The Razor's Edge (1946)

An adventuresome young man goes off to find himself and loses his socialite fiancée in the process. But when he returns 10 years later, she will stop at nothing to get him back, even though she is already married.

Director:

Edmund Goulding

Writers:

Lamar Trotti (screen play), W. Somerset Maugham (from the novel by)

Stars:

Tyrone Power, Gene Tierney, John Payne

Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Tyrone Power	...	Larry Darrell
Gene Tierney	...	Isabel Bradley
John Payne	...	Gray Maturin
Anne Baxter	...	Sophie MacDonald
Clifton Webb	...	Elliott Templeton
Herbert Marshall	...	W. Somerset Maugham
Lucile Watson	...	Louisa Bradley
Frank Latimore	...	Bob MacDonald
Elsa Lanchester	...	Miss Keith
Fritz Kortner	...	Kosti
John Wengraf	...	Joseph - Butler
Cecil Humphreys	...	Holy Man
Harry Pilcer	...	Specialty Dancer
Cobina Wright Sr.	...	Princess Novemali

Storyline

Well-to-do Chicagoan, Larry Darrell, breaks off his engagement to Isabel and travels the world seeking enlightenment, eventually finding his guru India. Isabel marries Gray, and following the crash of 1929, is invited to live in Paris with her rich, social climbing, Uncle Elliot. During a sojurn there, Larry, having attained his goal, is reunited with Isabel. While slumming one night Larry, Isabel and company are shocked to discover Sophie, a friend from Chicago. Having lost her husband and child in a tragic accident, Sophie is living the low-life with the help of drugs and an abusive brute. Larry tries to rehabilitate her, but his efforts are sabotaged by Isabel who tries in vain to reignite Larry's interest in herself.

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Plot Keywords:

spirituality | pilgrimage | homosexual subtext | controlling relationship | controlling female | 

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Taglines:

Hunger no love . . . woman . . . or wealth could satisfy!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

25 December 1946 (USA)

Also Known As:

W. Somerset Maugham's The Razor's Edge

Filming Locations:

Denver, Colorado, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

145 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although a December 1945 studio publicity item states that Marcel Dalio was to play a French police inspector, he does not appear in the released film.

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Goofs

After a promising beginning, in which the clothes and hairstyles of 1919 are pleasantly and reasonably accurately interpreted, as soon as it gets to 1920, then on to 1930, and beyond, Gene Tierney's hairstyle is in an unchanging, although very attractive, 1946 mode, and all of her clothes, designed by husband Oleg Cassini, except for lower hemlines, are strictly 1946, complete with the ubiquitous shoulder pads of that era. Anne Baxter's ensembles look more like Tierney/Cassini rejects, an unhappy compromise between opposing styles.

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Quotes

Kosti: You're a rum one, Larry. But what about all the answers to those profound questions you've been asking yourself? Don't you know, people have been asking those same questions for thousands of years?
Larry Darrell: Yes, but doesn't the fact that people *have* been asking those same questions for thousands of years only go to prove that they can't help asking?
Kosti: Very good, very good. You're not altogether stupid. As a matter of fact, you sound like a very religious man who doesn't believe in God.
Larry Darrell: I'm not sure that...

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Crazy Credits

When the screenplay credits are shown, a curious symbol appears near W. Somerset Maugham's name. It's a symbol meant to ward off the evil eye, and it more often than not appeared on the covers of many of Maugham's novels.

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Connections

Referenced in Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda: Razor's Edge (2013)

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Soundtracks

Miner's Song
(1946) (uncredited)
Music by Edmund Goulding
Lyrics by Jacques Surmagne
Sung by the coal miners

User Reviews

Zanuck's Buildup for Ty's Return

Producer Darryl F. Zanuck fashioned a major production for Tyrone Power upon his return to 20th Century Fox after a stint in the military service. No expense was spared in terms of production values, and special care was taken to cast each role to "perfection."

With master story teller W. Somerset Maugham joining in writing the screenplay from his sprawling, multi-character novel, and Edmund Gouling doing the direction and Alfred Newman the score, it was a setup that couldn't miss.

The cast works at a thoroughly respectable level, and the film emerges likewise. Yet, it falls strangely short of the genuine masterpiece Zanuck obviously planned.

There is a rather cold center to "The Razor's Edge," which prevents one from being able to completely empathize with and feel for these characters and their respective plight. While they are interesting, the characters fail to ignite a deep emotional response in the viewer. One ends more observing this enactment, which has the feel of a somewhat slick presentation.

It also represents the best of what 20th Century Fox had to offer in the mid-forties. Power next went on to do "Nightmare Alley," for which he received some of the best notices of his lengthy film career.