Rent Leave Her to Heaven (1946)

Technicolor Noir (major spoilers). - Leave Her to Heaven review by Steve

It's not obvious which is more gorgeous, the sumptuous Technicolor location photography or Gene Tierney in her only Oscar nominated performance. No need for a line of dialogue explaining that she is hot trouble. Her beauty has bite too, feeding the narcissism which makes her a danger to anyone who threatens to come between her and her husband (Cornel Wilde).

Tierney creates a chilling portrait of a psychopath. The scene when she watches Wilde's disabled brother drown as she looks on from behind her shades is haunting, and it's astonishing that the Production Code allowed it to stand. Similarly when she kills herself while to frame her step sister (Jeanne Crain) who she suspects loves her man!

It has the dark pessimism of film noir, but in colour; the interiors are full of shadows and Tierney is a very malevolent femme fatale. However, much of the atmosphere of the film comes from its sunny rural exteriors, which isn't really noir. This is psychological melodrama.

A major weakness is Vincent Price's clodhopping performance as the idiotic lawyer who seeks to prove the crazy bombshell was killed by her sister. Wilde and Crain are fine, but the film is dominated by Tierney's stunning performance. This was Fox's biggest box office hit of the whole decade. While it's a little slow in places, it's a compelling, unsettling film.