What's this about?

Lately, it seems like many of the movies/shows are just a rehash or reboot of things that have already been done. And so I started to dive into the past. It's been fun, but I find myself losing track of which ones I’ve seen and whether or not I enjoyed them. Sometimes the titles themselves just don't tell me enough to remember.

I wouldn’t have voluntarily watched a lot of these movies when I was younger. It’s strange how interests change. That goes for what I read, too. I have another blog that explores books. I’m mostly reading older fiction and memoirs, and some of the books have led me to movies/shows and vice versa. In those cases, I may post the book review over here as well.

There will be spoilers, which is different than my book reviews. That’s mostly because I want to have enough information to help me remember what I’ve seen. I’m getting older. The brain doesn’t cooperate like it used to. What can I say? The gray hairs are catching up with me!

Tuesday, September 5, 2023

Leave Her to Heaven - 1945

I'm not sure how this one ended up on my watch list, but I had some time this morning so I put it on. It's based on a book by Ben Ames Williams.

Ellen is on the train with Richard, an author. They are actually heading to the same place where they end up falling in love. Ellen already has a fiancé, but she dumps him so she can be with Richard.

After that, Ellen just wants to be with Richard. She doesn't want anyone else around. And I mean anyone. When someone gets in the way, she gets them out. Even resorting to letting Richard's brother drown because he doesn't agree with her plan to get him out of the house for a while. After this incident, Richard is understandably upset, but she cheers him up by getting pregnant.

What she didn't count on was getting put on bed rest. At this point, Richard and Ellen are living with her mother and "sister" in a house by the sea. When Ellen sees Richard and her sister talking and laughing together, the baby is in the way and has to go. From then on, Richard figures out what's going on, and Ellen takes some pretty drastic measures to try and "keep" him in her clutches.

Gene Tierney plays Ellen, and I recognized her from The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. When I looked her up to verify it was her, I saw she was in a couple of other movies I've seen recently as well.

This movie unsettled me. The relationship between Richard and Ellen made me cringe. She was so possessive and manipulative to everyone around her. And everyone is pulled into her plans: Richard's younger brother, the doctor, her sister, her mother and even her ex-fiancé. The scene with the doctor was especially jarring. The way she flipped her attitude instantly was scary. Overall, I'm going to give this one a Good Movie! review. It kept me thinking throughout the day, and that's a sign of some good writing.



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