--- title: "All That Heaven Allows" year: 1955 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/all-that-heaven-allows" fi1m_id: "all-that-heaven-allows" imdb_id: "tt0047811" tmdb_id: 43316 wikidata_id: "Q1633549" fi1m_score: 86 critics_score: 78 critics_reviews: 7 published: "2026-09-25T07:30:46.688349+00:00" updated: "2026-09-25T07:30:46.980060+00:00" region: "HU" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # All That Heaven Allows (1955) Directed by Douglas Sirk · 1h 29m · Drama, Romance ## Identity All That Heaven Allows - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/all-that-heaven-allows - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** all-that-heaven-allows - **IMDb ID:** tt0047811 - **TMDB ID:** 43316 - **Wikidata ID:** Q1633549 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047811/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/43316, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1633549 **Fi1m score: 86** · Critics 78 from 7 reviews *In a sentence:* The colours are rich and the people could use some manners > Douglas Sirk’s romance is richly coloured, tender and angry about the cruelty of respectable people. Jane Wyman makes its unhappiness matter, though Rock Hudson’s reserve occasionally leaves her doing too much of the emotional work. ## Synopsis Cary Scott (Jane Wyman) and Ron Kirby (Rock Hudson) begin a romance that runs against the expectations of the society around them. Cary wants to pursue the relationship, but other people’s ideas of what is acceptable make that choice difficult. Sara Warren (Agnes Moorehead), Kay Scott (Gloria Talbott) and Ned Scott (William Reynolds) are among those in their lives. As private affection becomes a matter for public judgement, Cary faces pressure to put respectability before happiness. She must work out how far she is prepared to let other people decide whom she can love. ## Review Douglas Sirk’s *All That Heaven Allows* is a moving romance, and its anger at the people who make love difficult gives it force without making the lovers seem foolish. It takes Cary Scott’s happiness seriously enough to risk looking excessive, a sensible choice for a melodrama. We are asked to care about what she wants before assessing what she ought to do, and that order matters. The film would be considerably less affecting if it stood back and congratulated us on being cleverer than the people in it. Jane Wyman makes Cary’s indecision difficult to dismiss. Watching her weigh her own wishes against other people’s standards can be frustrating, but the performance makes that hesitation understandable. We were moved by her uncertainty: she seems to need permission even to want a happier life. She gives that need enough weight that we stay with Cary when we would like her to be firmer with the people judging her. Rock Hudson, as Ron Kirby, is less consistently persuasive. His stillness gives the romance dignity, but it can also leave Ron looking like an answer to Cary’s troubles rather than a person whose company we have come to know. That is a limitation when so much depends on believing in the attraction, and the writing could give him more awkwardness, more room to be inconvenient. A less composed Ron would give his partner more to work against. Russell Metty’s cinematography makes the strongest case for the film’s richness. The saturated colour is pleasurable in itself, but the precise geometry of the compositions also makes us alert to how much space Cary seems allowed. Looking at her place within the frame becomes part of watching her struggle, so the images never feel like decoration applied to an otherwise ordinary romance. Those carefully arranged images hold our attention even when the story’s social criticism is easy to grasp. The editing by Frank Gross and Fred Baratta keeps that visual emphasis within a compact 89 minutes. The film has time to dwell on the unhappiness without feeling protracted, and its concentration suits the pressure on Cary. Frank Skinner’s music shares the willingness to make feeling explicit. There is no need to apologise for that: a romance this openly emotional would be poorly served by a score afraid of sounding involved. Peg Fenwick’s screenplay is frank about the ugliness beneath respectable judgement, and that frankness can make the opposition to the romance feel too neatly arranged. Gloria Talbott, as Kay Scott, brings a welcome sharpness to the supporting cast. The film does not always allow for the possibility that a misguided objection might be complicated, or even sincerely meant. Still, its anger is earned by how seriously it considers the happiness being denied. As a melodrama, this works because it is prepared to take ordinary unhappiness seriously. We do not have to admire it from a safe distance or pretend the romance is merely an excuse for the pictures. Even with the stiffness in Ron, there is enough tenderness here to justify the large feelings and the emphatic colour. Watch it without apologising for liking a tearjerker. *Fi1m score 86, published 25 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics respond warmly to All That Heaven Allows, with praise clustering around Sirk’s expressive use of colour and composition. The melodrama is widely valued for taking ordinary emotional lives seriously, while several reviews find a perceptive challenge to social repression beneath the romance. The strongest notices see its emotional directness as a strength, rather than something that needs to be excused by looking for subtext. Reservations concern the performances and the story’s persuasiveness, with a substantial spread between enthusiasm and qualified responses. Radio Times particularly praises Rock Hudson, while The AV Club finds his performance problematic. Variety is less moved by the story and finds Wyman’s character difficult to sympathise with, though it singles out Gloria Talbott for praise. Eye for Film admires the film but questions the ending’s reliance on coincidence. The unavailable Time Out text limits what can be said about its reservations. ## Straight answers **Is All That Heaven Allows worth watching?** *All That Heaven Allows* is worth watching for its tender, angry romance and rich colour, and we score it 86. We recommend it to anyone willing to take a tearjerker seriously: Jane Wyman makes Cary’s uncertainty moving, though Rock Hudson’s reserve sometimes leaves her carrying too much of the emotional weight. **How long is All That Heaven Allows, and what is it rated?** *All That Heaven Allows* runs 1h 29m. It is a drama and romance film. **Where can I watch All That Heaven Allows in Hungary?** *All That Heaven Allows* is not on any streaming or rental service in Hungary at the moment. It is available in 4 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How does All That Heaven Allows compare to Brief Encounter?** *All That Heaven Allows* shares [*Brief Encounter*](https://film.one/film/brief-encounter)’s concern with love made painful by behaving properly, but gives its romance more emphatic colour and open anger at respectable cruelty. We give *Brief Encounter* the edge for making love feel ordinary and frightening through Laura’s anxiety. Sirk’s film suits those who prefer their melodrama more openly emotional. **What should I watch after All That Heaven Allows?** After *All That Heaven Allows*, try [*Brief Encounter*](https://film.one/film/brief-encounter) (1945, Fi1m 90): Another romance made painful by the effort to behave properly. Then [*In the Mood for Love*](https://film.one/film/in-the-mood-for-love) (2000, Fi1m 91): For colour, restraint and the hurt of feelings that cannot be spoken; and [*The Age of Innocence*](https://film.one/film/the-age-of-innocence) (1993, Fi1m 86): Respectability finds more elaborate ways to make private happiness everybody else’s concern. ### Reviews we read (7) - **The AV Club**, Mike D'Angelo (A-): D’Angelo says the film works magnificently as melodrama, even without reading it for subtext. He especially praises Sirk’s saturated colors and geometrical compositions, while finding Hudson’s performance more problematic. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/subtext-or-not-all-that-heaven-allows-works-great-as-s-1798180859) - **The New Yorker**, Richard Brody (90/100, inferred): Brody regards the film as one of Sirk’s great works and celebrates its democratic power. He singles out how its melodrama makes ordinary emotional life feel grand while risking—and triumphing over—ridicule. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/dvd-of-the-week-all-that-heaven-allows) - **Empire**, David Parkinson (85/100, inferred): Parkinson finds the film enthralling and far more than a romance novel. He praises Sirk’s expressive visual style and its perceptive critique of bourgeois society. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/heaven-allows-review/) - **Radio Times**, Lucy Barrick (4/5): Barrick calls the film an exquisite melodrama. She praises the leads, especially Rock Hudson, and its sumptuous visual design. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-4prf33/all-that-heaven-allows/) - **Time Out**, GA (64/100, inferred): The available metadata describes the film as a glossy tearjerker centered on a troubled romance. The review text is unavailable, so its verdict and specific praise or complaint cannot be established. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/all-that-heaven-allows) - **Variety**, Variety Staff (55/100, inferred): The review finds the story mildly offbeat but says it is not especially stirring, and Wyman’s character becomes difficult to sympathize with. It singles out Gloria Talbott as the standout performer. [Read](https://variety.com/1954/film/reviews/all-that-heaven-allows-1200417942/) - **Eye for Film**, Chris (80/100, inferred): The critic praises Sirk’s film as a major work that challenges social repression, though its ending feels too dependent on coincidence. The vivid expressionist visuals and sincere performances help make its ideals convincing. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/all-that-heaven-allows-film-review-by-chris) ## Details - **Director:** Douglas Sirk - **Director:** Douglas Sirk - **Screenplay:** Peg Fenwick - **Story:** Edna L. Lee, Harry Lee - **Cinematography:** Russell Metty - **Editor:** Fred Baratta, Frank Gross - **Music:** Frank Skinner - **Costume design:** Bill Thomas - **Producer:** Ross Hunter - **Cast:** Jane Wyman as Cary Scott; Rock Hudson as Ron Kirby; Agnes Moorehead as Sara Warren; Conrad Nagel as Harvey; Virginia Grey as Alida Anderson; Gloria Talbott as Kay Scott; William Reynolds as Ned Scott; Charles Drake as Mick Anderson - **Runtime:** 1h 29m - **First release (the UK):** 25 August 1955 - **Genres:** Drama, Romance ## Where to watch in Hungary Not streaming, renting or buying in Hungary at the last check. Also available in: BE, CH, FR, IN. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Brief Encounter* (1945), Fi1m 90: Another romance made painful by the effort to behave properly. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/brief-encounter.md) - *Ali: Fear Eats the Soul* (1974): Plain, painful companionship under social scrutiny, with little comfort in good intentions. - *In the Mood for Love* (2000), Fi1m 91: For colour, restraint and the hurt of feelings that cannot be spoken. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/in-the-mood-for-love.md) - *The Age of Innocence* (1993), Fi1m 86: Respectability finds more elaborate ways to make private happiness everybody else’s concern. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-age-of-innocence.md) - *The Lunchbox* (2013): A gentler account of loneliness and the risk involved in answering it. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/all-that-heaven-allows