All That Heaven Allows (1955)

Directed by Douglas Sirk. Starring Jane Wyman, Rock Hudson, Agnes Moorehead, Conrad Nagel, William Reynolds, Virginia Grey, Gloria Tabott, Charles Drake, Hayden Rorke.

Wealthy, middle-aged widower Wyman romances (and is romanced by) a much younger fella, patient tree specialist Hudson, but this doesn’t sit well with her judgmental circle of friends and insufferable grown children. Hokey, sluggish melodrama has all the overcooked social hysteria and Technicolor luxuriance that Sirk is known for, so it’s bound to play better for his devotees; its anger is robbed of its bite by the listless nature of the scripting (by Peg Fenwick, from a story by Edna and Harry Lee) and soft-boiled thespianism. Squeezes every drop of juice from Brahm and Lizst on the suffocating soundtrack. Wyman and Moorehead (as a disapproving companion) do a suitable job of thawing out the cold pro form, but Hudson is pretty hopeless, displaying all the dynamism of his mineral namesake. Wyman is actually only eight years senior to her co-star, but leave it to Hollywood to more than double the age gap from real life to staged drama (and makeup effects and artful lighting need not apply).

46/100