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Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman were so successful in Douglas Sirk's Magnificent Obsession that they reteamed for this, his first melodrama masterpiece. Young hunk Rock is a strapping son of mother nature, a gardener who woos middle-aged, middle class widow Wyman to the snooty disapproval of her conservative social circle and embarrassment of her self-centered children. Wyman discovers a new life with his open-armed friends and back-to-nature lifestyle, but struggles with life-changing decisions in the face of social pressure and vicious gossip. Living the Henry Thoreau dream, Rock inhabits his personal Walden in a rustic country cabin by a bubbling brook, a dream house lit by a giant picture window overlooking an idyllic countryside where deer pose just outside the window. Wyman's elegant but sterile suburban home transforms into a tomb when she sacrifices her love for the "good name" of her children, and the lonely widow sees her future in the pale, colorless reflection of her TV screen. But don't despair just yet: Sirk's heroines are dynamic and resourceful and no Sirk melodrama ends without a heart-tugging, over-the-top twist. German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder, who championed Sirk as a master and a mentor, remade the film as Ali: Fear Eats the Soul decades later. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (22)

An elegant, classy sudser from director Douglas Sirk
Reuniting from the previous year's hit, "Magnificent Obsession", Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson play lovers torn apart by small town hypocrisy. Wyman is wealthy widow, Cary Scott. She falls in love with her gardener, Ron Kirby(Hudson),and is chastised by her community and loathed by her two grown children. Great, elegant melodrama from director-extraordinarre Douglas Sirk. The film starts off a bit slow, but the dramatic payoff is highly worth the wait. The cinematography, muisc, and dialogue all come together for a beautiful film event.

the perfect dvd? this could be it
Watching one of Douglas Sirk's 50's melodramas is slightly akin to visiting another planet. Everything about the Sirk reality is a bit askew: the people are basic and sincere, while their surroundings are heightened, beautiful and artificial (we know certain exterior scenes are filmed on sets, but the sets themselves are so big and elaborate they boggle the mind). It's a strange mix -- simple characters in an exaggerated world, almost like a David Lynch movie in which the only violence that occurs is emotional.

But if you give Sirk's movies time and attention and allow yourself to be taken in by the strangeness, they are surprisingly easy to accept on their own terms.

Sirk's 1955 film, "All That Heaven Allows," tells the story of the romance between a well-to-do widow and a young, dreamy, non-conformist gardener. It's the oldest problem in the world: they could be happy and in love if only it weren't for the other people around them.

I think the key to the success of this film is the performance of Jane Wyman as the widow. Her character is so fragile, yet also surprisingly strong. She says no more than she has to, but what she does say speaks on many levels. She's kind, but she's also after something she clearly wants very badly. Wyman is able to communicate these contradictions and complications with a calm, almost effortless stoicism.

The Criterion DVD is a marvel of technology. It has quickly become my favorite disk and there are a lot of disks that I like -- the picture and transfer are unbelievably crisp, the colors are richer than wet paint, the movie is restored to its proper aspect ratio, and you also get Fassbinder's essay on Sirk (he remade this movie in thoroughly different form with a film called "Ali: Fear Eats the Soul"), and there's also a long, fascinating interview with Sirk himself -- I'd never seen or heard any footage of the director until I saw this and the interview alone made it worth buying.

If you're a fan of Sirk, you're going to love this disk. And if you're not familiar with his work, this is the place to start.

............legends .............
..... women still wore tight corsets and just had to conform .... talk about Stepford .......

this one's a brilliant peek into Ike and Mamies USA - post WWII

SIRK, WYMAN .... HUDSON ...... brilliant trio.....

As Wyman's on screen son spats "You're just seeing a good looking bunch of muscles" - referring to Rock ... Yeah so what?

It's brilliantly lensed, costumed and directed by DIETLEF SIERCK [retitled Doug Sirk when he ventured - without English into the American movie-mill]. He certainly saved Universal's bacon back then ...........

The rest? The movie has inspired so many imitators and GOOD imitators - down to the Julianne Moore version recently ...

Rock, or rather Roy? Have to dwell on this one .... he rescued the studio so many times, especially later with the Day/Hudson comedies ... and more or less had the 'Lylah Claire' exit.

[There was even the rumor that all of his existing costumes were to be burnt - for fear of contamination - after his passing ..... sad little town!]

Elizabeth Taylor is currently too tired to hold his torch ...isn't it time for a Hudson retrospect?

Proceed!

[Great support by Agnes Moorehead as the clockwork 'friend' and the brat of a daughter Gloria Talbot .... whatever happened to HER?]

.... as for the rather obsolete Country Clubs .....

African American actors appear - briefly - but Sirk's indelible comment is quite there!

A good drama and New England scenery

Format: Black & White, Color
Studio: Universal Studios
Video Release Date: February 17, 1998

Cast:

Jane Wyman ... Cary Scott
Rock Hudson ... Ron Kirby
Agnes Moorehead ... Sara Warren
Conrad Nagel ... Harvey
Virginia Grey ... Alida Anderson
Gloria Talbott ... Kay Scott
William Reynolds ... Ned Scott
Charles Drake ... Mick Anderson
Hayden Rorke ... Dr. Hennessy
Jacqueline deWit ... Mona Plash
Leigh Snowden ... Jo-Ann
Donald Curtis ... Howard Hoffer
Alex Gerry ... George Warren
Nestor Paiva ... Manuel
Forrest Lewis ... Mr. Weeks
Tol Avery ... Tom Allenby
Merry Anders ... Mary Ann
Alan DeWitt ... Stationmaster
Jim Hayward ... John
David Janssen ... Freddie Norton
Anthony Jochim ... Mr. Adams
Paul Keast ... Mark Plash
Joseph Mell ... Mr. Gow
Vernon Rich ... Bill
Paul Smith ... Tom
Donna Jo Gribble ... Miss Taylor
Helene Heigh ... Ann
Eleanor Audley ... Mrs. Humphrey
Gia Scala ... Manuel's Daughter
Edna Smith ... Miss Edna Pidway
Rosa Turich ... Rozanna
Lillian Culver ... Mrs. Taylor
Helen Andrews ... Myrtle

Widow Cary Scott (Jane Wyman) is in love with Ron Kirby (Rock Hudson) who is 15 years her junior, but her two children and some of her acquaintances 0bject to their marriage. In order to mollify others, she puts off the marriage, until she finds that her friends and children are selfish and really don't care about her.

This is a good film, well acted and with beautiful New England scenery.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre

author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books

a nice film with a great theme
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

This movie follows the story of a widow (Jane Wyman) who falls in love with a much younger man (Rock Hudson) and risks alienating her adult children when she wants to marry him.

The movie has a great theme of family relations and the concern siblings have for a parent. This film was later remade by Rainer Werner Fassbinder as "Ali Fear Eats the Soul" which was also released by the Criterion Collection.

The DVD has numerous special features including a theatrical trailer, a slide show of lobby cards for the film, an illustrated essay about several of Douglas Sirk's films by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, and a rare BBC interview with the director Douglas Sirk. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

A PRE-CODE TREASURE
If you are a Norma Shearer fan, prepare yourself for an exciting ride. While certainly not news today, a philandering husband and a wife that paid him back in kind was big news in 1930. This movie was considered scandalous in its day and Miss Shearer was rewarded for her lovely, genuine performance with an Oscar, the only one of her too-short career. Chester Morris plays the cheating husband to perfection, with the usual chauvinistic excuses of the other woman meaning nothing and then expresses outrage when his wife decides to play along, to see if a casual encounter really means nothing. All in all, a fantastic movie that hasn't dated badly and one that perfectly demonstrates why Miss Shearer was considered Queen of MGM at the start of the 30s. Also catch Robert Montgomery in one of his first roles, as the husband's friend. Don't pass this one up!

A FINE EARLY TALKIE.
This movie was hot stuff in 193O! Based upon a steamy novel by Ursula Parrott entitled EX-WIFE, it won an Academy Award for Norma Shearer, who proved to be not just the wife of Hollywood mogul Irving Thalberg, but a really talented actress as well. The plot concerns would-be liberal young marrieds who divorce when she puts up with his affairs but he cannot tolerate hers. Then she falls in love with a married man...Actually, the plotline is rather more complex than the simplex synopsis above: the film examines the double standard which was being much-discussed in society in the early thirties. Norma Shearer wasn't astonishingly beautiful, but she worked hard at being a fine actress, and she was the epitome of a 193O's moderne as it were. Other Shearer films worth watching are: THE BARRETTS OF WIMPOLE STREET, SMILIN' THROUGH, ROMEO AND JULIET & THE WOMEN.

Wow!
This is one of my favourite movies of the '30s. I love everything about this film - the smart, fashionable sets and fashions - the sexy, snappy plot - the black and white photography which just shines (great for watching late at night with all the lights out). Norma Shearer gives a terrific performance - surprisingly modern and natural, and the film moves along at a fast pace and never dulls. I won't give away the plot - which still holds relevance today in marraige or partnership (the double standard tackled in this film is still around). As for the ending - its perfect! You wouldn't want it any other way. A previous reviewer has stated that the ending of the film rather spoiled it for her - that it contradicted the feminism apparent in earlier scenes. However, what we have here is both partners accepting the other's flaws - and if it seems that its Norma's character making all the effort that's just because she is the stronger of the two (made obvious throughout the movie - while her ex husband drinks himself into unemployment her love life and career goes from strength to strength). Ultimately though, this movie is a fascinating and daring (for its day) insight into sexual politics among the smart set in the early thirties, and has to viewed as such by a modern viewer. And above all else - this movie is fun! If you're a fan of vintage Hollywood then you should love this movie.

Excellent Film!!!
If you are fans of Norma Shearer and Chester Morris, this IS the movie for you.......An Absolutely entertaining film from beginning to end....This is the movie which started my interest in collecting Chester Morris films on video....a very good actor who I would say didn't get the recognition he truly deserved..and Norma Shearer, a truly beautiful and gifted actress...

Not as racy as you might expect
It's great that Norma Shearer's career has been favourably reassessed in the last decade or so, after she was dismissed for so long as a poor actress. She has a naturalness about her that makes it easy for contemporary audiences to relate to her.
As someone who is interested in pre-code Hollywood and who has read quite a bit about this film, I approached "The Divorcee" with hopeful expectation. Shearer is great, and the scenes where she "gets even" with her cheating husband and then confronts his audacious double standard are first rate. The scenes immediately following where she explores her newfound (but short-lived) sexual freedom are also clever.
Unfortunatly, for me, the film slides downwards from there towards an overly moralistic conclusion which I found both jolting and unconvincing. A film which started out as a strong feminist statement ends with a definite repudiation of feminism and a reaffirmament of patriacrhy and of the sexual double standard.
Still, it is very well worth seeing. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Wrong Kiss
Sorry, but I can't figure out any other way to correct a mistake on Lawrence M. Burnabo's otherwise excellent National Film Registry lists. The title may be the same, but "The Kiss" that's on the NFR is Edison's 1896 kinetoscope film, not this Garbo silent.

Garbo's final silent film is nothing to speak of...
"The Kiss," Greta Garbo's final silent film, finds the Swedish star playing Irene Guarry, the unhappy wife of a silk merchant (Anders Randolf) in Lyon, France. Pierre Lassalle (Lew Ayres), the son of her husband's business partner, is madly in love with Irene, but she resists his advances. However, her jealous husband tries to kill Pierre. When Irene kills her husband with his own gun to save the young man, Pierre's father makes him keep quite about what happened. At her trial, Irene is defended by Andre Dubail (Conrad Nagel), her former lover. This 1929 film, directed by Jacques Feyder, is yet another mediocre story for Garbo in which she plays a pure woman of passion who is wronged. She does look good and if you just watch her and do not even bother to read the title cards it should not detract from your enjoyment of this film at all. "The Kiss" was the first major role for Lew Ayres, who went on to fame as Dr. Kildare in a series of movies. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

One of Garbo's Best
Having seen Greta Garbo's spy movies (Mysterious Lady and Mata Hari) I prefer "The Mysterious Lady." Garbo's seductive performance is far more engaging and believable and the story has more intrigue in the silent version. Conrad Nagel gives a good performance but it is easy to see (and prefer) John Gilbert in this part. Garbo was on bad terms with Gilbert at the time and refused to do the picture if he was cast. The movie turns around Garbo, as a Russian spy, who falls in love with an Austrian officer (Conrad Nagel). Their paths unexpectedly cross when she steals military secrets from him aboard a train. Nagel is disgraced but can redeem himself if he can put an end to Garbo's spying career. But is he still in love with her, and she with him? As is the case with many silent prints, this one has some rough places but it should not stop anyone from enjoying the film. The music nicely sets the tone of the movie.

Greta Garbo plays another spy; Russian this time
Greta Garbo plays Tania, a Russian spy who is having an affair with Austrian Captain Karl von Heinersdorff (Conrad Nagel) in order to get secret plans on the eve of the First World War. Tania falls in love with Karl, but still steals the plans. As a result, Karl is court-martialed and imprisoned. When his uncle (Albert Pollet) helps him escape, Karl goes to Russia and tracks down Tania. Since she really does love Karl, Tania steals papers that chief spy General Alexandroff (Gustav von Seyffertitz) received from a true Austrian traitor and gives them to Karl. But then, Alexandroff learns what she has done. Actually, you can forget about all the spying and intrigue in "The Mysterious Lady," because what this movie really offers is Greta Garbo in a whole lot of love scenes. Whenever possible, director Fred Niblo goes in for a close up on Garbo, which is a good move given that her costumes in this film are not particularly flattering. But certainly "The Mysterious Lady" provides ample evidence of why Garbo was such an alluring movie star during the silent era. This 1928 M-G-M film was based on the novel "War in the Dark" by Ludwig Wolff. Garbo and Nagel would team up again in "The Kiss," for even more romance.

Greta Garbo as a Russian spy in love with Conrad Nagel
Greta Garbo plays Tania, a Russian spy who is having an affair with Austrian Captain Karl von Heinersdorff (Conrad Nagel) in order to get secret plans on the eve of the First World War. Tania falls in love with Karl, but still steals the plans. As a result, Karl is court-martialed and imprisoned. When his uncle (Albert Pollet) helps him escape, Karl goes to Russia and tracks down Tania. Since she really does love Karl, Tania steals papers that chief spy General Alexandroff (Gustav von Seyffertitz) received from a true Austrian traitor and gives them to Karl. But then, Alexandroff learns what she has done.

Actually, you can forget about all the spying and intrigue in "The Mysterious Lady," because what this movie really offers is Greta Garbo in a whole lot of love scenes. Whenever possible, director Fred Niblo goes in for a close up on Garbo, which is a good move given that her costumes in this film are not particularly flattering. But certainly "The Mysterious Lady" provides ample evidence of why Garbo was such an alluring movie star during the silent era. This 1928 M-G-M film was based on the novel "War in the Dark" by Ludwig Wolff. Garbo and Nagel again teamed up in "The Kiss."

Garbo - 5, Print Quality - Zip
The box is labeled "In Glorious Black & White," but the b/w print available on video is horrendous. It's not only in black and and white, but due to the ancient quality of the film transfer, it also changes to blue, amber and red. And their are spots, blips and scratches all over the film. This video can't compare to the b/w quality of 'The Kiss.'

The picture is clear. The music is wonderful. And in silence, you can see why Garbo was considered such a phenomenal sex symbol, before trite dialogue rendered her a stately object of dated romance. But she looks phenomenal, and gives more intelligence to the material than it probably deserves. If only the print quality were better. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

One of Garbo's Best
Having seen Greta Garbo's spy movies (Mysterious Lady and Mata Hari) I prefer "The Mysterious Lady." Garbo's seductive performance is far more engaging and believable and the story has more intrigue in the silent version. Conrad Nagel gives a good performance but it is easy to see (and prefer) John Gilbert in this part. Garbo was on bad terms with Gilbert at the time and refused to do the picture if he was cast. The movie turns around Garbo, as a Russian spy, who falls in love with an Austrian officer (Conrad Nagel). Their paths unexpectedly cross when she steals military secrets from him aboard a train. Nagel is disgraced but can redeem himself if he can put an end to Garbo's spying career. But is he still in love with her, and she with him? As is the case with many silent prints, this one has some rough places but it should not stop anyone from enjoying the film. The music nicely sets the tone of the movie.

Greta Garbo plays another spy; Russian this time
Greta Garbo plays Tania, a Russian spy who is having an affair with Austrian Captain Karl von Heinersdorff (Conrad Nagel) in order to get secret plans on the eve of the First World War. Tania falls in love with Karl, but still steals the plans. As a result, Karl is court-martialed and imprisoned. When his uncle (Albert Pollet) helps him escape, Karl goes to Russia and tracks down Tania. Since she really does love Karl, Tania steals papers that chief spy General Alexandroff (Gustav von Seyffertitz) received from a true Austrian traitor and gives them to Karl. But then, Alexandroff learns what she has done. Actually, you can forget about all the spying and intrigue in "The Mysterious Lady," because what this movie really offers is Greta Garbo in a whole lot of love scenes. Whenever possible, director Fred Niblo goes in for a close up on Garbo, which is a good move given that her costumes in this film are not particularly flattering. But certainly "The Mysterious Lady" provides ample evidence of why Garbo was such an alluring movie star during the silent era. This 1928 M-G-M film was based on the novel "War in the Dark" by Ludwig Wolff. Garbo and Nagel would team up again in "The Kiss," for even more romance.

Greta Garbo as a Russian spy in love with Conrad Nagel
Greta Garbo plays Tania, a Russian spy who is having an affair with Austrian Captain Karl von Heinersdorff (Conrad Nagel) in order to get secret plans on the eve of the First World War. Tania falls in love with Karl, but still steals the plans. As a result, Karl is court-martialed and imprisoned. When his uncle (Albert Pollet) helps him escape, Karl goes to Russia and tracks down Tania. Since she really does love Karl, Tania steals papers that chief spy General Alexandroff (Gustav von Seyffertitz) received from a true Austrian traitor and gives them to Karl. But then, Alexandroff learns what she has done.

Actually, you can forget about all the spying and intrigue in "The Mysterious Lady," because what this movie really offers is Greta Garbo in a whole lot of love scenes. Whenever possible, director Fred Niblo goes in for a close up on Garbo, which is a good move given that her costumes in this film are not particularly flattering. But certainly "The Mysterious Lady" provides ample evidence of why Garbo was such an alluring movie star during the silent era. This 1928 M-G-M film was based on the novel "War in the Dark" by Ludwig Wolff. Garbo and Nagel again teamed up in "The Kiss."

Garbo - 5, Print Quality - Zip
The box is labeled "In Glorious Black & White," but the b/w print available on video is horrendous. It's not only in black and and white, but due to the ancient quality of the film transfer, it also changes to blue, amber and red. And their are spots, blips and scratches all over the film. This video can't compare to the b/w quality of 'The Kiss.'

The picture is clear. The music is wonderful. And in silence, you can see why Garbo was considered such a phenomenal sex symbol, before trite dialogue rendered her a stately object of dated romance. But she looks phenomenal, and gives more intelligence to the material than it probably deserves. If only the print quality were better. ... Read more