Total Time: 63:37 - Chelsea Rialto Studios

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n June 1944, Darryl F. Zanuck, 20 th Century-Fox’s studio head, was contemplating making a big decision. In a memo to key members of his staff he said: This is my analyzation of The Razor’s Edge [novel] by Somerset Maugham. Despite the fact that to date no producer on the lot has shown any great enthusiasm for this story as a motion picture and despite the fact that no other studio has purchased it, I am inclined to believe that we should buy it. The book was published in May, and it immediately went on the best-seller list. . . . There must be a reason why the American public at this moment is read- ing this book more than any other book. The answer, I think, is simple: Millions of people today are searching for content- ment and peace in the same manner that Larry searches in the book. The invasion of northern Europe had just taken place on June 6. With the Allies closing in on Germany from all sides, confidence rose that the end of World War II was in sight. And indeed it was. In 1945 the war ended and millions of military personnel were returning home to resume civilian life. But many, because of their experiences in the war, were unsettled. They realized that their values were in some ways changing. More than a few questioned the materialistic mode of living and were looking for a meaning of existence. In Maugham’s The Razor’s Edge, Larry Darrell near the end of World War I is saved from death by a comrade who gives up his life in the effort. Larry feels that his life has been spared for some particular purpose and wanders about the world in search of philosophical and/or spiritual guidance, leaving the woman he loves and material advantages. In India, he eventually achieves insight, tranquility, and “goodness of soul.” Larry, at the end, has found himself, and in helping himself he can help others. But as Zanuck said in a memo of December 6, 1945: “Larry is not carrying any great message, nor is he looking to reform the world; he is looking only for the answer to his own quest for serenity and the key to his own future happiness. . . . This, to me, is the theme of Mr. Maugham’s book, and the reason it has been such a tremendously big seller. It is a problem which today is close to twelve million Americans. It is a picture of faith and hope.” Somerset Maugham in a September 1945 interview said: “I’ve had hundreds – actually hundreds – of letters from soldiers at the front, telling me how well they understood Larry after their experiences. . . . Some of them have said they will try to live that way in the years ahead, if their lives are spared. You see, men at war are either desperately busy or have a good deal of idle time on their hands, so many of these letters run to twenty pages or more.” Above left: Director Edmund Goulding studies the mountain top retreat set on stage at Fox.
Religious novels (and films) were extraordinarily popular during World War II – The Keys of the Kingdom, The Song of Bernadette, The Robe, The Apostle, etc. They dealt with Christianity whereas The Razor’s Edge was the only one that featured a Hindu philosophy. The title of The Razor’s Edge came from the Katha-Upanishad: “The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard.” W. Somerset Maugham had been writing novels, plays, and short stories for decades prior to The Razor’s Edge. His first novel, Liza of Lambeth, was published in 1897. A 1915 novel, Of Human Bondage, was made into a feature picture three times. The Moon and Sixpence (1919), based on the life of Gauguin, was filmed in 1942. Both Maugham’s The Letter and Rain (Sadie Thompson) were first published as short stories, reworked as plays by Maugham, and then produced as feature pictures. But The Razor’s Edge was his major “best-seller” novel. Zanuck purchased the screen rights in late 1944 and assigned long-time Fox scenarist Lamar Trotti to work on the adaptation and script. Trotti’s previous credits include Alexander’s Ragtime Band (1938), Drums Along the Mohawk (1939) Young Mr. Lincoln (1939), Man Hunt (1941), The Ox-Bow Incident (1943), and the recently completed personal production of Zanuck’s for Fox, Wilson (1945). The Razor’s Edge became Zanuck’s next personal production, meaning that in addition to overall supervision of the entire Edmund Goulding discussing “The Razor’s Edge” with Tyrone Power. Fox product, he would usually once a year or so select a property to which he would devote a considerable amount of time on a daily basis during the script’s evolution, preproduction, filming, and post-production. In May, 1945, George Cukor, not a Fox staff director but primarily with MGM at the time, was set to direct The Razor’s Edge. Cukor was unhappy with the script development and suggested to Zanuck that the studio ascertain whether Maugham himself would be interested in working on the script. Although Zanuck apparently thought it highly unlikely that Maugham would accept and/or that he would demand too much money, the author sent Zanuck a telegram saying that he would work on the screenplay for no pay whatsoever; surely a unique attitude. Maugham then spent June and July, 1945, as George Cukor’s houseguest while working on his version of the script. Maugham had no experience writing screenplays. His first draft of July 20, 1945, was labeled “Story in Dialogue by W. Somerset Maugham.” The author’s preface stated that “The following is not to be looked upon as a script and will be incomprehensible unless it is read in conjunction with Lamar Trotti’s. It should be looked upon only as a story in dialogue. . . ” Then five days later he submitted his “Revised Final.” The following “Author’s Note” at the front of the script surely was composed at least in part with tongue-incheek. Maugham, of course, had been
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Total Time: 63:37 - Chelsea Rialto Studios

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