Review of Far from Heaven (2002) by Sean S — 23 Jun 2012
FAR FROM HEAVEN is the kind of lame imitation that's educational because it makes you appreciate and respect the original much more. I've seen a few Douglas Sirk films a while ago, and wasn't too much of a fan - I thought his films were the pinnacle of cheesiness and were utterly shameless of this fact.
Later I changed my mind somewhat on the one hand from critics like Andrew Sarris who said that, "Time if nothing else will vindicate Sirk", and filmmakers like Fassbinder who paid ardent tributes to Sirk in their own films.
.. but none of that is more convincing of Sirk's genius than when what seems to be a large-scale student recreation of his signature melodrama - the blue moonlights, autumn foliage, the saturated interior decors, the spiral staircases, the sweeping orchestra, a solid cast - falls flat on its face.
Then we realize that Sirk is much more than the total of what we generally think of as Sirkian elements.
This review of Far from Heaven (2002) was written by Sean S on 23 Jun 2012.
Far from Heaven has generally received very positive reviews.
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