since her father passed away recently, she may have a strange protective complex when it comes to her husband. How far will she take her protective ways?

"Mother in laws should be like children, seen and not heard.".

John Stahl, director of Imitation of Life, The Keys of the Kingdom, Holy Matrimony, Magnificent Obsession, and Only Yesterday, delivers Leave Her to Heaven. The storyline for this picture is amazing and reminded me of Sweet Bird of Youth (Paul Newman). The characters are so dynamic and unpredictable and the action scenes are dramatic in a Hitchcock kind of way. The acting is wonderful as the cast includes Gene Tierney, Cornel Wilde, Vincent Price, Jeanne Crain, and Gene Lockhart.

"I hate him.".

"Why?".

"Because you know him.".

"That's nice. Are you going to hate everyone I know?".

Leave her to Heaven was a movie I DVR'd because it starred Vincent Price. I will say he was only in 2-3 scenes (total) but that did not detract from the greatness of this film. This is a very underrated gem with great drama and fascinating characters. The character development and dialogue are both perfect. I strongly recommend seeing this picture.

"Of all the deadly sins, jealousy is the most deadly.".

Grade: A.