All That Heaven Allows (1955)

[Scottie]

All That Heaven Allows Blu-ray PRE-ORDER

This heartbreakingly beautiful indictment of 1950s American mores by Douglas Sirk follows the blossoming love between a well-off suburban widow (Jane Wyman) and her handsome and earthy younger gardener (Rock Hudson). After their romance prompts the scorn of her selfish children and snooty country club friends, she must decide whether to pursue her own happiness or carry on a lonely, hemmed-in existence for the sake of the approval of others. With the help of ace cinematographer Russell Metty, Sirk imbued nearly every shot with a vivid and distinct emotional tenor. A profoundly felt film about class and conformity in small-town America, All That Heaven Allows is a pinnacle of expressionistic Hollywood melodrama.

Disc Features
New 2K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
Audio commentary featuring John Mercer, coauthor of Melodrama: Genre, Style, Sensibility, and film scholar Tamar Jeffers-McDonald
Rock Hudson’s Home Movies (1992), a groundbreaking essay film about the actor by Mark Rappaport
French television interview with Sirk from 1982
Excerpts from Behind the Mirror: A Profile of Douglas Sirk, a 1979 BBC documentary featuring rare interview footage with the director
Contract Kid: William Reynolds on Douglas Sirk, a 2007 interview with the actor, who costarred in three Sirk films, including All That Heaven Allows
Trailer
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film scholar Laura Mulvey and an excerpt from a 1971 essay by filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder on Sirk

New cover by Robert Hunt

[NoirFan]

I really wanted a 4K restoration for this one, as it certainly deserves it. The new commentary should be informative though, and while Rappaport's narration in his video essay is occasionally shrill and overly dramatic, he does unearth some fascinating (and amusing) undercurrents and double-entendres in Hudson's filmography (as well as highlighting the more obvious ones).

[dressedtokill]

YESSSSS!!!! I wanted more Sirk and I finally got it! Hopefully we'll get more Sirk titles in the future like: Written on the Wind and Magnificent Obsession.

[donidarko]

Just saw this film for the first time last year. Scandalous subject matter for a 50s film that aged extremely well. Can't wait to get this blu. A really beautiful looking film with Rock at his hottest.

Thank you!!! Criterion.

[James Luckard]

Glad to see this! Although it would have made a great double feature with Far From Heaven, which still isn't on BD in the US. They've released closely related films before in boxsets (The Lower Depths, The Killers), and they're the same studio.

I hope Criterion will also release Sirk's A Time to Love and a Time to Die. I may finally just give in and buy the UK Masters of Cinema BD, as I have a regionless player.

Would be great if they could get Imitation of Life as well, though I know they never had it on DVD.

[Todd Tomorrow]

Originally Posted by dressedtokill

YESSSSS!!!! I wanted more Sirk and I finally got it! Hopefully we'll get more Sirk titles in the future like: Written on the Wind and Magnificent Obsession.

...and Imitation of Life !

[JJJ225]

I can't believe it's take Criterion this long to release a Sirk film on Blu Ray!!!

[bluknight1]

Originally Posted by JJJ225

I can't believe it's take Criterion this long to release a Sirk film on Blu Ray!!!

I can't either!

I hope this means that Magnificent Obsession, Written on the Wind, Tarnished Angels (unavailable on DVD in R1!), and Imitation of Life are close behind!

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by JJJ225

I can't believe it's take Criterion this long to release a Sirk film on Blu Ray!!!

Tell me about it. I saw this a few months ago via TCM and I LOVED IT.

I still have Magnificent Obsession and Written on the Wind (I think I deleted Imitation of Life ).

[Swissangel4616]

Originally Posted by JJJ225

I can't believe it's take Criterion this long to release a Sirk film on Blu Ray!!!

Younger generation would ask: who to hell is Rock Hudson and/or Jane Wyman?

[Scarface32]

I saw this movie in "into to cinema" back in college. My professor noted that his favorite "can't show sex" sex scenes is in this (when you see the deer skipping).

This is a great film, but I wish it had a better than 2K transfer...

***

Originally Posted by BluPat

LOL that's like on Dallas Buyers Club at the beginning. After seeing Rock Hudson's picture in the paper concerning AIDS, one guy says, "Who the Hell is Rock Hudson?!" Then another says, "He's an actor dumbass. Haven't you ever seen North By NorthWest?"

Anyway, just pre-ordered.

Never heard of the show, but I'm guessing they are all morons on it? Rock Hudson isn't even in North by North West, that would be Cary Grant.

[HuggyBear73]

Just watched this film for the first time. The transfer from Criterion is hands down one of the top 10 I've ever seen for a catalog title. It's unbelievable! Terrific film too! Never thought heavy melodrama could be this good. Film is visually incredible as well.

[BluLobsta]

This title has been reduced to $19.99 for all of you Criterion bargain hunters out there

[Chadhobbick]

Do you think Criterion would ever do a Douglas Sirk blu-ray collection? I have All That Heaven Allows already, but would totally double dip if they did a box set w/Magnificent Obsession, Written on the Wind, any other Sirk titles they have access too, and if they could get Imitation of Life. I think this would be a surefire best seller for them.

[BluPat]

I would love to have all those Douglas Sirk melodramas on Blu.

[Swissangel4616]

interesting. that new german bluray release (in two months) of All That Heaven Allows by the Label "ALIVE" Comes from the criterion-material. So... after the lousy cheap previously released bluray - finally we're getting a good Quality...

[AaronJ]

It's such a beautiful film. As many of you, I would love to see as much Douglas Sirk as possible.

I really should have picked this up during the sale, but I ended up going with more titles that I haven't seen. I'll definitely pick it up during the next Flash Sale.