Sophie *SPOILERS* - The Razor's Edge (1946) Discussion

[–] jackboot 15 years ago

That's a great question. Larry's statement that he knew who killed her was a pretty big bomb to drop, I would have thought that they'd illuminate that statement a little more.

I'm going to go with the assumption that he meant it was all Isabel's fault.

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[–] goeswithness 15 years ago

Yes. In the book she never has this conversation with Larry, she has it with Maugham (Larry leaves never knowing the circumstances). Maugham tells her she killed Sophie just as surely as if she'd drawn the knife across her throat. I guess it didn't seem in Larry's character to make the accusation, even if he has that opinion.

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[–] jackmunro 14 years ago

My belief is that he said this to Isabel because he knew she would take it at face value, as she was not perceptive enough to realise that he was accusing her.... and there can be no doubt that he was accusing her.

In retrospect, I think this statement would have been better coming from Maugham, as in the novel.

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[–] 14 years ago

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[–] margeliz 14 years ago

In the book, there is a scene where Isabel and others are in the Larry and Sophie's engagement party in a restaurant. Isabel and Elliot talk about how good is a wine they are tasting. Sophie was recovering herself from alcoholism. The day after the party Isabel invite Sophie to visit her house, and leaves Sophie alone with a bottle of the mentioned wine. Sophie couldn't resist the temptation and drink some wine. She goes again into alcoholism, abandon Larry and goes back to her prostitute life in the streets. She is founded dead, stabbed. Maugham is noticed of this because Sophie had his presentation card. Maugham help to cost her funeral. Then, he visits Isabel and tell her that Sophie is dead. He blames Isabel for Sophie's death because she knew that Sophie's wouldn't resist the temptation for the wine, and "it was as Isabel would stabbed herself to death"...I do not remember well the movie I watched about 25 years ago (the one with Tyrone Power and Gene Tierney, not the one with Catherine Hicks and other actors). The novel is superb!!!!...If you have the chance to read it, do it.

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[–] Moon_and_New_York_City 14 years ago

Yeah, how is Larry's "goodness" so pure when he stands there accusing his first ex-fiance of murdering his second ex-fiance. She put out a drink for a recovering alcoholic. Not the nicest thing in the world but still, she hardly slit Sophie's throat. I think Larry was just feeling guilty; he couldn't save Sophie so he needed someone else to blame. Isabel was an easy target.

"the best that you can do is fall in love"

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[–] lewis-51 13 years ago

"Yeah, how is Larry's "goodness" so pure when he stands there accusing his first ex-fiance of murdering his second ex-fiance. "

That's completely in character, totally appropriate. Larry symbolizes the search for truth, so he is going to tell the truth. It's just like many of the stories of Jesus, in which he does not hesitate to tell uncomfortable truths.

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[–] manage-932-700755 12 years ago

In the book, and even implied in the film also, Isabel did a lot more than "put out a drink for a recovering alcoholic."
Isabel planned the whole episode, including selecting the particular alcohol to tempt Sophie and arranging for Sophie to be alone with the bottle of the tempting alcohol. In the book, it was Maugham who accused Isabel. I definitely don't think Larry was looking for someone to blame; he wasn't that kind of person. Isabel was not only an easy target; she was an appropriate target.

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[–] Owlwise 8 years ago

I don't think he's accusing her so much as simply stating the plain, unvarnished truth.

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[–] ec1979 14 years ago

He's speaking to Isabel, saying Sophie's death is her fault. Ultimately, Isabel caused Sophie's death.

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[–] snsurone 14 years ago

But when this movie was made, the Hayes Office was in full effect, and one of its rules was "the sinner must pay".
That would indicate that either Isabel would perish, or she would be reduced to the most wretched circumstances possible.
Yet, by the end of the film, she still has Gray and her cushy life in Paris.
IMHO, Isabel was a selfish, loathsome creature, and I really wish she had paid for her sins with her life.

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[–] mptnla 14 years ago

BUT, she didn't have the man that she really wanted and loved. As you'll remember when she was talking to Maugham when she found out Sophie and Larry were to be married, she said she couldn't hurt Grey because she was "too fond of him". She never said she loved him. Besides, in the end she was now the one with control of the wealth -- Grey's wealth was gone. I think as she was indirectly responsible for Sophie's death, she received the indirect punishment of never being able to see again the man she had loved all those years. But I too thought she would have gotten something a bit harsher than that, but perhaps that would have runied an otherwise great film. (I saw it for the first time today.)

"...and I would've gotten away with it if it weren't for those meddling kids."

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[–] Owlwise (1495) 4 years ago

Yes, her punishment is that she has to live with the knowledge that she actually drove away the man she loved, the one she might have had if she'd accepted him just as he was as a young man. But she loved the good life more … and now she knows that no matter how much money she has, she's still going to be empty & loveless inside for the rest of her life. Gray deserves a better wife!

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[–] tmarchetta 13 years ago

When Sophie turned up dead, I thought it was possible that Isabel had done it, not just metaphorically by leading her to the drink, but cut her throat--though it does seem unlikely given her delicate, socialite, white glove persona. But then Larry implies that she did it, and I thought it may not be beyond her capacity, given the drive she displayed to get Larry. I guess I conclude, 'no', but for a while there I thought the story could have gone that way.

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[–] GoodSOVeryVeryGood 9 years ago

He meant it that her actions (of leaving the drink out) led to Sophie's not maintaining her sobriety which led to her death. Isabel was sanctimonious.

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[–] heyuactor 8 years ago

Who killed Sophie?

Leading her to drink again did it, sort of, but was it suicide? I thought that at first but does anybody kill themselves that way? Maybe a bad character she ran into after her fall into depravity.

CC:https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/28/b3/81/28b3814d7598e079965170c781cf7dc8.jpg

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[–] cfwente 8 years ago

Throat cut and dumped into a river? (That's what I remember anyway). Bad character not suicide.

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[–] mariakelly-04164 7 years ago

Isabel is partly responsible for Sophie's death. She and Elliott deliberately talked about how good that bottle of wine was in front of Sophie.

They knew that Sophie, who was going cold turkey from the booze (remember that in Paris at that time there were no rehab facilities or AA meetings available) would be having heavy withdrawal symptoms.

Isabel not only kicked Sophie off the wagon, she then threw her under the bus.

And Isabel's reason for doing this? A classic case of "well, if I can't have Larry, no one else can."

Laugh while you can, Monkey Boy!

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[–] Popcorngal (4347) 4 years ago

True I think AA was in its pioneering stage back then. I just watched the film on YouTube. The sound was off to a minor extent. I might have missed it,but what where the clues that Sophie was a hooker?

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