Holy Shit, it's Sirk o'clock!

For all its 1950s formalism, this is something that manages to destroy all of that decade's social and emotional conventions. There's a feminine sympathy here that's quite the opposite of the kind of stuff you usually see from this era, most notably in its liberal considerations of sex. Gorgeously filmed in astounding Technicolor, with a few great performances and dialogue that generally don't fall into the usual melodramatic trappings.

Absorbing soap opera, beautifully directed.

A very fine "woman's picture,' with Jane Wyman giving an excellent performance as a wealthy widow who falls for a younger working class man who truly loves her.

278

Oh, the melodrama! Even better than Todd Haynes brilliant semi-remake "Far From Heaven".

Old fashioned!

Exactly what I was expecting and hoping for for a Douglas Sirk film. I just wish more of them were in technicolor.

Great Technicolor and cinematography creates what appears to be another afternoon women’s movie but there is so much more going on beneath the surface. When Cary is given a TV set by her son it is such a poignant moment. Great.

#287

Sirk's overblown emotions, symbolism and plot contrivances would be laughable if they didn't cut so deeply. For all its melodramatic twists and turns, All That Heaven Allows manages to be highly effective, working on both a surface level and in its more subversive treatment of 1950s attitudes (sexism, classism, et al). You can really see the influence this had on Fassbinder's Ali: Fear Eats the Soul, from its portrayal of societal trappings down to the gorgeous color photography.

I never thought of good ol'American melodramas as something that COULD be good, but this sure showed me. The sappiness personally doesn't do it for me, but not only does it have beautiful Technicolor, but lurking under here is a striking indictment of 1950s America. I don't know if it's corny or is winkingly knowledgeable of the fact, but if you have to watch a cheesy melodrama, I guess it's this one. It's smarter than people gave it credit for upon release. Score is not a grade.

Hopeful Sirk romance that still takes some jabs at conformity.

An absolutely gorgeous melodrama with wintry romantic scenes and fantastic acting. I never expected to enjoy Rock Hudson so much.

It's a sappy melodrama, but Sirk has a way of making that enjoyable by poking fun at his characters without going over the top. The oversaturated reds, while jarring at first, really give the movie a unique look.

On a superficial level this is an overly sentimental, preachy, melodramatic chick flick with caricatures for characters and ridiculous dialog. Underneath that is a very wise, deliberate, complex, emotionally and socially savvy drama. Any Fassbinder fan will immediately notice how much he took from this movie. Note the use of color, careful framing and of course the doctor telling the protagonist "There is nothing organically wrong with you", a line that's a real Fassbinder staple.

Pretty, vacant.

# 269

Consistent in it's melodramatic nature and charmingly eager in it's heart, but not incredibly tasty.

A tough movie for most people to get through, the melodrama is tiresome but the photography and message are beautiful.

You know, I'm lost on this one, because I don't know where to rate a movie that balances Sirk's incredible eye for photography (especially the vibrant Technicolor) and mind for satire with a wholly grating melodrama plot. One of the best made movies that I've ever found hard to re-watch.

Brilliantly conforms to the rules of melodrama while slyly subverting them, beautifully photographed in Technicolor with a keen eye for framing, and quietly but brutally obliterates middle-class notions of what's proper. And it does all this while still being a heartfelt tear-jerker. It's sometimes hard to draw the line between what's corny for the sake of irony and what's genuinely just plain corny, but that's part of the fun of watching it.