291 Heaven Can Wait

[domino harvey]

This isn't the Here Comes Mr Jordan thread

[justeleblanc]

This isn't the Here Comes Mr Jordan thread

I want that on a t-shirt!!!

[Agnes of God]

I can't say this is my favourite Lubitsch, but I will agree with it's supporters that it certainly is charming. I'm not even a fan of Don Ameche under most circomstances, but here, he is subdued and charming. The bookends are delightful, and I think it's a rather down to earth love stories with reasonable ups and downs. Doesn't hold up against something like To Be or Not To Be or Cluny Brown, but how many films do?

[HerrSchreck]

This isn't the Here Comes Mr Jordan thread

I want that on a t-shirt!!!

You'll lose the respect of friends & family though.

[Max von Mayerling]

You're assuming that he had their respect in the first place.

[HistoryProf]

the first five minutes of this film are the best first five minutes of any film

bzzzzzt! That award goes to the opening of P&Ps Matter of Life and Death (AKA Stairway to Heaven)

However, it is right up there....and I was pleasantly surprised by the clever naughtiness of the dialog. good stuff all around. and yes, Gene Tierney is one of the most underrated actresses of all time.

[zedz]

the first five minutes of this film are the best first five minutes of any film

bzzzzzt! That award goes to the opening of P&Ps Matter of Life and Death (AKA Stairway to Heaven)

Pah! That's not even the best five minutes of a Powell / Pressburger film. I Know Where I'm Going!

[Saarijas]

I hate to have this thread descend into a discussion of best movie openings, but it's really an interesting topic. A lot of the time the first 5 minutes are a make it or break it moment for me. Like first impressions, if the first few minutes really snag me, I'm engrossed for the whole film (even if the rest is relatively disappointing) while a laborious opening, or anything that makes me doubt my viewing decision means the film really needs to work uphill for me to get full engrossed in it.

And for my money, Ace in the Hole has the greatest opening.

[bugsy_pal]

I watched this again a couple of weeks ago. I have seen it a number of times over the years, on an old VHS copy and now on the Criterion disc. It was my introduction to Lubitsch and I have a soft spot for the film. I can see why some people may not like it - I think both Don Ameche and Gene Tierney are rather stilted in their roles, and everything about the movie seems very stitched up. But I still think it's a very clever and witty film - not much in the way of laugh-out-loud moments, but I still got some nice chuckles. My wife saw it for the first time just recently and she enjoyed it greatly, and had a tear in her eye during a couple of key moments.

I particularly like the use of colour in the film - it's all very choreographed, but I would think it was pretty novel in that respect in its day, given that colour was fairly new.

I still prefer Shop Around the Corner - the acting of the Stewart and Sullivan is so much more convincing to me. But Heaven Can Wait is definitely worthy of the Criterion treatment.

[FrauBlucher]

Has there been any suggestion of an upgrade or news of a restoration for this?

[swo17]

BD upgrade Aug 21

[hearthesilence]

Nice! And it took long enough - the Film Foundation screened a sparkling 35mm print of their brand new restoration back in 2015 at the NYFF (in Alice Tully Hall too, which has an enormous screen). I figured it would be available on BD within a year, but regardless, three years is better than never.

[KJones77]

So happy this is getting an upgrade. Long overdue.

[domino harvey]

Thank you Jesus, one of my all time favs. Hope this looks as amazing as Mrs Cooper-Cooper's aria sounds to Cousin Albert

[muchogris]

Hi guys. I'm new here and was wondering why this extra:

Home recordings of director Ernst Lubitsch playing the piano

Is it somehow related to this movie? I havent seen it and it truly intrigues me as I loved The shop around the corner and Trouble in paradise.

[FrauBlucher]

Beaver

[domino harvey]

Rewatched this old favorite over the weekend and thought the restoration looked terrific-- the color choices in Hell unintentionally being the same as faded technicolor makes it at first look suspect, but of course that's how the set's supposed to look and the increased detail is quite impressive.

Not sure there's any movie character I love more than Charles Coburn's Grandpapa. Also, I always forget the perversity of the scene where Gene Tierney's reveal is not shown but instead expressed through the words of the butler slowly describing her exact location and movements-- such a bizarre joke!

[FrauBlucher]

There are times when supplements make me appreciate the film even more than I initially did. This is the case after hearing Sarris and Haskell have a wonderful, insightful 24 plus minute discussion on the film, Lubitch and Raphaelson. I watched it twice. Before and after watching the film.

The one aspect that jumps out to me about Lubitsch's style is his actors deliver their dialogue in kind of a lilting, almost singsong manor. It's a commonality in all his films I've seen. It's very endearing to me

I have to agree with Domino. The first 5 minutes are truly great.