All That Heaven Allows

The 1950s pastel interior, in which the conformist social norms of this Technicolor melodrama are inscribed as it were, shimmers brilliantly but impenetrably. This is the world of the wealthy widow Carrie (Jane Wyman), who has subordinated her life to rigid small-town conventions and her children's expectations of a woman her age. When she discovers a world free of social constraints and possible happiness with the younger down-to-earth gardener Ron (Rock Hudson), those around her vehemently stand in the way. ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS is one of the "most quoted examples of subversive mainstream filmmaking.“ (Mark Cousins) (mg)