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 trustworthy to W.
Somerset Maugham’s best-seller, with many key passages of dialogue lifted
instantly from the e-book. Whereas film variations nonetheless run roughshod over their
supply novels, again within the golden period, studios have 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 battle, felt the same chord
concerning 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 properly
Fox solid the movie. Larry Darrell is described as darkish, slim, with extremely
putting darkish eyes. Wealthy woman Isabel, as soon as she loses her youthful child fats, is
described as smooth and sensual with putting hazel eyes, like Gene Tierney. The
trendy society snob, Elliot Templeton, is a superb position for Clifton Webb. And
tragic Sophie, who’s described as engaging however not stunning, 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 recent 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, allure and sensitivity, and
with the gravity of getting simply served within the battle. Whereas Energy’s looking 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 abilities and nice seems.
Director Edmund Goulding additionally guided Ty by means of one other difficult position, 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 unbelievable how actresses again then appeared extra womanly, whereas so younger.
Tierney is extremely refined as Isabel and Baxter seems older than her
years as working class woman 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 bought some sharp important 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 intense and charming, however self-centered wealthy woman pitch good.

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 regular, he additionally will get
to be beneficiant and good-humored. Webb’s deathbed scene shocked 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 transferring in his closing 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
reminiscent of Grand Lodge, does a fantastic job
balancing film type with out letting it take over the movie’s story. Since
the film was filmed instantly after WWII, location taking pictures was out of the
query. The
manufacturing gives a convincing depiction of Paris and different locales, with out
being apparent—like plunking a panorama of the Eiffel Tower exterior of Larry’s condominium window!

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

It’s attention-grabbing to
evaluate 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 seems 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 girls 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 fabulous Jay and Daisy, as properly? Lastly,
Tierney’s Isabel has a little bit of Scarlett O’ Hara in her make-up, keen to be
robust as a way to an finish. And Energy’s Larry is a little bit of Rhett and Ashley!

Larry’s
transformation may be very detailed within the e-book 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.

Tyrone Energy at his peak, as Larry Darrell, in 1946’s “The Razor’s Edge.”

Tyrone
Energy in his private favourite position as a carny con man within the cult traditional,
1947’s Nightmare Alley. My take right here:

https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2022/01/tyrone-powers-personal-best-nightmare.html

Right here’s
my take a look at Gene Tierney in her signature position, as 1944’s Laura:

https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2018/04/laura-1944.html

twentieth Century Fox does justice to W. Somerset Maugham’s “The Razor’s Edge.”