Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day 119: Constantly in Maughning

While reading some background around some of the films it seems that 1940s were dominated by a lot of the studio heads and their whims. In the case of the next film, 1947 nominee The Razor's Edge, Daryl F Zanuck then head of 20th Century Fox really wanted the rights to W. Somerset Maughn's work and paid over the odds to the author who was still alive. Casting was also a problem with Zanuck's first choice Tyrone Power still serving in the marines when the film begun, Zanuck had to use an extra for some of the scenes. Meanwhile Gene Tierney was Maughn's first choice for the female lead but Zanuck had hired Maureen O'Hara under the proviso that she didn't tell anyone she had the part when she told someone, she was fired and Tierney was hired. Directing duties were originally handed to George Cuckor but he also fell fowl of Zanuck and Edmund Goulding was hired. The story in The Razor's Edge sees Power's Larry and Tierney's Isobel from the end of the First World War to well into the 1930s. Engaged at the start of the film Larry wants to find himself and travels first to France and then to India where he finally finds peace among the monks. Meanwhile Isobel marries the dependable but dull Gray and has a couple of children, Gray becomes depressed after he loses his money in the Wall Street Crash but Larry uses techniques he learnt with the monks to get him better. Larry and Isobel's old friend Sophie also appears in the story she gets married then loses her family and starts drinking, Larry rehabilitates and her and they get engaged by Isobel is jealous of their relationship and gets Sophie drinking again before Sophie finally dies. Larry finally finds out about Isobel's part in Sophie's death and leaves her for good finally finding peace.

Overall The Razor's Edge had a good story of money vs. love, finding yourself and trying to get over a terrible incident. None of the characters were truly likeable and all had their baggage but at the same time they were all human they all had their own problems but none of them were true villains. There is also humour provided by Isobel's extravagant uncle Elliot, played by the Oscar nominated Clifton Webb, and dependability is provided by Maughn himself who becomes a character here played by Herbert Marshall. My personal favourite performance came from Anne Baxter who won an Oscar for Supporting Actress as the emotionally torn Isobel but Tierney was also good as the vindictive Isobel never quite happy after Larry leaves her and never really happy with Gray. Power is able to tie everything together with a strong lead performance and is able to give Larry a very personable side. I did find the film overly talky, having never read the book I don't know how close the adaptation was to the actual book but it seemed to be very wordy and if they did use the script that Maughn used as his adaptation I'm guessing he didn't want to leave a lot out. I did find it a tad long but it was an intriguing story slightly noirish and a bit of a road trip so I think overall Zanuck did get all the elements together worthy for a great movie that ultimately was one of the five films nominated for that year's Best Picture.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day 108: Go To Hell?

Going into the future films in 1978 there is a film called Heaven Can Wait starring Warren Beatty which is a remake of a nominated film from the 1940s. Confusingly it isn't my next film, Heaven Can Wait, instead it is Here Comes Mr Jordan which I am yet to watch. This version of Heaven Can Wait sees Don Ameche as wealthy Henry Van Cleve a man who has recently passed away and has come to the 'down below', we're assuming it is hell and that Laird Creagar's character simply referred to as 'His Excellency' is Satan. Creagar doesn't believe that Van Cleve should be there so Van Cleve narrates his life story to 'His Excellency'. At first we the audience believe him to be a rogue, or a cad or a bounder from a young age he is corrupted by his young French governess Mademoiselle and given wine. He then steals the fiancée of his boorish cousin and elopes with her before cheating on her towards their tenth anniversary. But then things turn around and Van Cleve becomes both a loving husband and a good father, at one point trying to pay off the woman who is out to ruin his son's reputation. He loses his wife on the eve of their 25th anniversary and although he is swayed briefly by other women he never gives up loving her. It turns out the reason he doesn't think he belongs upstairs is that he doesn't want to run into his wife and other relatives as he thinks he's let them down therefore truly becoming a good person. 'His Excellency' points out that it won't be easy and he may have to stay on the outskirts in a small apartment but one day Van Cleve will be allowed entry.

Heaven Can Wait had a very promising start with Van Cleve's meeting with 'His Excellency' and his subsequent retelling of his adolescence. 'His Excellency's' office is very well designed almost in an avant-garde style and the first scene does promise almost a black comedy. But then after the Van Cleve character starts becoming a good person things start to lag and the whole segment after he loses his wife is very boring indeed. Despite that there are some good performances notably from Charles Coburn as Van Cleve's Grandfather the only person in his family with any sense, Alyn Joslyn as the horrible cousin and Ameche himself. It is also a very clever story a reversal of the pleading with St. Peter to be let into heaven by trying to convince Satan why you belong in hell. But overall I felt a little bit deflated and that the film didn't have enough faith in its darkly comic premise to follow through. Maybe this is the sort of film that could be remade, but then would the title have to be changed to avoid confusion?