ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS directed by Douglas Sirk (USA, 1955)
This is a curious role for Rock Hudson who seems to be under instructions to play down his heart-throb potential while still looking as rugged and dreamy as a younger Elvis.
As gardner and handyman Ron Kirby, he is courteous to a tee but rather than the chivalrous, respectful image he seems to be aiming for, he actually manages to appear quite creepy. A few times you suspect he might be doing what her bitchy neighbors and stuck up kids fear and exploiting the wealthy widow to get his hands on her fortune.
As a result, it’s easy to see how this movie could have become a Hitchcock-style drama instead of a romantic melodrama.
In part this is due to the fact that there is very little chemistry between the well healed but lonely Jane Wyman as Cary Scott and Hudson as the ‘nature boy’. She wears some slinky dresses but never really looks sexy enough to convince you that she would turn the head of the younger man. Continue reading
