All That Heaven Allows: Melodrama

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All That Heaven Allows The 1950s are known for its post-WWII affluence and the social issues that arose among upper-middle-class families. The 1950s film and television industry made a significant contribution and mirrored how families lived and reacted to the economically booming shift in standards of living. Notably, the films of Douglas Sirk led Hollywood's resurgence of the genre, Melodrama. Melo, meaning “song” in Greek and “drama” in French, is a genre that exaggerates the actor's emotions and integrates sad or exciting events in the narrative of the film. Melodrama is also defined by romance conflicted by repressive social circumstances. The film All That Heaven Allows by Douglas Sirk is a 1955 melodrama where a woman named Cary falls in love with a tree …show more content…

The sound and lighting match the story arches of the scene. For example, the music gets louder and then stops for one second, the teapot breaks. There is warm lighting from the fireplace, but also cool lighting from outside. The room feels both very open and simple, but also tiny and suffocating. All aligns with how Cary and Ron's relationship goes as he throws the teapot in the fire. The clip ends with Cary's attempt to leave but he insists on helping her put her boots on as snow blows in from the open door. She breaks down and cries and says “Ron, I love you so much” and then, they kiss. The ending of that scene is beautifully lit and their facial expressions are real as it resembles a Jack and Rose dilemma from Titanic. But what is different and most notable about All That Heaven Allows is that it's left up to the audience's interpretation and imagination. Sirk's structure is organized, but there are many twists and turns in his films. There is more complexity to the characters and symbolic juxtaposition in All That Heaven Allows. Both characters are masked by something more, but the audience isn’t exactly sure

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