The Razor's Edge (1946)

What a waste of my time!!!

A Disappointing Continuation

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

A man's search for the meaning of life is captured in this Darryl F. Zanuck production, directed by Edmund Goulding, and screenwriter Lamar Trotti's interpretation of the W. Somerset Maugham novel. The film was nominated for Best Picture (and B&W Art Direction-Interior Decoration) by the Academy and won Anne Baxter an Oscar in the Best Supporting Actress category; Clifton Webb was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Tyrone Power, Gene Tierney, John Payne, and Lucile Watson play key roles as does Herbert Marshall, who plays (and narrates the story as) novelist Maugham.Larry Darrell (Power) returns from World War I wondering why he survived when a comrade of his, who was struck down just before its end, did not. This seemingly random occurrence causes him to question life. Raised without a religious or spiritual foundation, he asks "what's the point?" and considers loafing but instead decides to begin a quest for meaning. His upper class fiancée Isabel Bradley (Tierney), whose physical if not emotional attraction to Larry is obvious, is initially tolerant of his search despite her socialite uncle Elliott Templeton's (Webb) misgivings; a snob, his attempts to manipulate 'common' Larry out of his niece's life fail. Isabel's mother (Elliott's sister) Louisa (Watson) has long since given up trying to control her strong-willed daughter.But after giving Larry a year, which he spends in Paris, and deciding to abandon an attempt to trap him (the old fashioned way, with pregnancy), Isabel returns to her Midwestern roots and marries the multi-millionaire scion – Gray Maturin (Payne) – that her family had always preferred to Larry. Maugham's character, an acquaintance of Templeton's, observes the goings-on and often offers merely an expression – raised eyebrows or a "knowing look" – to exhibit his opinion; he words are usually neutrally tempered.Baxter plays Sophie, a childhood friend of Larry's – and Isabel's, despite their class differences – that marries Bob MacDonald (Frank Latimore). Her simple yet happy life is dramatically changed when her husband and their child are killed in an automobile accident. Years later, after the stock market crash that wipes out Gray and Isabel, who've come to live with Elliott in Paris, and Larry returns from the Himalayas where a Holy Man (Cecil Humphreys) and the setting helps him to find the spirituality he'd been seeking, they find a despondent and drunken Sophie in a bar in the lower class district of the city. Evidently she'd salved the hurt of her losses with alcohol and prostitution.Larry attempts to save Sophie, leading her to sobriety, and they become engaged to be married. But a jealous and incensed Isabel conspires to bring about Sophie's demise. When Larry later confronts Isabel about her actions, his inherent "goodness", coupled with his selfless gesture (which features a scene with Elsa Lanchester) to a dying Elliott, leaves her (and indeed the audience, through Maugham) to contemplate his chosen path.

"...a cold and failed adaptation of a good book by Somerset Maugham." yes, indeed. if Somerset Maugham's novel was as bad, pretentious and hollow like this film, his novels or short stories would not have survived after one printed edition. this film was poorly adapted by a pin head, then directed by an absolutely non-talent director and furthermore, with terrible casting. yes, we got some of the familiar actors played the main characters of this novel, but most of the chosen actors were just looked so awful in acting that obviously was resulted from a bad screenplay with terrible dialog which made all of the players looked rigid, unnaturally pretentious. i hate to see the guy who played Somerset Maugham, an actor who couldn't even open his eyes normally, the guy in the film looked like a walking stiff. at the opening scene, we saw all the characters were stupidly introduced in a banquet, a party dotted with stupid, boring and pretentious conversation. from such poor arrangement to usher in all the leading roles one by one with stupid dialog and pretentious performances almost by everyone, the film was doomed to be a bad one, as bad as a B movie or TV soap opera. I couldn't believe this movie even got an Oscar or some worthless nominations. if Somerset Maugham himself would now that his novel had been adapted into such lousy film, he might have turned in his grave quite a few times. you guys who gave this film high praises with mucho stars got to have you brains checked right away, because this is an awful film so painful to watch.

Edmund Goulding directed this adaptation of the W. Somerset Maugham novel about Larry Darrel(played by Tyrone Power) a returning WWI veteran who finds that he cannot adjust to his old life after his war experiences, so breaks off his engagement to Isabel(played by Gene Tierney) and travels the world looking for enlightenment. Ten years later, Larry returns to find Isabel married to a man named Gray(played by John Payne)though finds that she still loves him. They also meet old friend Sophie(played by Anne Baxter in an Academy Award winning best supporting actress performance) who has fallen low after a series of tragedies wrecked her life. Clifton Webb plays Isabel's eccentric uncle Eliot. Interesting story, though goes on a bit too long, and ends inconclusively, but still features fine acting and unusual touch of having the author appear as a character(played by Herbert Marshall).

Being an intellectually engrossing, enormously stylish, deeply emotional picture, The Razor's Edge is both the most captivating and the most satisfying adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham's inspiring novel of the same title. Even though in its core subject the film has much to do with spirituality and self-realization, it also ponders such considerable topics as obsession, greed, alcoholism, war-related traumas, etc. Wrapped up in a neat package of astounding visuals and fascinating camera shots, The Razor's Edge proves to be a very successful collaboration between the director Edmund Goulding and the cinematographer Arthur C. Miller. Splendid performances by the stellar cast only confirm that The Razor's Edge is an irrefutable masterpiece of the Golden Era of Hollywood.The literate and dramatic script gives a thorough psychological insight into all the character's minds. Tyrone Power plays Larry Darrell, the main character, who is about to begin a long and demanding search for the true meaning of life. Gene Tierney is his fiancée Isabel Bradley, a girl who tries to trap him into a marriage she wants, but ultimately realizes that she won't be able to. Clifton Webb is Elliott Templeton, a shallow, pompous, and supercilious uncle who – surprisingly so – turns out to be a rather likable and reliable old gentleman.Larry goes to France and then to India, discovering many new facts about life and fulfilling his destiny as the passionate truth-seeker. In the meantime, Isabel marries Gray Maturin (John Payne), a man who's always been in love with her. Along with her uncle and a few relatives they move to a classy palace located in France and stay there until the heavy depression hits them really hard.The turning point of the film comes when a long-time family friend Sophie MacDonald (devastating performance by Anne Baxter) loses her husband and child in a car crash and starts drinking in order to forget about this horrible accident. After a while, all the characters meet up in France at the most unexpected time. Though married, Isabel is still fully in love with Larry. He, on the other hand, decides to help poor Sophie and proposes to her instead. Thing turn ugly, as Isabel tries to cause Sophie's final fall into alcoholism and dejection, just to get Larry only for herself. As the obsessive behavior progresses, she realizes that many people, even those that she truly cared about, desert her.Starting in the period ingeniously named the roaring 20's and following up to the difficult times of the Great Depression, the film exhibits – in an utterly realistic manner – how a social and economic situation in the USA shaped the way people corresponded to one another. Pretentious, shallow and greedy members of the aristocracy cared only about their own, mostly material, needs. However, after the horrible stock market crash in 1929 everything suddenly changed. It's perfectly exemplified in the way Isabel Bradley's closest relatives handled the loss of money, and how it actually lead up to the beginning of the respected family's end.Undoubtedly, Tyrone Power's performance is the greatest force of this picture. Avoiding many clichés, he presents a man who is as confused as he is curious about life in general. Handsome and charismatic, it's not hard to see why Gene Tierney was so obsessed with his persona. Her awe-inspiring portrayal of a woman who can't distinguish between what's good and what's bad is as convincing as it is heartbreaking. Exploring both an ill-fated love affair and a promising spiritual journey, the film is a 144-minute ode to effective and convincing filmmaking. Enhanced by marvelous supporting performances, The Razor's Edge cuts deep and uncovers a deeply sorrowful intrigue, promising neither second chances nor happy endings.