The Razor's Edge (1984 film)
| The Razor's Edge | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster by Tom Jung
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| Directed by | John Byrum |
| Produced by | Rob Cohen |
| Written by | John Byrum Bill Murray |
| Based on |
The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham |
| Starring |
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| Music by | Jack Nitzsche |
| Cinematography | Peter Hannan |
| Edited by | Peter Boyle |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
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Release date
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October 19, 1984 |
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Running time
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129 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $12 million |
| Box office | $6.6 million |
The Razor's Edge is an adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham's 1944 novel The Razor's Edge. It stars Bill Murray (who also co-writes), Theresa Russell, Catherine Hicks, Denholm Elliott, Brian Doyle-Murray and James Keach. It was directed and co-written by John Byrum.
This marked Murray's first starring role in a dramatic film, though Murray did inject some of his dry wit into the script. The book's epigraph is dramatized as advice from the Katha Upanishad: "The path to salvation is narrow and as difficult to walk as a razor's edge."
In Illinois, in 1917, just before America joins World War I, a fair has been planned to raise money to support Gray Maturin and Larry Darrell, who are joining World War I as ambulance drivers. Larry looks forward to returning home to marry his longtime sweetheart Isabel. Larry shares a final night with Isabel watching the fireworks along with Gray, their close friend Sophie, and her husband Bob. At the front, commanding officer Piedmont schools his new men on the harsh reality of war. For example, he has both of them armed, because in spite of it being an ambulance unit and America's neutrality, the enemy can and will kill those helping the Allies. He also destroys the headlights and windows of a fellow ambulance truck because the lights will signal enemies to their unit. Larry adapts quickly, shooting the headlights and windows of his own truck.
Larry witnesses the deaths of soldiers and fellow ambulance drivers, and is in constant danger. By the time America is deeply in the war, Larry's unit is down to a few men. During an unexpected encounter with German soldiers, Piedmont is fatally stabbed trying to block a German soldier from shooting a wounded Larry. The war ends not long after, and when he and Gray return to America, Larry suffers survivor's guilt and realizes that his life has changed. His plans to join Gray in working for Gray's father as a stockbroker will not make him happy, so he puts off his engagement to Isabel and travels to Paris in an effort to find meaning in his life. Isabel's uncle, Elliott Templeton, assures her that some time in Paris will help clear Larry's mind and take away any jitters he has about marriage.
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