Leave Her to Heaven

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Leave Her to Heaven

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1h 51m

Crime

Drama

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Popcornmeter

85%

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68 Reviews

86%

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2,500+ Ratings

While on a train, writer Richard Harland (Cornel Wilde) strikes up a relationship with the gorgeous Ellen Berent (Gene Tierney). Ellen quickly becomes obsessed with Richard and abandons her fiancé, Russell Quinton (Vincent Price), to be with him. The couple rushes into marriage, with both of them caught up in romance and Richard intrigued by Ellen's intensity. Only after settling into marriage, however, does Richard realize that she is psychotically jealous and highly unstable.

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Critics Consensus

Leave Her to Heaven suffers from a surfeit of unlikable characters, but the solid cast -- led by an outstanding Gene Tierney -- makes it hard to turn away.

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Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

03/25/2024

5/5

This demented relationship drama by John M Stahl, starring the golden era actress Gene Tierney, is the original Fatal Attraction but better, deeper and darker.

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Eleanor Wilson

Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com

09/29/2021

Leave Her to Heaven is a well-done picture and rates as good screen entertainment.

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Wanda Hale

New York Daily News

09/29/2021

3.5/4

Director Stahl has certainly made the most out of the book and done well directing the young players.

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Sean Burns

Crooked Marquee

08/19/2024

Oft-befuddled critic Bosley Crowther called the film ‘a piece of cheap fiction done up in Technicolor and expensive sets,’ as if that isn’t what’s so awesome about it.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

08/05/2022

Part Technicolor film noir and part dark romantic melodrama with a psychotic beauty at its center, John Stahl’s gorgeous Leave Her to Heaven is the original Fatal Attraction as a lush melodrama in a picture-perfect world of affluence...

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Virginia Wright

Illustrated Daily News (Los Angeles)

09/29/2021

Overlong In the telling and continuously melodramatic, Leave Her to Heaven is nevertheless a plausible version of the book.

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Joel H

@786Joel May 9

I thought Leave Her to Heaven was a drama. I was wrong. This movie is a psychological thriller and it didn’t take long before I was captivated by the story and the performances. I could not take my eyes off of Gene Tierney. Not just because she’s strikingly beautiful, but also because I never quite knew what her character, Ellen, would do. And I was definitely shocked multiple times by what Ellen did. I was also surprised by Vincent Price’s behavior in the courtroom. I’m no lawyer, but he commits some serious breaches of court etiquette. Nevertheless, I was pleasantly disturbed by Leave Her to Heaven.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Apr 8

The worldwide gross is $2,326.00.

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Mark H.

@Zeppo Oct 20

Slow burn climaxes in somewhat out-of-place trial act. Red lipstick alone will give you the creeps.

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revolver.0 8

@Revolver08 07/04/2025

gorgeous actress and cinematography

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Clint E

@RT58698373 05/15/2025

Gorgeous Gene Tierney as a Villian? Spoiler-alert: Yes, Gene Tierney is the villain, a psychopath full of pathological jealousy. This has to be her best acting performance, although "Laura" will endure as the best movie of her storied career. All of the performances are solid, although I consider Vincent Price a little too over the top for his character. Cornel Wilde is solid and believable. Beyond the shocking story however, the real star here is the photography. The technicolor is striking, even magnificent and undoubtedly the best of any film noir (kind of a contradiction in terms. The mountain locations, the house, etc. are likewise fantastic. The film won the Oscar for Best Color Cinematography. Highly recommended for any movie buff.

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Philip M

@RT69166706 11/15/2024

Super Great for young people who have never seen a good 40’s Murder Movie

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John M. Stahl

Director

Gene Tierney

Ellen Berent Harland

Cornel Wilde

Richard Harland

Jeanne Crain

Ruth Berent

Vincent Price

Russell Quinton

Mary Philips

Mrs. Berent

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Synopsis

While on a train, writer Richard Harland (Cornel Wilde) strikes up a relationship with the gorgeous Ellen Berent (Gene Tierney). Ellen quickly becomes obsessed with Richard and abandons her fiancé, Russell Quinton (Vincent Price), to be with him. The couple rushes into marriage, with both of them caught up in romance and Richard intrigued by Ellen's intensity. Only after settling into marriage, however, does Richard realize that she is psychotically jealous and highly unstable.

Director: John M. Stahl
Producer: William A. Bacher
Screenwriter: Jo Swerling
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Twentieth Century Fox
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 20, 1945, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 10, 2018
Runtime: 1h 51m
Sound Mix: Stereo