{"id":20690,"date":"2011-12-14T12:06:16","date_gmt":"2011-12-14T19:06:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=20690"},"modified":"2021-01-25T00:05:58","modified_gmt":"2021-01-25T07:05:58","slug":"all-that-heaven-allows-1955","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=20690","title":{"rendered":"All That Heaven Allows (1955)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Don&#8217;t you see I&#8217;d be turning my back on everything I&#8217;ve ever known?&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/All-That-Heaven-Allows-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/All-That-Heaven-Allows-Poster-198x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"198\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-20691\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/All-That-Heaven-Allows-Poster-198x300.jpg 198w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/All-That-Heaven-Allows-Poster-84x128.jpg 84w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/All-That-Heaven-Allows-Poster.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 198px) 100vw, 198px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA lonely socialite widow (Jane Wyman) has an affair with her bohemian gardener (Rock Hudson), much to the dismay of her best friend (Agnes Moorehead) and college-aged children (Gloria Talbott and William Reynolds).\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Agnes Moorehead Films<\/li>\n<li>Cross-Class Romance<\/li>\n<li>Douglas Sirk Films<\/li>\n<li>Jane Wyman Films<\/li>\n<li>Morality Police<\/li>\n<li>Rock Hudson Films<\/li>\n<li>Widows and Widowers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nAmong the handful of mid-century melodramas Douglas Sirk made for Universal International Pictures, <em>All That Heaven Allows<\/em> remains one of the most highly regarded &#8212; in hindsight, that is. Sirk&#8217;s films were only truly valued as &#8220;fabulous, ironic piece[s] of performance art&#8221; (as described in <em>1,001 Movies You Must See<\/em>) in later decades, when they were re-appropriated by newer audiences who viewed &#8212; and appreciated &#8212; them from an entirely different perspective. As <a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s273sirk.html\">DVD Savant puts it<\/a>, Sirk&#8217;s films are &#8220;fake and honest at the same time&#8221;, presented as &#8220;artificial constructions filled with powerful real emotions&#8221;. This description suits <em>All That Heaven Allows<\/em> &#8212; Hudson and Wyman&#8217;s follow-up to their success in Sirk&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=21311\"><em>Magnificent Obsession<\/em> (1954)<\/a> &#8212; to a tee.  <\/p>\n<p>Wyman and Hudson&#8217;s romance in <em>ATHA<\/em> is never exactly believable; while we can understand why Wyman &#8212; a lonely widow &#8212; would go gaga over hunky Hudson, the opposite motivation simply isn&#8217;t there. We never get a sense of why, exactly, the free-spirited Hudson (who has no desire at all to tap into either Wyman&#8217;s money or social set) feels Wyman is suitable as his new soulmate. Such quibbles must ultimately be set aside, however, given that this is squarely meant to be a <em>women&#8217;s picture<\/em> &#8212; a film designed precisely to appeal to those [females] who could relate to Wyman&#8217;s predicament (as a lonely housewife and mother) in some form or another. Hudson&#8217;s character suits Wyman&#8217;s needs perfectly, and thus &#8212; he exists. Meanwhile, the competing forces in Wyman&#8217;s life &#8212; ranging from her claustrophobically judgmental social circle, to her priggish grown children &#8212; are over-the-top yet believable at their core.<\/p>\n<p>What really makes this and other key Sirk films so memorable, however, is their unique, consistently stunning visual style. Vibrant colors are used to strategic effect here to convey characters&#8217; increasingly intense emotions, with nearly every shot perfectly designed and framed to convey a certain sensibility. Check out the bottom still below, for instance, in which Wyman&#8217;s face is highlighted in the screen of the television set her children have purchased for her as a &#8220;companion&#8221; &#8212; she&#8217;s surrounded on either side by the salesmen who have eagerly set it up for her, but her forlorn expression is undeniable. Much schmaltzier are the images framing Wyman&#8217;s final encounters with Hudson (that deer!), which definitely shift the film into high melodrama &#8212; but by this point we&#8217;re invested enough in Wyman&#8217;s happiness that we simply accept what Sirk offers up to us, schmaltz and all. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Jane Wyman as Cary<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/All-That-Heaven-Allows-Wyman2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/All-That-Heaven-Allows-Wyman2-1024x573.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"358\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-20695\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/All-That-Heaven-Allows-Wyman2-1024x573.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/All-That-Heaven-Allows-Wyman2-128x71.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/All-That-Heaven-Allows-Wyman2-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/All-That-Heaven-Allows-Wyman2.png 1591w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Agnes Moorehead as Sara<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/All-That-Heaven-Allows-Moorehead.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/All-That-Heaven-Allows-Moorehead-1024x571.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"357\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-20696\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/All-That-Heaven-Allows-Moorehead-1024x571.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/All-That-Heaven-Allows-Moorehead-128x71.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/All-That-Heaven-Allows-Moorehead-300x167.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/All-That-Heaven-Allows-Moorehead.png 1596w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Vibrant Technicolor cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/All-That-Heaven-Allows-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/All-That-Heaven-Allows-Cinematography-1024x575.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"359\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-20697\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/All-That-Heaven-Allows-Cinematography-1024x575.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/All-That-Heaven-Allows-Cinematography-128x71.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/All-That-Heaven-Allows-Cinematography-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/All-That-Heaven-Allows-Cinematography.png 1597w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Effectively stylized sets<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/All-That-Heaven-Allows-Sets2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/All-That-Heaven-Allows-Sets2-1024x572.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"358\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-20702\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/All-That-Heaven-Allows-Sets2-1024x572.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/All-That-Heaven-Allows-Sets2-128x71.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/All-That-Heaven-Allows-Sets2-300x167.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/All-That-Heaven-Allows-Sets2.png 1597w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Sirk&#8217;s consistently innovative visual sensibility<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/All-That-Heaven-Allows-Imagery-TV.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/All-That-Heaven-Allows-Imagery-TV-1024x572.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"358\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-20704\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/All-That-Heaven-Allows-Imagery-TV-1024x572.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/All-That-Heaven-Allows-Imagery-TV-128x71.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/All-That-Heaven-Allows-Imagery-TV-300x167.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/All-That-Heaven-Allows-Imagery-TV.png 1597w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a cult favorite by a notable director. Listed as a Sleeper and a Cult Movie in the back of Peary&#8217;s book.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cult Movie<\/li>\n<li>Important Director<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0047811\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1956\/02\/29\/archives\/screen-doleful-domestic-drama-mayfair-offering-all-that-heaven.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.combustiblecelluloid.com\/classic\/allthathe.shtml\">Combustible Celluloid Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s273sirk.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.jigsawlounge.co.uk\/film\/allthatheavenallows.html\">Jigsaw Lounge Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.qnetwork.com\/index.php?page=review&#038;id=378\">Q Network Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/67083\/all-that-heaven-allows#articles-reviews?articleId=76265\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/rTqvxGFW1Qc\">Tired Old Queen at the Movies Video Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t you see I&#8217;d be turning my back on everything I&#8217;ve ever known?&#8221; Synopsis: A lonely socialite widow (Jane Wyman) has an affair with her bohemian gardener (Rock Hudson), much to the dismay of her best friend (Agnes Moorehead) and college-aged children (Gloria Talbott and William Reynolds). Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Agnes Moorehead Films Cross-Class Romance Douglas Sirk Films Jane Wyman Films Morality Police Rock Hudson Films Widows and Widowers Review: Among the handful of mid-century melodramas Douglas Sirk&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=20690\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20690","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20690","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20690"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20690\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21210,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20690\/revisions\/21210"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}