Fox’s Trustworthy Rendition of ‘The Razor’s Edge’ 1946

December 18, 2023

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Gene Tierney & Tyrone Energy are the well-cast leads within the 1946 all-star model
of “The Razor’s Edge.”

The
Razor’s Edge from 1946 is remarkably devoted to W.
Somerset Maugham’s best-seller, with many key passages of dialogue lifted
immediately from the ebook. Whereas film variations nonetheless run roughshod over their
supply novels, again within the golden period, studios had been even cavalier with film
variations. The good film makers knew to stick to the story as a lot as
potential, as David Selznick did with Gone
with the Wind and Rebecca.

Studio head Darryl F. Zanuck personally oversaw the manufacturing of 1946’s
“The Razor’s Edge.”

20^th Century Fox
head honcho Darryl F. Zanuck was intrigued by the general public’s response to W. Somerset
Maugham’s religious best-seller. The autobiographical novel’s hero is
questioning life after WWI and little question mirrored many readers’ emotions after
WWII. Star Tyrone Energy, having simply served within the struggle, felt an analogous chord
relating to this work.

Lovers Isabel & Larry cannot reconcile their reverse worlds in “The Razor’s Edge.”

Studying the supply novel of The Razor’s Edge, one can see how nicely
Fox forged the movie. Larry Darrell is described as darkish, slim, with extremely
hanging darkish eyes. Wealthy lady Isabel, as soon as she loses her youthful child fats, is
described as modern and sensual with hanging hazel eyes, like Gene Tierney. The
fashionable society snob, Elliot Templeton, is a good function for Clifton Webb. And
tragic Sophie, who’s described as enticing however not lovely, is fiercely performed
by younger Anne Baxter. Her risky character is performed simply as she’s described
within the novel. Herbert Marshall makes a most urbane writer as M. Somerset
Maugham. The one dud is John Payne as Isabel’s “common man” husband, Grey.
Whereas nice sufficient in musicals and comedies, Payne’s out of his league right here.

Tyrone Energy’s Larry Darrell, each contemporary out of the service, in “The Razor’s Edge.”

The
Razor’s Edge was filmed April by means of July of ’46. Energy went
into the manufacturing proper out of the service and turned 32 throughout filming on
Might 5. Tyrone is on the peak of his male magnificence, appeal and sensitivity, and
with the gravity of getting simply served within the struggle. Whereas Energy’s searching for
Larry Darrell is the mouth piece for the movie’s religious philosophies, Tyrone
is way more pure and convincing than when Gary Cooper seemed most
uncomfortable reciting Ayn Rand’s beliefs in 1949’s The Fountainhead. When one compares Energy to MGM’s robotic Robert Taylor,
Tyrone had a real high quality that complemented his skills and nice appears to be like.
Director Edmund Goulding additionally guided Ty by means of one other difficult function, in
1947’s Nightmare Alley.

Tyrone Energy as Larry Darrell, after he is sought religious enlightenment.

Gene Tierney was 25
throughout filming and Anne Baxter turned 23 simply two days after Energy’s birthday.
It’s unimaginable how actresses again then appeared extra womanly, whereas so younger.
Tierney is extremely refined as Isabel and Baxter appears to be like older than her
years as working class lady Sophie, who hits the skids after struggling nice
private tragedy.

Gene Tierney & Anne Baxter as youthful Isabel & Sophie, in “The Razor’s Edge.”

Gene Tierney was not a
extremely praised actress in her time. And Gene acquired some sharp vital jabs in The Razor’s Edge, however I believe Tierney’s
terrific as Isabel. And it is a well-rounded character, not one-dimensional and softened.
Gene performs the brilliant and charming, however self-centered wealthy lady pitch excellent.

Gene Tierney wows as Isabel, on her final night time with Larry, in “The Razor’s Edge.”

Clifton Webb, whereas he
will get to be the acerbic scene-stealer in various scenes, per ordinary, he additionally will get
to be beneficiant and good-humored. Webb’s deathbed scene stunned me in his
touching emotionalism, because the social snob who sobbingly acknowledges that he’s
been forgotten by his in-crowd.

Clifton Webb is genuinely shifting in his remaining scene from “The Razor’s Edge.”

Herbert Marshall is
empathetic, however with dry humor, as writer Maugham. Marshall had fairly an
affiliation with display works of W. Somerset Maugham, showing in Garbo’s The Painted Veil, with Bette Davis in The Letter, and George Sanders in The Moon and Sixpence.

Herbert Marshall is W. Somerset Maugham, the writer of “The Razor’s Edge.”

The Razor’s Edge is an clever,
grownup adaptation, although tweaked considerably to be studio movie-friendly. Zanuck and people concerned within the manufacturing
put nice effort into this movie. Edmund Goulding, who directed literate fare
equivalent to Grand Lodge, does an ideal job
balancing film fashion with out letting it take over the movie’s story. Since
the film was filmed instantly after WWII, location capturing was out of the
query. The
manufacturing presents a convincing depiction of Paris and different locales, with out
being apparent—like plunking a panorama of the Eiffel Tower outdoors of Larry’s house window!

Anne Baxter is startling as Sophie, who cannot overcome tragedy in “The Razor’s Edge.”

It’s fascinating to
examine Energy in The Razor’s Edge
with The Solar Additionally Rises, two literary
Darryl F. Zanuck tremendous productions simply over a decade aside. However the distinction
between Energy then and later is a shock. It is actually a disgrace that they did not
movie Solar proper after Razor.

Gene Tierney’s Isabel later appears to be like at Anne Baxter’s Sophie as an adversary in 1946’s
“The Razor’s Edge.”

The
comparability to The Solar Additionally Rises is
comparable of their lead characters. Each male leads have suffered in WWI, leaving
them at odds with the tantalizing ladies they love.

Additionally, there’s nice
similarity in characters between The
Razor’s Edge and The Nice Gatsby:
lone wolfs Larry and Jay; society belles Isabel and Daisy; tragic Sophie and
Myrtle; Grey as a nicer Tom Buchanan; and Maugham because the outsider observer,
like Nick Carraway. They’re variations of sure character archetypes. And
would not Tyrone and Gene have made a wonderful Jay and Daisy, as nicely? Lastly,
Tierney’s Isabel has a little bit of Scarlett O’ Hara in her make-up, keen to be
robust as a method to an finish. And Energy’s Larry is a little bit of Rhett and Ashley!

Larry’s
transformation could be very detailed within the ebook model of The Razor’s Edge, however the film does a skillful job of skimming his
religious change. Each the novel and the ’46 adaptation of The Razor’s Edge are very worthwhile, certainly.