Review of Leave Her to Heaven (1945) by Brian R — 20 Sep 2010

This genuinely perverse and fascinating film noir, filmed in incredibly rich Technicolor, is the tale of a woman's obsessive desire to possess her husband, exclusive of anyone else in the world. Ellen Berent and her husband, writer Richard Harland, move to his lodge in Maine. In order to be completely alone with him, Ellen makes the handyman go away and stands by as Richard's attention-grabbing, crippled brother drowns in the lake. Pregnant Ellen also purposely miscarries their child. When Ellen's sister Ruth visits, Ellen's paranoia and jealousy catapult her to confess to Richard that she was responsible for the "accidents." Sickened by Ellen's confession, Richard decides to leave her for good. Ellen's next plan of action is quite possibly the ultimate revenge ever carried out by a jilted, crazed lover.

Overall a little bit slow(not much going) in the plot but starts to pick up speed during the third act and the darkness of Gene Tierney. Great visuals that would please audiences today.