The Razor’s Edge was adapted for cinema by John Byrum & Bill Murray from the novel by W. Somerset Maugham. The film was a critical and commercial failure on its release in 1984. This website is for anyone who enjoyed the film, regardless.
Thanks to John and Karin Byrum for his help with this site.
Film facts
- The Razor’s Edge is Bill Murray’s only screenwriting credit to date
- Larry’s farewell speech to commanding officer, Piedmont was written by Bill as a farewell to John Belushi. Bill even used the line “He will not be missed” at John’s wake.
- Columbia Pictures could only have the rights to Ghostbusters if they also agreed to finance The Razor’s Edge.
- The film was criticised for not taking the search for truth seriously. Novelist, Somerset Maugham wrote a script (which the studios rejected) and stressed “this is a comedy and should be played rapidly”
- After The Razor’s Edge, Bill took a four year break from the industry which included studying philosophy at the Sorbonne.
- In the remake , Larry Darrell serves as an Ambulance Driver in World War 1 just as writer, Somerset Maugham had with the Literary Ambulance Drivers. (In the novel and 1946 film version, Larry is a fighter pilot)
The Razor's Edge Film Site 
New stuff I noticed whilst watching the movie for the jillionth time:
Almost every time we see Bob on screen, he is either drunk or drinking. When Sophie is in the hospital after the accident, they mention that Bob and the baby were killed in a head-on accident with a truck. If you pay attention, it is actually ambiguous who was the drunk driver, Bob or the other one.
When Larry finds Sophie in the opium den with Mr. Coco, the bottle of Zubrowka is sitting on the table behind him.
At the beginning of the film at the 4th of July party, there are a couple shots of people in boats. The mood of the scene is tranquil and happy. After this, Larry and Gray go to war and Larry’s life is thrown into turmoil. In the 3rd act, there is a sequence of Larry and Sophie paddling in a canoe on the Seine. For the first time since the opening sequence, everyone is happy again. This is followed by another tragedy for Larry, but he is able to deal with it much differently this time. The two scenes with the boats/canoes are bookends to Larry’s spiritual journey.
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Hi Mark,
Thanks for getting in touch (Now I’m going to have to watch the film for the Jillionth time!).
Bob’s character isn’t given much screen time at all, so interesting you spotted that. I also never spotted the Zubrowka in the opium den.
The symbolism of the boats is interesting as well, especially with the fact that Larry lives briefly on a houseboat in Srinagar before venturing up to the monastery.
Thanks again for seeking out the website. It’s really appreciated.
Shaun
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I noticed several recurring themes in the film regarding water. The scenes with people in boats are all emotionally positive for the people who are in them, but the ones where people are in water (Larry and Piedmont retrieving hand grenades, Larry being pushed into a puddle in the alley after being thrown out of the opium den, and the mention that Sophie was found floating in the Seine) are all connected with fear and pain.
A couple other bits of symbolism I noticed were when Larry maneuvers Sophie into the shower and turns it on: Several religions have traditions of ablution as a method of purification or the washing away of past sins.
Another really obvious one is the use of stairs or climbing. Compare Larry’s journey up to the monastery with Raaz, or later up to the hut (he struggles to get there) with how effortlessly he climbs the stairs later back in Paris (with Sophie when he first finds her in the bar, and also in the final shot of the film). Both stair sequences show an ascension of the characters (Larry helping Sophie up from the depths she has fallen to, and in the end scene as he rises toward the sky fully enlightened). In both cases, Larry ascends easily, as opposed to the difficulty he had climbing the mountain in India.
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True, it made me think of Larry swimming in a pool while dealing with his PTSD and the obviously, washing dishes!
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“There is no payoff.”
My favorite movie.
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Still an underrated classic 🙂
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This is my all-time favourite film. I just wish they’d release a bluray.
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Yes, it would be nice to see some more extras!
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I’m interested in selling DVDs of THE RAZOR’S EDGE on my Buddhist website, sumeru-books.com and I’d like to get in touch with John Byrum to arrange that. Could you please pass this along or contact me with the info? Thank you.
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Hi John,
Thanks for getting in touch. You would probably need to contact Sony Pictures for something like that. It’s unlikely John Byrum would be able to help with the legal stuff. You could try https://secure.sonypictures.com/corp/contactus.html.
Hope that helps.
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Great site! This one of my all-time favourite films. Beautifully shot and scored. Bill Murray really came into his own as an actor here. (His scenes in Paris with Theresa Russell contain some of the best work he’s ever done in my opinion.) Have you or John Byrum ever considered writing a book? “The Making of The Razor’s Edge” would be amazing.
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Hi Chad, Thanks for the kind words. The website is probably as close as we’ll get. Maybe a chapter in Bill Murray’s autobiography. 🙂
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Was the movie filmed at an actual ashram? If so where was it located?
Thanks!
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Hi Susanne,
Thanks for posting! Yes, those scenes were filmed at the Thikse Gompa in Ladakh.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thikse_Monastery
It’s a place I would love to visit one day 🙂
Shaun
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Hi Luciane, Not sure if it’s available anywhere on Youtube but it looks like it’s pretty easy to rent/buy at Amazon:
Best, Shaun
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Where can I find play list the razor’s edge bill murray?
I love this move!!!!
Cheers
Luciane
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