It’s almost Halloween, and so time to reflect on some of Shakespeare’s more chilling moments! In an earlier post, we explored the eerie impact of Hamlet’s fateful meeting with his father’s ghost. Setting the tone for the ensuing exploration of revenge and madness, this Act I, Scene 5 encounter introduces a supernatural quality that shades the entire play.
Arguably one of the more sinister statements made by Hamlet’s father ― identified only as Ghost in the text ― relates to Gertrude, his unfaithful wife who is now married to his brother. Even as the Ghost seeks vengeance for his murder, he advises Hamlet not to include his mother in any such plots. “[L]eave her to heaven,” he admonishes, “And to those thorns that in her bosom lodge / To prick and sting her.”
Hundreds of years later, Hollywood would produce its own variation on this theme with Leave Her to Heaven (1945). Based on the novel of the same name and starring the marvelous Gene Tierney, the film traces the machinations of a most destructive femme fatale. Like Gertrude, she is beyond earthly justice ― instead, she carries within her the “thorns” of her own undoing.
Leave Her to Heaven is a golden-age classic that, admittedly, might be better Halloween viewing for parents and teachers than their young performers! But no matter its audience, the film illustrates just how close the Elizabethan stage is to the Silver Screen.
©2018