Hell and Wealth in Heaven Can Wait
Associations Between the Devil and American Rich
As an attack on American capitalist values, director Ernst Lubitsch creates visual and ideological associations between Hell and American's wealthiest.
Ernst Lubitsch’s 1943 film, Heaven Can Wait is commonly interpreted as a condemnation of upper-class American values from the point of view of a German filmmaker. One of the ways in which Lubitsch accomplishes this condemnation is by making strong associations between Hell and the lives of the rich in the story. The associations are achieved through the set design of Hell, the social norms exhibited by the Devil and the exclusivity of Hell, all of which do not coincide with traditional views of Hell, but share a lot with the way the rich are portrayed in the film.
Visual Associations
Traditionally, Hell is seen as an unbearable field of never-ending fire. In Heaven Can Wait, it appears more like an expensive mansion. There are tall, overbearing and highly decorated walls, and the Devil’s desk would fit nicely in the study-room of a wealthy patriarch. The reason for such a departure from the norm is Lubitsch’s goal of fashioning Hell as the after-life version of an ostentatious mansion.
The Devil himself (Laird Cregar), rather than the horned fiend encountered in traditional folk interpretations, is more akin to the host of a high-society party. He is well dressed, well groomed, and very well spoken. Perhaps most notably, he is very polite. He invites Henry (Don Ameche) to take a seat and cordially listens to Henry’s life story, demonstrating exemplary manners throughout. The fact that the name “Devil” is never used, and he is referred to as “His Excellency” serves to further stress this point. Although it is clear that His Excellency is in fact The Devil, it might be considered crude, or low-class to actually use that name when addressing him.
Exclusivity of Hell
Most striking, however, is the exclusivity of Hell. Traditionally, Hell is the place one tries as hard as possible to avoid. In this film, not only does Henry outright try to get into Hell, but when he gets there, he must prove his worth, and at the end is rejected. Consider the Devil’s line, “If you meet our requirements, we'll be only too glad to accommodate you.” Like a high-society party taking place at a large mansion, Hell is too good a place to admit the likes of Henry.
In this respect, however, the metaphor is double-edged. His Excellency’s assertion that Hell does not accept people of Henry’s “class,” reverts back to the traditional view of Hell as undesirable, suggesting that Henry’s wealth will get him out of Hell. So, on one level, Hell’s exclusivity is meant to associate it with the exclusivity of the American rich, and on another level, it is a satirical expression of the sentiment that large amounts of wealth will get one out of Hell.
