All Angst From Heaven

Rather too obviously influenced by Todd Haynes’ Far From Heaven and half a doxen Fassbinder films including Fear Eats the Soul and Lola, this is nevertheless a great film in its own right. To my mind it’s an even greater accomplishment than such other cornball masterpieces of Sirk’s as Written on the Wind and Imitation of Life. The colors are brighter, the story seems a little tighter, and if there isn’t as much mileage to be had out of the mother/daughter psychorama as there is in Imitation of Life, there is the added benefit of some of the cheapest Freudianizing to be found anywhere outside the office of an actual analyst (and written for some pretty poignant laughs, too). Ronald’s wife does a great turn as Brigitte Mira (who passed away just this last year), and Agnes Moorehead is equally excellent as a more severe Patricia Clarkson. Rock Hudson is both ideal and fabulous as Frank Whitaker, bringing to the performance such a spot on parody of No. 40 that one can only wonder that Nancy didn’t run screaming onto the set to demand Brigitte’s part for herself. The only thing lacking was for Dennis Haysbert to show up at a local pool hall sprachen zie broken Deutsch with an Arabic accent. There isn’t room here to do a full-scale take-down of the final scene, but do pay special attention to that 12 point buck in the picture window. You’ll think you were there.

Highly recommended.