Heaven Can Wait (Criterion Collection)
Studio: Home Vision EntMPAA Rating: Unrated
Format: Color, Closed-captioned
Running Time: 112 minutes
DVD Release: June 14th 2005
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DVD Review
The last masterwork by Ernst Lubitsch--whose other gems include Trouble in Paradise, Lady Windermere's Fan, Ninotchka, and The Shop Around the Corner--Heaven Can Wait was nominated for best picture and director Oscars in its day but largely neglected thereafter. Partly it's a matter of no one expecting a 1943 Fox movie featuring Don Ameche, the star of so many bland Technicolor musicals at that studio, to be a comedy of rare loveliness. Also, there's the confusion engendered by the existence of another film with the same title: the 1978 Warren Beatty movie that was the remake of a classic '40s comedy-fantasy--but Here Comes Mr. Jordan, not Heaven Can Wait. It's high time to get our priorities straight.
Following his demise, the aristocratic Henry Van Cleve (Ameche), having no hope of Paradise, betakes himself "where all his life so many people had told him to go." Hell, or at least its antechamber, would appear to be a luxury hotel in neoclassical mode, and--this is a Lubitsch movie, after all--His Satanic Excellency (Laird Cregar) is a perfect gentleman and the most gracious of hosts. To establish his credentials for spending eternity there, Henry begins to narrate a life which, though lacking any notable crimes, "has been one continuous misdemeanor."
Centered in a Fifth Avenue mansion left over from 19th-century New York, the film is Lubitsch and writing partner Samson Raphaelson's valentine to "an age that has vanished, when it was possible to live for the charm of living." Spanning more than half a century, it chronicles the high points of Henry's life so delicately that--in a variation on the strategies of Lubitsch-Raphaelson's risque '30s classics--it leaves some of them entirely offscreen, their emotional impact measured by what the characters feel and say about them afterward. We'll leave it to you to find out what they are. Suffice it to say that Ameche and Gene Tierney--as Martha, the love of Henry's life--give performances far subtler than anything else in their Fox contract-player careers, and there are sublime opportunities for those peerless character actors Charles Coburn, Eugene Pallette, and Marjorie Main. --Richard T. Jameson
User Reviews
A Lubitsch Irony - Rating: 4/5
You may want to watch this movie expecting the Hell scenes to be the funniest yet it's those scenes that could have been left out easily. What's left is a combination of comedy and realism that may make you think twice about how you live your life. It's funny to see a confident macho guy in the 20s trying to win the girl of his dreams through every possible way, yet it's not funny to see the same guy in his 60s hitting on 20-year olds. It's one story to have parents deal with a son's vices, and another one to see a son dealing with his dad's mature weakness.
They just don't get better than this... - Rating: 5/5
I have been waiting for years for this classic to make it to DVD.This is one of my all time favorite movies, filled with great comedy, memorable characters and great acting. I feel sorry for todays kids, that refuse to watch gems like this.
They truly don't make them like this anymore......very sad.
Buy it..you'll love it!!
Witty Subtlety Expresses True Intentions in Terrific Film... - Rating: 5/5
The actions of a man define the character and in the Christian belief this character will come under judgment upon the day of the last breath. The verdict based on character can only bring a person in one of two directions. These directions are, according to common Christian belief, either up or down. Up refers to entering heaven while down brings the person to a scorching situation related to infinite pain. Most people are aware of their actions, but many remain blind to the consequences of their actions. Nonetheless, there are people who have courage to stand up straight and take what they deserve. Henry Van Cleve (Don Ameche) is such a man, who is rather sure about his destination, as he simply takes the stairs down and walks up to the the Devil (Laird Cregar) himself and calls him, "His Excellency."
Ernst Lubitsch's tale of Henry who enters the His Excellency's domain while the Devil inquires what he can do for him. After a brief run-in with an acquaintance from the past His Excellency becomes curious about Henry's past, as he also lacks knowledge of Henry's identity. Thus, Henry begins his biography, which he shares with the His Excellency in the light of all the women in his life. The story begins with his mother and grandmother who began quarrelling about when and how much affection to give him as an infant. Henry continues to tell how he kept on running into women through his childhood and adolescence. All of the women were treated with affectionate and tender care while he kept his physical distance in order maintain the fashionable moral conduct of the 1870s in New York City. This is a moral conduct that Martin Scorsese offers an intimate illustration of in his The Age of Innocence (1993), where marriage because of love was thought of a vulgar and indecent act.
Henry was growing up amidst the time of Victorian repression when it was fashionable to have a title and etiquette fit for a gentleman. However, as a teen Henry was no gentleman according to the rules of Victorian etiquette at the time. He kissed girls and befriended the family's French maid who also taught him how to drink wine and speak French. A little more than a decade later he met the love of his life, but it also meant that he had to struggle with all the rules of the Victorian etiquette, as he married the girl who he fell in love with who also was engaged. At the time, when the Heaven Can Wait was shot the strict codes of the Catholic Legion of Decency still ruled what was appropriate and inappropriate on the American film front. The Victorian moral codes were similar in their intentions to the policies of the Catholic Legion of Decency and Lubitsch flirted with the line of what was inappropriate in a very intentional manner through his character Henry in the film that does not follow the strict codes of his time. Indirectly and maybe unintentionally, Lubitsch was challenging the censorship policies of the country, as they were absurd and limited what many filmmakers and artists could express through the medium of cinema.
Lubitsch, born in German, and was invited to make films in Hollywood in 1922. More than a decade later the Nazi's wiped out his German citizenship, which forced him to stay in the United States. However, he continued to express his concerns with society, which he did with witty subtlety in more than one way in Heaven Can Wait. The film deals with interesting social moral codes inherited from sanctimonious sources that never have been questioned. In the light of freedom, Lubitsch expresses his idea that these rules often restrict people from fully being able to express themselves. Yet, it is within the fear of breaking these rules that he brings out the humor in a timely and brilliant manner. Maybe, Lubitsch's foreign perspective enhanced his ability to visualize some of the awkwardness within the American society, as this cinematic experience challenges the audience to reflect on what is right and wrong, instead of blindly following what has been stated a rule.
'It's a conspiracy to keep me in short pants!' - Rating: 5/5
Maybe it shows a weakness in character to fall for this movie, but this is one of my favourites. It's up there with the best of the great mocking yet warm-hearted comedies of Sturges, Mankiewicz, Mamoulian etc. Fantastic dialogue and character acting. Sure, it should have wound up more quickly after the Martha slides off the plate. Sure, the moral message is a bit different to most romantic comedies, but that's one of the reasons it's interesting. The scenes with Eugene Pallette and Charles Coburn are priceless. Don Ameche is hilariously transparent. Gene Tierney is, of course, the most gorgeous actress ever and this movie suits the best qualities of her light acting style. I can't wait for the DVD, it'd better be a good print.
"A passport to Hell is not issued on generalities." - Rating: 5/5
At last, this timeless romantic comedy has gotten the Criterion "treatment" and is being released on dvd. Don Ameche stars as Henry Van Cleve, an over-the-hill former playboy who has died and gone to Hell. But Satan, or "His Excellency" (Laird Cregar, giving one of his very best performances!) isn't convinced that Van Cleeve belongs there, so Henry tells him the story of his life (through flashbacks of course).
Growing up a Van Cleeve wasn't easy, and young Henry had no one to turn to for help (both his parents are somewhat out of touch with reality!) except his wild grandfather (Charles Coburn), who is obviously not a very good role model for Henry. As Henry becomes a man, he starts pursuing young and beautiful women, and finally meets a respectable young lady, Martha (Gene Tierney). The problem is that Martha is already engaged to a relative of Henry's! But, he wins her over and they elope and begin their life together.
After ten years of marriage, Martha walks out on Henry because of his flirtations with other women. With the help of his granfather, Henry finally convinces her to come back to him, and somehow they manage to stay married. Eventually, in an ironic twist of fate, middle-aged Henry finds his son facing the same problem with women (he can't stop chasing them!) that he suffered with for decades. Henry and Martha's bond together gets only closer as they grow older together, but sadly death seperates them...but only temporarily. Needless to say, after hearing the story of Henry's life, His Excellency knows that Van Cleeve belongs with Martha in Heaven!
This wonderful Ernst Lubitsch film from 1943 is a bold-for-its-time look at marriage and infidelity, and the fast-paced script is packed with witty dialogue. Don Ameche plays a cad, true, but he does it with such charm, humor, and sophistication that you can't help but like him. And of course, the beautiful Gene Tierney in technicolor is not something to be missed by any movie buff! The supporting cast was equally superb, especially Charles Coburn and Laird Cregar, whose film career was sadly cut short by a fatal heart attack at the age of 28. With a great mixture of romance, humor, and drama, this excellent classic is highly recommended.
