Heaven Can Wait (1943)

Heaven Can Wait is an American romantic film drama first released in 1943, directed by Ernst Lubitsch.  The film stars Gene Tierney, Don Ameche, Charles Coburn, Marjorie Main and Laird Cregar.  Our overall rating for this film is: excellent.


After a life of dissolute pleasure-seeking, Henry Van Cleve considers he has earned his place in Hell.  But when he arrives in the entrance hall to Satan’s fiery domain, he encounters an imposing figure who is less certain of his credentials.   To convince the diabolical receptionist that he does indeed deserve eternal damnation, Henry begins to recount the story of his life.  Ever since he was a boy, he had a fatal attraction for the fair sex.  On his 25th birthday, he eloped with his cousin’s fiancée Martha and for a while was content with one woman.  Although Martha was the most perfect wife a man could hope for, Henry couldn’t help himself from straying up the path of temptation, into the arms of younger women...

Not to be confused with the insipid 1978 fantasy-comedy starring Warren Beatty of the same title, Heaven Can Wait is a delightful Hollywood classic from the master of the quick-fire romantic comedy, Ernst Lubitsch.  The film, which is as much a social satire as a rom-com, was based on the play Birthdays by the Hungarian playwright Leslie Bush-Fekete, adapted by Lubitsch’s frequent collaborator, Samson Raphaelson.

The appealing colour photography and lavish set design make this Lubitsch’s most visually rewarding film, bringing a sumptuous elegance which matches Lubitsch’s faultless direction whilst heightening the pleasure that comes from the crackling dialogue and thoroughly engaging performances from lead actors Gene Tierney and Don Ameche.  The supporting cast also give great entertainment value, particularly Eugene Pallette and Marjorie Main playing Mr and Mrs Strable, whose marriage has deteriorated to the point where they can only communicate via their Negro servant.  The unflagging humour is delicately balanced by some moments of genuine poignancy which effectively carry the film’s moral about the inconsequentiality of minor indiscretions when set against the splendour and permanence of true love.

© James Travers 2008

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