Search - All That Heaven Allows [Criterion Collection] on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Adult Situations, Suitable for Children Movie Release: 1955 DVD Release: 06/19/2001 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Edition: Special Collection Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 29 mins Studio: Criterion Members Wishing: 25 Genres: Drama, Romance, Romantic Drama, Melodrama

One of director Douglas Sirk's best and most successful romantic soapers of the 1950s, All That Heaven Allows is predicated on a May-December romance. The difference here is that the woman, attractive widow Cary Scott (Jane Wyman), is considerably older than the man, handsome gardener-landscaper Ron Kirby (Rock Hudson). Sirk builds up sympathy for Cary by showing how empty her life has been since her husband's death, even suggesting that the marriage itself was no picnic. Throwing conventionial behavior to the winds and facing social ostracism, Cary pursues her romance with Ron, who is unjustly perceived as a fortune-hunter by Cary's friends and family--especially her priggish son Ned (William Reynolds). Amusingly, Conrad Nagel was to have had a much larger part as Harvey, an elderly widower who carries a torch for Cary, but his role was trimmed down during previews when audiences disapproved of an implicit romance between a sixtyish man and a fortysomething woman! All That Heaven Allows was remade by unabashed Douglas Sirk admirer Rainer Werner Fassbinder as Ali--Fear Eats the Soul (1974), in which the age gap between hero and heroine was even wider. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Jane Wyman - Cary Scott
Rock Hudson - Ron Kirby
Agnes Moorehead - Sara Warren
Conrad Nagel - Harvey
Virginia Grey - Alida Anderson

Though action movies and special effects extravaganzas are obvious choices to showcase one's DVD player/system to the digitally unwashed, films such as Douglas Sirk's psychological romantic melodrama All That Heaven Allows are also superb examples of the digital medium's strengths. The film's rich Technicolor tapestry borders on the surreal, giving one a perfect idea of how startling visuals don't always have to come wrapped in CGI wrappers. The Criterion Collection's disc is absolutely stunning. Presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.77:1, the film's color palette is rich, skillful, and looks better than ever. Sirk's formal, yet information-heavy shots look crystal clear in this transfer. Blacks have depth and the saturated colors never seem to bleed or fuzz. Frankly, the film's glorious cinematography could still put to shame many modern productions. The disc has been given an English mono soundtrack and there are very few, if any, crackles or pops to speak of.
For extras, the disc contains lengthy video excerpts with the director, taken from a BBC documentary from 1979 called Behind the Mirror: A Profile of Douglas Sirk. The footage is informative and excellent, as the director recounts his flight from Nazi Germany, his work in Hollywood, and his subsequent return to Europe. The late Rainer Werner Fassbinder's notorious essay on Sirk's films is also included, as well as a collection of production stills and more. The appropriately hysterical theatrical trailer is also available, as well as liner notes by film theorist Laura Mulvey. ~ Derek Hill, All Movie Guide