All That Heaven Allows

An almost prototypical ‘50s melodrama, All That Heaven Allows follows Jane Wyman’s Cary Scott as she finds herself falling for a hunky gardener named Ron Kirby (Rock Hudson) and is subsequently the focus of gossip and scorn among her friends and even children. Filmmaker Douglas Sirk has infused All That Heaven Allows with an irresistibly lush sensibility that effectively (and immediately) lures the viewer into the deliberately-paced proceedings, with the compulsively watchable atmosphere heightened by strong performances and an unabashedly soapy storyline. It’s clear, too, that much of the picture’s success is due to the ample chemistry between Wyman and Hudson’s respective characters, and it’s worth noting, as well, that Sirk does a superb job of establishing and developing the various figures in Cary and Ron’s lives. The note-perfect (and deeply satisfying) conclusion cements All That Heaven Allows‘ place as a top-tier romantic endeavor, and it’s certainly not difficult to see why the film has endured in the years since its 1955 release.

*** out of ****