A Quietly Beautiful Comedy
Added 9/25/2009
There are no pratfalls, slaps or screams, but what Heaven Can Wait lacks in low comedy it more than makes up for with charm, wit, elegance and grace. It may be one of America's most under-rated comedies for that very reason: it is rarely laugh-out-loud hilarious. Rather, it is nostalgic, creative and quite sophisticated, an entirely different kind of comedy, and another prime example of the Lubitsch Touch.
The story concerns Henry Van Cleve, recently deceased, who presents himself at the Gates of Hell, where "His Excellency" (presumably Satan or another one of the Hades' head honchos) must decide whether or not to admit him. Henry has come to the place where "so many people had told him to go" because he feels he has lived a life of sin. "His Excellency" asks Henry to describe just why he feels he qualifies for entry, and, via flashback, we get the story of his life.
As the film proceeds, we witness several birthdays throughout Henry's life, spanning his childhood through his death. Each episode faithfully recreates a bygone era, with some of the most subtle touches ever committed to film. Nothing ever calls attention to itself here, and every time you watch this picture, you'll see another delightful nuance you've never before noticed. Perhaps my favorite touch is the "disappearance" of one supporting character at each new birthday, indicating that in the years between the last birthday, a family member has passed away. Lubitsch even manages to make death into something sophisticated and witty.
As his life unfolds before our eyes, we realize that Henry has actually lived quite an average life, with everyday problems, everyday joys and everyday loves. It seems his self-image of an evil roué might be just a little inflated. He likes to think of himself as a bad boy, but he has lived a decent life, been a good father and become a beloved husband.
Heaven Can Wait is a film of small pleasures and suprises, and it is a complete joy to behold. It's really indescribable just how charming the film is; you simply have to see it. Lubitsch was a master of his craft, and he is at his peak here. Admittedly, the film is not as widely-appealing or well-known as Ninotchka, The Shop Around the Corner, To Be or Not To Be or Trouble in Paradise. Those films are all more obviously funny. But this is one of those rare comedies that can give you a lump in your throat and make you appreciate the fragility and beauty of life. I suppose you still have to label it a comedy, but it's more witty than funny.
Aside from Lubitsch, the film has several other people who greatly contribute to its success. Of course there is Don Ameche, who carries the film effortlessly from beginning to end. It would be a crime not to give him credit for his magnificent characterization. The always-lovely Gene Tierney also turns in a wonderful performance, developping her character as the decades wear on. Her Martha is one of the most endearing female characters in the Lubitsch canon.
Laird Cregar (who died tragically of a heart attack at 28 years old the following year) truly shines as "His Excellency." Although he merely bookends the film and only has about 8 minutes of screentime, his performance is a perfect example of how an actor can turn even the smallest part into greatness. It's one of cinema's all-time greatest supporting roles. Signe Hasso has a featured spot as the naughty French maid known simply as "Mademoiselle." And the other family members are all memorably played as well.
The color cinematography is stunning, especially in the Criterion transfer. There are no brash colors screaming for attention; it's more as if an old tinted photograph of Old New York has somehow come to life. Subtlety is the word of the day in every part of this film. It doesn't try to grab attention, and, for better or for worse, it rarely gets any, neither from movie historians nor fans. Although it was a major success upon its release, and was even nominated for the Best Picture and Best Director Oscars in 1943, it has quietly slipped into the background of the moviegoing conscience. It seems quite content to sit in the shadow of Lubitsch's other films, appreciated by the few who love it. But in all, this is a perfect little comedy. I'd highly suggest giving it an attentive screening or two.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Heaven Can Wait (1943) unaccountably overrated and stupifying dull!
Added 12/20/2008
This movie is one of the reasons the Criterion Collection's selection process has little credibility with me - the movie, a 1943 vehicle directed by Ernst Lubitsch, features mediocre casting, turtle-like pacing, self-consciously cutesy dialogue, and direction by numbers. Ninotchka it's not!
I bought the movie to see Gene Tierney in one of her first big roles, and she is wasted in curiously unattractive clothing with platitudes for dialogue. She is not helped by the miscasting of Don Ameche as a romantic lothario - he has little affect to his personality, and is definitely not leading man material. I could not believe for a minute that he was a ladies man. Cornel Wilde or Cary Grant would have been more believable.
And why is this a Criterion Film? Beats me. Leave Her To Heaven had better color cinematography, Laura is more of a classic thriller, and All About Eve is one of the all-time best Fox films EVER. Period. Yet this Lubitsch title was chosen for inclusion ......WHY? Thank God I bought this used through a vendor on Amazon - at 39.99, it is a disgraceful waste of money and time!!
Lame story, lackluster leading man, artificial looking color, direction by numbers ..... tbis is a film worth preserving?????
2 out of 8 people found this helpful.
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what happened anyways?
Added 2/4/2008
Hmmm. This movie could have been very cute, and has several fine and comical parts. Unfortunately, too many things don't follow or are clumsily explained, not too mention it should be a good 15 minutes shorter. For me, it would have been a much better story if all of Ameche's so called "sins" were only misunderstandings/misperceptions
from his squareish family (as many seem to be). I was fully expecting them to explained as such by the devil himself at the end, and that he would fully realize his fine character as the devil boots him to heaven.
But if i'm supposed to understand that he really sinned, why is he going to heaven, and what sense does that make alongside his doting relation to his wife? I think this movie is either generally misunderstood or not fully realized, or worse both.
0 out of 5 people found this helpful.
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A great old movie
Added 9/27/2007
This movie was a delight to find! I enjoyed it when I was a teenager and never forgot it. A wonderful movie. I highly recommend it!
1 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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Heaven Can Wait
Added 6/22/2007
A deft, subtly brilliant romantic comedy by the great Lubitsch, "Heaven" examines a privileged man whose boyish love of courtship colors his devotion to his wife, making his life "one continuous misdemeanor." Penned by the gifted Samson Raphaelson and shot in lavish Technicolor, "Heaven" marries urbane wit and bittersweet themes about youth and aging, folly and regret. Ameche and Tierney are a handsome, appealing pair from their first meeting in a bookshop, while Charles Coburn (as scampish Grandpa Hugo) and Allyn Joslyn (as Henry's strait-laced cousin Albert) round out a fabulous supporting cast. Delicate, charming, and almost effortlessly moving.
4 out of 4 people found this helpful.
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A Quietly Beautiful Comedy
Added 9/25/2009
There are no pratfalls, slaps or screams, but what Heaven Can Wait lacks in low comedy it more than makes up for with charm, wit, elegance and grace. It may be one of America's most under-rated comedies for that very reason: it is rarely laugh-out-loud hilarious. Rather, it is nostalgic, creative and quite sophisticated, an entirely different kind of comedy, and another prime example of the Lubitsch Touch.
The story concerns Henry Van Cleve, recently deceased, who presents himself at the Gates of Hell, where "His Excellency" (presumably Satan or another one of the Hades' head honchos) must decide whether or not to admit him. Henry has come to the place where "so many people had told him to go" because he feels he has lived a life of sin. "His Excellency" asks Henry to describe just why he feels he qualifies for entry, and, via flashback, we get the story of his life.
As the film proceeds, we witness several birthdays throughout Henry's life, spanning his childhood through his death. Each episode faithfully recreates a bygone era, with some of the most subtle touches ever committed to film. Nothing ever calls attention to itself here, and every time you watch this picture, you'll see another delightful nuance you've never before noticed. Perhaps my favorite touch is the "disappearance" of one supporting character at each new birthday, indicating that in the years between the last birthday, a family member has passed away. Lubitsch even manages to make death into something sophisticated and witty.
As his life unfolds before our eyes, we realize that Henry has actually lived quite an average life, with everyday problems, everyday joys and everyday loves. It seems his self-image of an evil roué might be just a little inflated. He likes to think of himself as a bad boy, but he has lived a decent life, been a good father and become a beloved husband.
Heaven Can Wait is a film of small pleasures and suprises, and it is a complete joy to behold. It's really indescribable just how charming the film is; you simply have to see it. Lubitsch was a master of his craft, and he is at his peak here. Admittedly, the film is not as widely-appealing or well-known as Ninotchka, The Shop Around the Corner, To Be or Not To Be or Trouble in Paradise. Those films are all more obviously funny. But this is one of those rare comedies that can give you a lump in your throat and make you appreciate the fragility and beauty of life. I suppose you still have to label it a comedy, but it's more witty than funny.
Aside from Lubitsch, the film has several other people who greatly contribute to its success. Of course there is Don Ameche, who carries the film effortlessly from beginning to end. It would be a crime not to give him credit for his magnificent characterization. The always-lovely Gene Tierney also turns in a wonderful performance, developping her character as the decades wear on. Her Martha is one of the most endearing female characters in the Lubitsch canon.
Laird Cregar (who died tragically of a heart attack at 28 years old the following year) truly shines as "His Excellency." Although he merely bookends the film and only has about 8 minutes of screentime, his performance is a perfect example of how an actor can turn even the smallest part into greatness. It's one of cinema's all-time greatest supporting roles. Signe Hasso has a featured spot as the naughty French maid known simply as "Mademoiselle." And the other family members are all memorably played as well.
The color cinematography is stunning, especially in the Criterion transfer. There are no brash colors screaming for attention; it's more as if an old tinted photograph of Old New York has somehow come to life. Subtlety is the word of the day in every part of this film. It doesn't try to grab attention, and, for better or for worse, it rarely gets any, neither from movie historians nor fans. Although it was a major success upon its release, and was even nominated for the Best Picture and Best Director Oscars in 1943, it has quietly slipped into the background of the moviegoing conscience. It seems quite content to sit in the shadow of Lubitsch's other films, appreciated by the few who love it. But in all, this is a perfect little comedy. I'd highly suggest giving it an attentive screening or two.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Heaven Can Wait (1943) unaccountably overrated and stupifying dull!
Added 12/20/2008
This movie is one of the reasons the Criterion Collection's selection process has little credibility with me - the movie, a 1943 vehicle directed by Ernst Lubitsch, features mediocre casting, turtle-like pacing, self-consciously cutesy dialogue, and direction by numbers. Ninotchka it's not!
I bought the movie to see Gene Tierney in one of her first big roles, and she is wasted in curiously unattractive clothing with platitudes for dialogue. She is not helped by the miscasting of Don Ameche as a romantic lothario - he has little affect to his personality, and is definitely not leading man material. I could not believe for a minute that he was a ladies man. Cornel Wilde or Cary Grant would have been more believable.
And why is this a Criterion Film? Beats me. Leave Her To Heaven had better color cinematography, Laura is more of a classic thriller, and All About Eve is one of the all-time best Fox films EVER. Period. Yet this Lubitsch title was chosen for inclusion ......WHY? Thank God I bought this used through a vendor on Amazon - at 39.99, it is a disgraceful waste of money and time!!
Lame story, lackluster leading man, artificial looking color, direction by numbers ..... tbis is a film worth preserving?????
2 out of 8 people found this helpful.
|
what happened anyways?
Added 2/4/2008
Hmmm. This movie could have been very cute, and has several fine and comical parts. Unfortunately, too many things don't follow or are clumsily explained, not too mention it should be a good 15 minutes shorter. For me, it would have been a much better story if all of Ameche's so called "sins" were only misunderstandings/misperceptions
from his squareish family (as many seem to be). I was fully expecting them to explained as such by the devil himself at the end, and that he would fully realize his fine character as the devil boots him to heaven.
But if i'm supposed to understand that he really sinned, why is he going to heaven, and what sense does that make alongside his doting relation to his wife? I think this movie is either generally misunderstood or not fully realized, or worse both.
0 out of 5 people found this helpful.
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