Heaven Can Wait August 4, 2006
Posted by clydefro in : Classic Films, 1940s, Ernst Lubitsch , trackback
In 1943, Twentieth Century Fox released Heaven Can Wait
Ameche plays Henry Van Cleve, a man who has recently died and is bargaining with the devil (played with wicked charm by Laird Cregar) for a spot in Hell. Van Cleve doesn’t think there’s any way he belongs in heaven after the things he’s done in his life. The movie takes us from a childhood crush on his French nurse up to his last years. The birthdays in between are used as jumping off points for each piece of Van Cleve’s life story. This is a perfect touch since birthdays, so joyous in youth, become representative of our advancing number of years lived as we get older. In this sense, Heaven Can Wait confronts the aging process head-on and we see Ameche transition from a young vibrant man to an elderly widower as the film progresses. In tow through much of the film is Charles Coburn, who steals scenes as Hugo Van Cleve, Henry’s grandfather. Despite being responsible for the family fortune, Hugo was never able to throw caution to the wind and is delighted to live vicariously through Henry’s playboy lifestyle.
It’s interesting to place the film in the context of when it was made in regards to World War II. Americans were at a patriotic feverpitch and Lubitsch gave moviegoers a wealthy, yet mostly charming lothario with few redeemable qualities. Van Cleve is, like most everyone, an unapologetically flawed character. Unlike many other movie characters, he’s not necessarily someone we want or would aspire to be. The reassuring aspect of the film is that, despite Van Cleve’s indiscretions, he still manages to have lived a good life and found a great woman who loves him. Surely we, the audience, have accomplished as much as Van Cleve and can hope to rest peacefully in the afterlife as well. Unlike the thematically similar It’s a Wonderful Life, Lubitsch’s film has a protoganist who hasn’t done the right things throughout his life. He’s made mistakes of character and, yet, he’s also brought happiness to others and redeemed himself at times.
The Criterion Collection’s excellent DVD displays the vibrant Technicolor beautifully. Films made with the Technicolor process are much more vivid and bright than subsequent color film techniques and they remain gorgeous to look at decades after they were made. For anyone interested, there’s a very entertaining and informative documentary on Technicolor found among the supplements of Warner Bros.’ two-disc special edition of The Adventures of Robin Hood starring Errol Flynn. Getting back to Criterion’s release of Heaven Can Wait, there are some nice supplements included such as a conversation between film critics Andrew Sarris and Molly Haskell that provides a lot of good details and analysis about the film. It also has one of my favorite covers of any Criterion release. It’s admittedly somewhat odd-looking but I’ve really grown to love the cover since the DVD’s release last summer. All in all, it’s a terrific package that helps the viewer appreciate the film without reveling in mindless minutiae.
Films like Heaven Can Wait make us think about our own lives and legacies. The introspective viewer sees the life of Henry Van Cleve and starts to wonder how his own would measure up if such a devilish meeting ever took place. Van Cleve’s ultimate fate in Heaven Can Wait makes us feel better about ourselves and our lives. If you believe in an afterlife as a reward for the life lived on Earth, it’s nice to have movies such as this one to reassure us that no one’s perfect and we’re not expected to be either.
Comments»
Nice piece. I love this film - it’s up there with “To Be or Not to Be” and “Ninotchka” as my favourite Lubitsch works.