Criterion’s Best Picture Oscar Nominees
February 22, 2012
Deceased turn-of-the-century playboy Henry Van Cleve (Don Ameche) presents himself to the outer offices of Hades, where he asks a bemused Satan for permission to enter the gates of hell. Though the devil doubts that Henry’s sins qualify him for eternal damnation, Henry proceeds to recount a lifetime of wooing and pursuing women, his long, happy marriage to Martha (Gene Tierney) notwithstanding. Ernst Lubitsch’s Heaven Can Wait, nominated for Academy Awards for best picture and director, is an enduring classic that showcases his trademark blend of wit, urbanity, and grace.
| Henry Van Cleve | Don Ameche |
| Martha | Gene Tierney |
| Hugo Van Cleve | Charles Coburn |
| Mrs. Strable | Marjorie Main |
| His Excellency | Laird Cregar |
| Bertha Van Cleve | Spring Byington |
| Albert Van Cleve | Allyn Joslyn |
| E. F. Strable | Eugene Pallette |
| Mademoiselle | Signe Hasso |
| Rudolph Van Cleve | Louis Calhern |
| Peggy Nash | Helene Reynolds |
| James | Aubrey Mather |
| Director | Ernst Lubitsch |
| Screenplay | Samson Raphaelson |
| Based on a play by | Lazlo Bus-Fekete |
| Cinematography | Edward Cronjager |
| Technicolor director | Natalie Kalmus |
| Music | Alfred Newman |
| Editing | Dorothy Spencer, James Basevi and Leland Fuller |
| Set decoration | Thomas Little and Walter M. Scott |
| Costumes | René Hubert |
By June 13, 2005
Ernst Lubitsch was a big-city director. The historical dramas that he made in Germany in the . . . Read more »
By June 13, 2005
Ernst Lubitsch was a big-city director. The historical dramas that he made in Germany in the . . . Read more »
By June 13, 2005
Ernst Lubitsch was a big-city director. The historical dramas that he made in Germany in the . . . Read more »