The Razor's Edge (1946)

There is a time in our lives when we need to go somewhere and find ourselves, rediscover or reconnect, learn something new.  It could be for a weekend, a week, a month, a year, or longer. That time came for me after college. For sixteen years, I had been in school. Now I was on the cusp of adulthood, not certain what my job vocation would be. Before I was to enter the job market, I traveled to Europe for a couple of months to see different cultures, landscapes, people, and history.  It was one of the greatest times of my life.  THE RAZOR'S EDGE (1946), based on the novel by W. Somerset Maugham, is the story of one man's journey to seek enlightenment after returning home from the horrors of World War I.

During the Golden Age of Hollywood (which I consider the 30s thru the 50s), actors and actresses were often contracted to one studio for a defined period (although they could be loaned out to a rival studio from time to time). Humphrey Bogart, Errol Flynn, and James Cagney all had contracts with Warner Brothers. Spencer Tracy and Clark Gable were contracted with MGM.  THE RAZOR'S EDGE, made by 20th Century Fox, is full of Fox contract players. Lead Tyrone Power appeared in a variety of 20th Century Fox films including THE MARK OF ZORRO (1940).  Gene Tierney and Clifton Webb appeared in Fox's LAURA (1944) directed by Otto Preminger. And Anne Baxter who would win a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for THE RAZOR'S EDGE would earn more rave reviews four years later in Fox's ALL ABOUT EVE (1950) directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Fox Studio head Darryl F. Zanuck made sure he had all his best stars for THE RAZOR'S EDGE.

One of the things that made me want to watch THE RAZOR'S EDGE is its title.   What does it mean - the razor's edge? The term comes from a Hindu proverb. "The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard." Apparently, I wasn't the only one attracted to the title or the story.  Bill Murray, of all people, would not only star but co-write a remake of THE RAZOR'S EDGE in 1984 directed by John Byrum and co-starring Theresa Russell and Denholm Elliott (A ROOM WITH A VIEW). It would be Murray's first dramatic role . Although I have not seen the remake, the few articles I've glanced at indicate the more recent version was considered a bust after its release.

Directed by Edmund Goulding with a screenplay by Lamar Trotti based on the novel by W. Somerset Maugham (what a great name for a novelist), the 1946 THE RAZOR'S EDGE begins with the author W. Somerset Maugham (Herbert Marshall) passing through Chicago in 1919 and attending a party thrown by his wealthy expatriate friend Elliott Templeton (Clifton Webb) who's back in town to visit his sister Louise Bradley (Lucile Watson). Elliott's niece Isabel Bradley (Gene Tierney) is engaged to handsome Larry Darrell (Tyrone Power), a pilot recently back from World War I. Also in attendance at the party are Gray Maturin (John Payne) who's also in love with Isabel and Sophie MacDonald (Anne Baxter) a childhood friend of Isabel and Larry's. Templeton is not happy with Larry who has recently turned down a good job offer from Gray's wealthy father. Larry wants to "loaf" and travel. He's haunted by the loss of his friends who died in World War I. Isabel tells Larry to go travel before they get married. She'll wait for him. Larry takes her up on the offer and heads off for Paris.

Larry lives a bohemian life style in Paris as he seeks "the meaning of life."  Isabel and Elliott travel to Paris to visit Larry.  Isabel doesn't like Larry's free lifestyle.  She returns his engagement ring. Larry and Isabel have one last night out in Paris.  The passion is palpable but Isabel cuts it short.  She returns to Chicago and marries the more financially stable Gray. Larry finds himself working in a coal mine in France. He "doesn't believe in anything." One of his co-workers Kosti (Fritz Kortner), a former defrocked priest suggest Larry travel to India to seek enlightenment. Larry takes him up on the suggestion and makes the journey to India. Larry meets a Holy Man (Cecil Humphreys) who takes Larry up into the mountains where Larry rediscovers the beauty in life.

Larry returns to Paris.  He runs into Somerset who catches Larry up on his old friends.  Gray and Isabella were wiped out by the Crash of 1929 and lost everything.  Gray had a nervous breakdown. Elliott supports both of them and their two kids in Paris.  Somerset visits Isabel to tell her Larry is back in the city. Larry visits all of them in their apartment.  With what he learned in India, Larry cures Gray of his headaches with some simple mental exercises. They go to a working class French bar Rue de Lappe to celebrate and run into Larry's old childhood friend Sophie.  While Larry was away in India, Sophie was injured in a car accident in Chicago that killed her husband Bob MacDonald (Frank Latimore) and their daughter. Sophie moved to Paris where she's become a drunk. Moved by her misfortune, Larry helps Sophie to become sober. Larry and Sophie soon become engaged.

Isabel is furious that Larry and Sophie are to be married as Isabel has never stopped loving Larry. She's mad that Somerset doesn't agree with her. Somerset takes everyone out to the Ritz to celebrate the engagement. Isabel offers to buy Sophie a wedding dress as a token that she's not angry at Larry.  But when Sophie comes over to Isabel's apartment to try on the dress, Isabel tempts Sophie with a liqueur. Sophie relapses. Larry searches for Sophie, finding her in an opium den. Larry's beat up as he tries to recue her.  Sophie vanishes from Paris. Somerset returns to his residence on the French Rivera.  A year later, Somerset and Larry are reunited when Sophie's body is found in the harbor in Toulon. Larry is questioned but her murder remains unsolved. Elliott lays dying in Nice. Upset that he's not received an invitation from a princess he once helped, Larry visits the princess's secretary Miss Keith (Elsa Lanchester) and obtains an invitation, one last pleasure for Elliott before he dies. Larry decides to return to the United States via a steamer. Before he leaves, he questions Isabel if she provided alcohol to Sophie. Isabel admits to it. Larry reveals Sophie was murdered, a fact Isabel was not aware of. Isabel loses Larry for good as he returns to America.

THE RAZOR'S EDGE is a must see for any one like the protagonist Larry Darrell -- restless, self-sacrificing, and not attached to materialistic things.  Larry lives the bohemian life we all dream of. Moving to Paris. Biking through the countryside.  Taking classes at the Sorbonne. But he paid a price for this quest for self-fulfillment. Larry saw the horrors of World War I, saw a soldier killed saving his life. I liked Larry's attitude. When he returns from the Himalayas to discover his former fiancée is married to his best friend, he shows no jealousy, just love. Larry didn't know what he wanted in life after the war.  But his return from the Far East has given Larry a second chance. 

It's never implied in THE RAZOR'S EDGE but Larry, in a way, is like Jesus (both names even have five letters). Larry cures Gray from his terrible headaches and melancholy.  Larry helps his childhood friend Sophie when she's down and destitute and lifts her wayward soul back to the living. They get engaged. Larry even performs a good deed for the Elliott who never had a good word to say about him. While Larry shunned money, marriage, and a good job to search for something more meaningful in life, his more materialistic friends end up suffering setbacks and tragedy.  Larry harbors no ill feelings toward any of them.  Not even his ex-fiancée Isabel when she confesses she's the one who tempted Sophie back to the bottle, ultimately destroying Sophie's life.

Tyrone Power may have been better known for his swashbuckling roles in films like THE BLACK SWAN (1942) or PRINCE OF FOXES (1949) but he seems perfectly cast as everyman Larry Darrell who travels the world after his World War I experiences to seek enlightenment.  "If I ever acquire wisdom," Larry says, "I suppose I'll be wise enough to know what to do with it." Powers plays Larry with an even keel.  Larry never raises his voice, never judges, never shows too much or too less emotion. He's like a walking meditation. THE RAZOR'S EDGE and Power's next film, the film noir NIGHTMARE ALLEY  (1947) in which Powers plays a con man were two meaty roles that showed Powers could play more than pirates and knights. 

Opposite Powers is Gene Tierney who has the unenviable role of Isabel, Larry's former fiancee in THE RAZOR'S EDGE. Isabel cannot make a good choice for herself. Even though she encourages Larry to go to Paris, she ends up dropping him for the rich and established Gray. The Stock Market crashes and so does Gray and Isabel's fortunes. When Larry returns from India relaxed and different, Isabel reveals she's never stopped loving Larry. But Larry's too interested in helping others. Larry's engagement to Sophie drives Isabel mad with jealousy, causing her to make her greatest mistake -- tempting the newly sober Sophie with alcohol. Isabel's action will send Sophie spiraling to a terrible death and forever cut her off from the man she always loved but couldn't wait for - Larry Darrell. THE RAZOR'S EDGE is a good dramatic role for Tierney who appeared in several film noirs for 20th Century Fox including LAURA, WHIRLPOOL (1950), and WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS (1950) all directed by Otto Preminger. In a way, Tierney's Isabel is a femme fatale who can't see the good side in Larry's actions.

If you've never seen Anne Baxter in a film before, THE RAZOR'S EDGE is a good place to start. Unlike many actresses during that time period who played the same character over and over, Baxter had range. As Sophie MacDonald, Baxter arcs from the girl next door at the start of the film to a drunken harlot rescued by Larry if only temporarily. It's a tragic role and Baxter would win Best Supporting Actress as Sophie. Baxter probably should have won another Academy Award for ALL ABOUT EVE as aspiring actress Eve Harrington but fine performances by co-stars Bette Davis and Celeste Holm cancelled each other out for the award. Clifton Webb as Isabel's perennially grumpy rich uncle Elliott Templeton provides THE RAZOR'S EDGE with short bursts of humor. Elliott is a snob who loves to entertain. Elliott has "no friends, just acquaintances" Somerset tells Sophie at the film's opening party. Webb could play villains like in LAURA and as well as comedy such as the fastidious genius Mr. Belvedere in SITTING PRETTY (1948) and two other Belvedere sequels.

Although I had never heard or read about him before THE RAZOR'S EDGE, British director Edmund Goulding seems the perfect choice for the film. Goulding actually fought in World War I giving him some insight into Larry Darrell's psyche. Goulding directed the World War I flying film THE DAWN PATROL (1938) starring Errol  Flynn, David Niven, and Basil Rathbone.  Goulding was also familiar with author W. Somerset Maugham's works having directed OF HUMAN BONDAGE (also 1946) based on Maugham's novel for Warner Brothers starring Paul Henreid (CASABLANCA) and Eleanor Parker. His handling of THE RAZOR'S EDGE is never maudlin or sappy. The film moves at a brisk pace with lots of characters and location changes but we never feel lost or confused in the storytelling. Goulding would also direct Tyrone Powers in NIGHTMARE ALLEY a year later. Goulding would direct nine actors to Academy Award nominations with two of them winning (Baxter one of them). 

I hope to do an update to this post when I'm finally able to watch the 1984 version of THE RAZOR'S EDGE starring Bill Murray and directed by John Byrum.  I did watch the ninety second trailer and came away with a couple of quick thoughts.  The newer RAZOR'S EDGE looks to have some flashback sequences to World War I, a chance to show how Larry came away from that war scarred.  I was surprised that the original never had any flashbacks to Larry's war experiences.  The other highlight with the newer version are actual location filming in India for Larry's journey to the Far East. The India/Himalaya sequences in Goulding's THE RAZOR'S EDGE were never very satisfying. 

Whether Bill Murray (who would seem like the perfect actor to play a character who wants to "loaf") can pull off  a dramatic performance remains to be seen.  So for now, Goulding's THE RAZOR'S EDGE is the gold standard for Maugham's tale of one man's journey to spiritual enlightenment.  A strong cast, engaging story, and dramatic twists make THE RAZOR'S EDGE a classic adaptation of a classic novel.