A film noir: Leave Her to Heaven

🤛🏼

ultra beauty Gene T. so consumed by love and possession of her husband, willing to do anything to keep him all to herself including murder. Saw this movie as a kid and never forgot it.

I spent every Saturday afternoon at the theater with my Auntie Blanche who took me to see movies I probably never should have seen, but she gave me such an appreciation for movies that has lasted until today.

ON EDIT so as not to Kick. I don't know what counts as spoilers since the summary in Wiki says it all. Just saw the YouTube and it kept the interest going the whole way despite having the summary, perhaps that's the germ of "noir" like The Third Man (one of the only one or couple/three i've seen). I was prepared to have to adjust to people acting in the 1940s, but it was certainly different. I don't think any of the actors blinked in the whole thing. And, yes, it's in color, but manages to convey the noir atmosphere in broad daylight with the creepy water, and Stepford-like mannerisms, horseriding in street formal clothes (men's suits in all activities, women in (tailored?) things and totally coifed and make-up). Besides the unblinking eyes, completely *stylized* lack of physical movement. Really high end rusticity in cabins and country mansions, all with decor out of what-Town&Country? Not to mention that all the furnishings and housekeeping was done without "servants" just by the characters in formal clothes (although actually *doing* the upkeep was never shown). And the courtroom depiction was nothing like what we have now, being *fast* and badgering and somebody put away for two years just on hearsay from himself - all without a single Objection by anybody.

I'll divulge something that will scandalize buffs and connoisseurs - that I couldn't tell the two actresses apart - Gene TIERNEY/Jeanne CRAIN - are their given names a coincidence, I think not!

And the musical score's masterful trait (Alfred NEWMAN) of NOT being *INTRUSIVE* - doing what it should do, not DISTRACT unlike tons of "modern" soundtracks.

Yet, it kept the attention, gripping in a lethal way. I'm usually against remakes, but if SPIELBERG could waste his time remaking West Side Story, maybe this one would be a candidate (by somebody else, not SPIELBERG). Critics of Sinclair LEWIS said he was a crappy writer who had good ideas for being written up - BY SOMEBODY ELSE. (LEWIS had nothing to do with this movie, am making the case for a remake.)

I haven't seen a full movie in years, have fallen asleep in the few attempts, but this one kept me interested while both it and I were distanced. (What I view now are YouTubes of history/biography/talk-news, 20 minutes each tops, seldom anything an hour or more in length.)

Saw it in France in 92. It was great to, for a change, know the film's original language and not need subtitles!

Love when she rides out to spread her father's ashes