Diagonaldi
Very well executed
Solemplex
To me, this movie is perfection.
Kodie Bird
True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.
Lidia Draper
Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.
Richie-67-485852
It has been said that if you are not on the edge of life you are taking up too much room. The discovery and the adventure that comes with people deciding to have them is unique and remains of interest to us all. In this movie, we are introduced to someone who has started to wake-up from the inside out which is the beginning of finding ones purpose and identity. The main character is driven by questions and can only be satisfied by answers which he seeks here and there and when they come. What happens without realizing it is that if one does this correctly, their character changes for the good without calling attention to itself. It is subtle but consistent and this is the proof of the fruit of the tree i.e. who we are and why. Watching someone unravel their mystery is not only satisfying but encourages and supports others to go within for their very own experience. It is in all of us awaiting to be activated patiently standing at the door just wanting to be let in and go to work. The movie captures this and more. Along this journey, one cannot help but find love, true friendship and meaning as it is intended and free for the asking. The Razors Edge also has a dual meaning as well. We know that this is a very sharp edge to be sure but it is also a very narrow one leaving room enough for only one person to journey as the edge is that narrow. But what people find is that even on this Razors Edge, there is the creation power assisting all along supporting and beckoning to finish what was started. This movie will demonstrate all this and more. Have a tasty drink ready, a light snack or even a meal and be patient with the movie as it unfolds like a flower in the sun. It will bloom as intended and the rewards are there
johnpelaro
If anyone had doubts about where Gene Tierney should stand in the vast pantheon of cinema's lading ladies, this understated masterpiece should put them to rest. The chemistry between Tierney and Power is palpable, and makes compromises from Maugham's masterpiece superfluous. This is a movie in which the acting is everything, as far from De Caprio's sensationalism as can be. However, this is a literary adaptation, like Gwen Terasaki's memoir, Bridge to the Sun, or Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night, where reading the book beforehand is highly recommended. Watching Tierney and Power here makes it obvious why the gentleman turned down the lead in The Great Gatsby when Tiernney was rejected as being too pretty (as much as I enjoyed Alan Ladd and Betty Field); Mrs. Tierney was a fine actress, by any standard.
lewis-51
This is a very good movie that should have been better. It is full of excellent little scenes and fine touches, such as the scene at the coal mine with the ex-priest. The photography and quality of the sets are wonderful. There are wonderful scenes in very believable little French hotels and bistros. There are subtle recurring symbols of a philosophical and religious nature.As others have written, it is centered on the story of a WWI veteran (Larry, played by Tyrone Power) who can't get serious about the routine kind of life everyone else seems to be pursuing in Chicago after the war. He wants more. He gives up marrying the beautiful Isabel (Gene Tierney) and has enough money to travel to Paris, then to India, seeking enlightenment and wisdom. That could be hokey, but it is handled well. He is gone long enough for Isabel to give up on him and marry someone she doesn't really love named Gray (John Payne). Also, an old friend of Larry's named Sophie (Anne Baxter) meets tragedy in her family life.Years later, Larry returns from India to Paris and meets Gray, Isabel, her rich uncle Elliott (Clifton Webb) and others there. The stock market has crashed and Gray and Isabel have lost most of their money. They are living with Elliott. Larry has an unusual hypnosis scene with Gray. I was intrigued and thought the situation really had a lot of potential. I loved the scenes with Anne Baxter in Paris. But somehow, after that the main thread got lost. It is a long movie, but maybe not long enough to really do justice to all the subplots. Some of them should have been toned down or dropped, though I admit choosing which one wouldn't be easy.Anne Baxter was superb. Every scene she was in was gripping. Clifton Webb was good, but I got tired of him. There was too much about him. Having Somerset Maugham appear in the movie as a character had its advantages, but somehow didn't really work for me, though the scene where he starts to seduce Tierney is great. Music, direction, plot, production values -- all are first rate. But the movie lives or dies based on the plot and the characterizations. For me, the two main flaws are Tierney and Power. Tyrone Power is just too handsome, in a plastic sort of way, and ultimately fails to be believable. Tierney is in one sense perfectly cast for the villainess -- maybe too perfectly. She is too obvious, too one-note. The contrast with the performance of Anne Baxter is striking. So it's a very good movie that makes me want to see the 1984 remake, and read the novel. I wish they could have cast someone other than Tyrone Power.
hylinski
Oh dear.I have wanted to see this ever since reading the book and seeing Bill Murray's competent version. This movie was like Sunday School in comparison. The direction is as bad as high school dramatics, the acting formulaic, the art direction lamentable and the dialogue is much, much worse.There are a few less bad things. Clifton Webb, who seems to adore being cast as a curmudgeon, is characteristically annoying as Eliot Templeton, Anne Baxter the best of a bad bunch as Sophie and John Payne is competent as Gray Maturin.This film was actually nominated for best picture of 1946. I think you would have had to have lived then to know why.