Leave Her to Heaven
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“Sometimes, the truth is wicked.”
Overview
A Technicolor noir with a dark heart, Leave Her to Heaven is a portrait of a complex woman in trouble, played by the incredible Gene Tierney. While travelling across America by train, novelist Richard Harlan (Cornel Wilde) meets beautiful socialite Ellen Berent (Tierney) and the pair begin a whirlwind romance. Tensions grow between the couple as Richard realises his beloved hasn't been entirely honest about her past; Ellen in turn develops an obsessive jealousy towards anyone or anything that might turn his attention from her, including his own family. Those closest to Richard attempt to warn him about the extremes of Ellen's possessive nature, but even they don't realise how low she would sink to hold onto what's rightfully hers.
Why You Should See This Film
The bucolic setting of Leave Her to Heaven, all sunny lakesides and cosy Maine landscapes, makes for a singular setting at odds with the darkness and depravity within. Martin Scorsese described Tierney as "one of the most underrated actresses of the Golden Era" and in this Oscar-nominated turn her power is on full display: reserved and aloof to begin, she gradually uncoils like a snake to reveal a fascinating character study of noir's most complicated femme fatale. Chilling, beautiful and somehow managing to retain sympathy to the bitter end, this is an all-timer performance of emotional cinema.
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