The Razor's Edge (1984)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

John Byrum

Writers:

W. Somerset Maugham (novel)
John Byrum (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

19 October 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | War

Tagline:

The story of one man's search for himself.

Plot:

He had everything and wanted nothing. He learned that he had nothing and wanted everything. He saved the world and then it shattered. The path to enlightenment is as sharp and narrow as a razor's edge.

Plot Keywords:

Paris | Wedding | Lama | India | Loss Of Husband

Cast

Bill Murray	...	Larry Darrell
Theresa Russell	...	Sophie MacDonald
Catherine Hicks	...	Isabel Bradley
Denholm Elliott	...	Elliott Templeton
James Keach	...	Gray Maturin
Peter Vaughan	...	Mackenzie
Brian Doyle-Murray	...	Piedmont
Stephen Davies	...	Malcolm
Saeed Jaffrey	...	Raaz
Faith Brook	...	Louisa Bradley (Isabel's mother)
André Maranne	...	Joseph, the Butler (as Andre Maranne)
Bruce Boa	...	Henry Maturin
Serge Feuillard	...	Coco
Joris Stuyck	...	Bob MacDonald
Helen Horton	...	Red Cross lady

Runtime:

128 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Rankcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Iceland:14 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Belgium

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

While filming in India, the entire crew became sick with food poisoning from eating chicken. John Byrum lost 25 pounds and directed much of the film with an IV in his arm.

Quotes:

Larry Darrell: This isn't the old Mister Sunshine.

Movie Connections:

Remake of The Razor's Edge (1946)

One of my all-time faves

I was prepared to hate this movie, when I first rented it. It was a 'curiosity pick': I liked the title, I didn't have anything else in mind, and my thought was, of course, "Bill Murray!?"

It turned out to be one of my all-time favorite movies in the 'character-transformation' genre.

It's a compelling story of choices in life and how those choices affect or disaffect perceptions of that life. Murray is perfection in this role, because we seem him change from something we recognize to something quite different. It is a palpable and comprehensible transformation - the movie draws us in, it allows us to change with him.

The rest of the characters are well cast and provide definitive counterpoint to the protagonist - the bon-vivant aristocratic uncle Elliot who simply lives his life appreciatively, the unthinking and manipulative Isabel concerned only with her own comforts and social standing, the uncertain Sophie that allows her uncertainty to trap and destroy her, the practical yet contemplative Raaz who challenges Darrell's notion of things, constructively, and leads him to further his quest. Good character development, all around.

Finally, I was impressed with the faithfulness to the book. It's difficult for a movie to be that, and still be an watchable movie.