All That Heaven Allows Movie Post 1

All That Heaven Allows by Douglas Sirk follows Cary Scott who is a widow and Ron Kirby her gardener-landscaper.

Cary is navigating the social scenes now single. Many of the women in her social circle are catty and the men are only interested in

getting Cary’s attention now that she is single. Cary becomes interested in Ron, who is smart and respectable. Ron is different than

the men who run in Cary’s typical circle, who are more aggressive. Ron lives in a small cabin next to a glass house, living

a simple life in nature and apart from society. Their lives are opposites, Cary’s surrounded by materialist women and

status and Ron living a simple life. The romantic relationship between the two is a shock to Cary’s friends

and family. Ron is much younger than Cary and does not have the same status in society. The issue of Cary and Ron

coming from different social backgrounds and their age difference is a major theme throughout the movie.   

All That Heaven Allows is melodramatic with its clothing, acting, and music. There are also many symbolisms throughout the movie that represent the melodramatic aspects. The first is the comparison of Ron’s life is drastically different from Cary’s. At the beginning of the movie, Ron takes Cary to his place and when they are standing in a rundown barn Cary is wearing formal clothing whereas Ron is wearing a button-down flannel shirt. The contradiction in their clothing is another way the movie shows how different their lives are. Another comparison are the two dancing scenes, in the first scene Cary is at her country club and the music is much more mellow, representing her mood, but the scene when Cary is dancing with Ron the music is much happier. The third example is the blue teapot. Ron spends hours putting it together and after Cary rejects his marriage proposal she drops it and it shatters. The pieces of the teapot represent their love, shattering put being put back together. This is similar to the bamboo doll in 1963 the Bamboo Doll of Echizen. When the son destroys the doll it represents an emotional and mental change, which is similar to the teapot.