Leave Her to Heaven – The Criterion Collection (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1945
Director: John M. Stahl
Writers: Jo Swerling, Ben Ames Williams
Cast: Gene Tierney, Cornel Wilde, Jeanne Crain, Vincent Price, Mary Philips, Ray Collins, Gene Lockhart, Reed Hadley, Darryl Hickman, Chill Wills

Release Date: March 24th, 2020
Approximate Running Time: 110 Minutes 14 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $39.95

"Novelist Richard Harland (Cornel Wilde) seems to have found the perfect woman in Ellen (Gene Tierney), a beautiful socialite who initiates a whirlwind romance and steers him into marriage before he can think twice. Yet the glassy surface of Ellen’s devotion soon reveals monstrous depths, as Richard comes to realize that his wife is shockingly possessive and may be capable of destroying anyone who comes between them." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "New 2K digital restoration by Twentieth Century Fox, the Academy Film Archive, and The Film Foundation. A new digital transfer was created from a 35mm color reversal internegative. A 35mm nitrate IB Technicolor print was used as a reference for picture restoration, which was completed at Reliance MediaWorks in Burbank, California.”

Leave Her to Heaven comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 37.8 GB

Feature: 30.3 GB

Color saturation is the most disappointing aspect of this transfer, and yet, there are moments when colors look very good. That said, the source is in excellent shape; it is virtually free of any source imperfections. Image clarity and black levels are strong, and compression is very good.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in English with removable English SDH. The audio is in great shape, there are no issues with background hiss or distortion. Dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. Range-wise, this audio track sounds very good.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 13 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with film critic Imogen Sara Smith who discusses director John M. Stahl and Leave Her to Heaven (26 minutes 34 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), and a leaflet with an essay titled The Eyes of Ellen Berent written by Megan Abbott, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Directed by John M. Stahl, whose other notable films are Imitation of Life (1934), Magnificent Obsession (1935), Only Yesterday, Holy Matrimony, and The Keys of the Kingdom.

The narrative revolves around a woman who feels threatened by anyone who gains attention from the man she loves.

There are many elements in Leave Her to Heaven that one associates with Film noir, especially the femme fatale character traits exhibited by the protagonist. And though the premise is the type of scenario that screams Film noir, what unfolds is something closer to a melodrama. Also, when it comes to the visuals, they are devoid of all the elements that are synonymous with Film noir.

From its opening moments, Leave Her to Heaven draws you into its web of deceit. The bulk of the narrative is a lengthy flashback. The narrative does a phenomenal job building up its characters; their motivations are never in doubt. And an exemplary finale serves as the perfect coda to the events that preceded.

Leave Her to Heaven is a film where they did an amazing job casting, and the entire cast is great in their roles. They all pale in comparison to Gene Tierney’s (Laura) portrayal of Ellen Berent Harland, a woman whose obsessions consume her. That said, she delivers the best performance of her career. A notable cast member is Vincent Price (The Fly) in the role of Ellen’s former suitor. It is interesting to see him in a non-horror role.

From a production standpoint, Leave Her to Heaven is a magnificent film where everything falls into place. The well-executed narrative does a superb job building and maintaining tension. Also, it is a beautifully photographed film. There are two moments that stand out; the first of these is a scene where Ellen watches emotionlessly as her husband's brother drowns, and the other is a scene where Ellen intentionally throws herself down a flight of stairs to induce a miscarriage. Ultimately, Leave Her to Heaven is an extraordinary psychological melodrama.

Leave Her to Heaven gets a strong release from The Criterion Collection, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer