The Worst Film Ever

Good concept, poorly executed.

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

In the old days, they produced a lot of movies that made light of a man's infidelity, such as "The Women" (1939), "The Philadelphia Story" (1940), and, of course, "Heaven Can Wait." Perhaps it was because a divorce was harder to get in those days, or maybe it was that women had a much harder time supporting themselves when they did get a divorce. But the moral of such stories seems to be that women should forgive their philandering husband because their indiscretions are not serious, that their husbands really loved them deep down, and that such men are really just like cute, little, mischievous boys. Such movies helped women accept the fact that they were stuck in a loveless marriage, and they undoubtedly assuaged any feelings of guilt men might have for having been unfaithful. Now that divorces are easier to get, and women are better able to support themselves, we don't see such movies any more. Instead, a modern movie is more likely to treat adultery as being as painful and insulting as it really is.They may have cast creepy Laird Cregar in the role of the Devil, nattily attired, with the appropriate beard and mustache neatly trimmed, so as to make him look the part, but he is so kind and sympathetic that we can only wish most people were as considerate and caring as he is. The idea of giving us a Devil who is not really evil is to underscore the idea that adultery (on the part of a man, of course) is not really a sin. We don't believe that Henry Van Cleve should burn for eternity in the fires of Hell, but we don't believe he deserves a forgiving wife like Martha either.

Have you ever noticed while watching your favorite films, that in Hollywood they sort of discretely hide the ages of older characters? When you think about it, many motion pictures have quite a few older performers in the most important roles (usually playing much younger). But Ernst Lubitsch's 1943 masterpiece, Heaven Can Wait, is different. It rewrites the rule book on movie star aging and goes against the norm. There are many performers in this picture that are well above forty. And what's so great is that Lubitsch lets them act their own natural age. Take, for example, Charles Coburn. He happens to play a character quite a bit older than he is in real life! And the movie is much richer for it.

The 1978 film gave us a smug-face Warren Beatty, a dead sports star, hopping around like a rabbit and talking about eating his "curds and whey" but unlike Little Miss Muffet a spider does NOT come along and eat Beatty, thus saving the audience.The 1943 film is a very fine comedy, filmed in stunning 3 strip Technicolor, overloaded with clever lines and fine performances.Don Ameche is dead and having his life reviewed by the Devil, for possible admission to Hell; but that doesn't work out.Ameche is a rich playboy, but when he takes one look at Gene Tierney it's love at first sight and marriage ASAP. Similarly, when I first saw Miss Tierney (in "Return of Frank James") I was stunned by her undeniable beauty. Too bad I was 10 years old and she was then 30.Heaven Can Wait certainly sells the idea of taking maybe 10 minutes to decide on a lifetime commitment. Older and wiser now, I can see that marriage with Gene would not have worked out. After a while, I can't long stand her screen personality, and I like a slimmer build in the upper measurement. I'd try to end it, "Gene, dear, you're much older, but..." BUT... I'd look at her beautiful face and be sunk all over again!

From Oscar nominated director Ernst Lubitsch (To Be or Not to Be), I spotted this film because it starred the actor who voiced Chance in Homeward Bound, it sounded good, and it was rated well by the critics, so I was up for it. Basically recently deceased and aged playboy Henry Van Cleve (Cocoon's Don Ameche) has entered the reception area of Hell, and is meeting His Excellency - The Devil (Laird Cregar) to see if he qualifies entering into eternal damnation or into Heaven. So in flashback we see his story that he tells to prove his worthiness, going back to Manhattan in the 19th Century, where Henry grew up as a spoilt and naive child, living with rich parents Randolph (Louis Calhern) and Bertha Van Cleve (Spring Byington), as well as his Grandmother (Clara Blandick) and grandfather Hugo (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' Charles Coburn). Henry becomes a man with an appetite for beautiful showgirls, and he one day overhears the voice of and follows a woman who he finds very beautiful and wants to get to know better, Martha (Gene Tierney). He does find out she is engaged, but he persists in flirting with her, and later when his irritating cousin Albert (Allyn Joslyn) introduces his new fiancée, he is surprised to find out it is her again, but she is only marrying him because she was scared of remaining a spinster in Kansas City. Henry convinces Martha that she does not truly love Albert and that she should marry him instead, everybody apart from supportive granddad Hugo is shocked by the revelation, but eventually they are accepted. They have a son together and remain happy for ten years, but it is on this anniversary that Martha finds out that her husband has been messing about with another woman, so she goes back to her parents, but he and Hugo follow her home and he begs her forgiveness and suggests remarrying. So after this they remain happy together for the rest of their lives, until Martha tragically passes away shortly after their twentieth wedding anniversary party, while Henry remains a few more years and dies in the care of a nurse. After hearing the whole story by Henry there does not seem to be any real evidence that he was ever really bad, His Excellency denies him entry and suggests he should go to the "other place", upstairs, where Martha will be waiting for him. Also starring Marjorie Main as Mrs. Strable and Signe Hasso as Mademoiselle. Ameche gives a likable performance as the charming and not sure about himself man, and Tierney is also really good as his loving and beautiful wife, the going to Heaven or Hell concept is interesting, the romantic love story element is nicely done, and with the help of bright colour and good scripting the film is very charmingly, warm and honest, a most watchable classic fantasy comedy. It was nominated the Oscars for Best Cinematography and Best Picture. Very good!