It doesn’t get any better than this - handsome leading man and demure leading lady, stirrings of love, beautiful scenery, outstanding line delivery, great music and an intelligent presentation. This was movies when movies were movies.
All That Heaven Allows was entered into the National Film Registry in 1995, and it is an outstanding piece of film. The extras on the DVD include an indepth interview with Douglas Sirk, going through his life and his movie career. Probably more interesting than the film.
The Story
Recent widow, Cary Scott, is wealthy - and alone. Her circle of friends are all involved in ‘ladies teas’, meetings, and “THE CLUB”. Cary doesn’t belong to the club but she goes, often on the arm of Harvey, a hypochondriac that really has good intensions but he’s just so dang boring.
Cary strikes up a speaking friendship with her gardener, Ron Kirby, discovering he is the son of her former gardener and has been coming to her home for years. [as a person coming from these circumstances I can verify the fact that people seldom notice the person sweating in their garden]. The friendship develops into more, much to the chagrin of her friends and her children.
For anything else, you’ll have to watch the story.
The Actors
Jane Wyman was Cary Scott. Probably in her early-mid 40’s, still very attractive. She held a certain presence in the movie, almost regal, but at the same time a vulnerability. Wyman gave a very decent performance with both sensitivity and determination.
Rock Hudson was Ron Kirby. My God, what a handsome man he was! Very quiet in this movie, perhaps he was always quiet, I don’t remember. Soft spoken and gentle. And he sang, who knew?
The movie also starred Agnes Moorehead as best friend Sara, Conrad Nagel as plodding Harvey, Virginia Grey, Gloria Talbott, William Reynolds and Charles Drake. Nestor Paivia was also in the movie. Born in 1905, this was already the 150th movie for Paivia who continued on until 1966 when he died of cancer. One of those nameless ethnic people always in the background.
The delivery by the balance of the crew above was typical snobbish prudes. This type of movie, not really made any longer, was a character driven movie. All action, and reaction, was based on the characters and how they interacted with each other and with life. Sirk terms his movies as melodramas.
And more
What you would assume to be a melodrama is a story steeped in suspense, drama, bordering on a soap opera basis. Sirks’ version is entirely different. His real-life story lines are sealed in music, or melodies, and this is what he calls melodrama.
The scenery is incredible - breathtaking fall displays, pure white snows, mountains lakes and forest creatures. Lighting is given a delicate touch and reflective surfaces are widely used. Nothing is as heartbreaking as the pan-back of the shot of Wyman reflected in the television screen, a gift from her pompous son to compensate for her lonely evenings. This was when televisions were new and Wyman had refused (in the movie) to have such a contraption in her home, her evenings were filled quite nicely, thank you.
There is glorious music throughout the movie, typical of Sirk who relies heavily on Franz Liszt. He weaves his music in and out of the scenes adding fire and depth to them, lightness and sadness.
Overall I was very pleased with this movie. Can’t imagine why I ordered it in the first place but I’m glad I did. Written by Edna Lee & Peg Fenwick, directed by Douglas Sirk. Released in 1955, it is an ageless love story.
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