All That Philip Pullman Allows

I've never been one to shy away from melodrama -- on screen, that is; I'd hate to live within one myself. So I've kept a little space in my brain for the name "Douglas Sirk" ever since a college media studies professor (shout out to Carol!) hailed him as the King of the genre. Color saturation, upper middle class romance, high society, the whole shebang. Not until tonight's screening of All That Heaven Allows, however, had I actually witnessed the beauty of a Sirk movie.

Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson are a dynamite couple on screen, sure. And the gist of the story is one I can personally relate to -- the abandonment of a socially sanctioned path for one less sophisticated but more personally fulfilling. But the cinematography is the true star of the film. The colors are absolutely stunning, the subtle tricks of the camera cry out for film students everywhere to take note, and the settings spark an envy to live in a wintry old mill that you never knew you had (at least that's how it worked for me). Never has pheasant hunting in the snow looked more inviting. Definitely a must see.

P.S. Everyone should go out and read Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy. The man is a genius.