Leave Her to Heaven (1945)
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A socialite's marriage to a prominent novelist ignites a violent and obsessive jealousy that leads to a series of tragic consequences.
The story
While traveling by train in New Mexico, novelist Richard Harland meets Ellen Berent, a beautiful socialite from Boston who is drawn to him due to his resemblance to her deceased father. The two begin a whirlwind romance and marry in Georgia, eventually settling at Richard's lodge in northern Maine. However, their domestic life is soon marred by Ellen's pathological jealousy toward anyone and anything Richard cares about, including his family and career. Her obsessive behavior begins to create a dangerous atmosphere as she struggles to maintain total control over her new husband's affections.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Novelist Richard Harland meets Ellen Berent in New Mexico; she is obsessed with him because he resembles her late father. They marry and move to a lodge in Maine, where Ellen's pathological jealousy manifests. She causes the drowning of Richard's disabled brother, Danny, and later induces a miscarriage because she views the unborn child as a rival for Richard's love. After Richard confronts her about Danny's death, she attempts to frame Ellen's cousin, Ruth, for murder. Ellen eventually poisons herself with arsenic to frame Ruth for her death. During the subsequent trial, Richard testifies to Ellen's psychopathic jealousy. Ruth is acquitted, but Richard is sentenced to two years in prison for being an accessory to Danny's death. After his release, Richard returns to his lodge to be welcomed by Ruth.
- First release year
- 1945
- Runtime (minutes)
- 110
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- John M. Stahl
- Writers
- Jo Swerling · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Gene Tierney · Ellen Berent; Cornel Wilde · Richard Harland; Jeanne Crain · Ruth; Vincent Price · Russell Quinton
- Genres
- psychological thriller; drama; melodrama; film noir
- Themes
- pathological jealousy; obsession; mental illness; Greek mythology allusions
- Tone and mood
- moody; morbid; sumptuous
- Premise and plot tags
- psychological thriller; melodrama; film noir; domestic thriller; femme fatale
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1944 novel of the same name by Ben Ames Williams
- Content notes
- miscarriage
- Reception
- The film was a box-office hit and has garnered a cult following. It has been noted for its unique blurring of genres and its visual and narrative references to Greek mythology. It was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 2018.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 85% · review count: 65
- Production trivia
- The film's title is drawn from William Shakespeare's Hamlet.; The film was Twentieth Century-Fox's highest-grossing film of the entire decade.; The character Courtney Shayne in the 1999 film Jawbreaker is in part based on Ellen.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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