The classics of Imitation weekly (1): Leave Her To Heaven (1945)

Leave Her To Heaven (1945) (11O min)

Director: John M. Stahl

Cast: Gene Tierney, Cornel Wild, Jeanne Craine, Vincent Price, Mary Philips, Ray Collins, Darryl Hickman, Gene Lockhart, Chill Wills

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Superficial but fascinating study of a clinically jealous woman (Gene Tierney) who is ready to literally go to any lengths to keep her husband's attention, including brutalizing her husband's disabled young brother or diving down a staircase to get rid of her unborn child lest her husband love the baby more than herself.

Director Stahl eludes genre convention with a stunningly beautiful photography in Technicolor (Leon Shamroy won an Oscar for his work), thus creating a film noir that looks like a Douglas Sirk melodrama. 

Tierney (the unforgettable title character in Otto Preminger's Laura) never looked more gorgeous than here, while Cornel Wild and Jeanne Craine showcase their acting limitations to surprisingly good effect. 

A must for fans of psychoanalysis.

Favorite scene: It is in this beautifully photographed lake scene that we truly understand how crazy Ellen actually is. The characters are so shallow and one-dimensional that we sympathize with Ellen's decision to let her painfully annoying brother-in-law drown. Lipstick, rouge and sunglasses have never been put to a better use in Hollywood history.