Review of Written on the Wind (1956) by Scott R — 02 Dec 2015
Written on the Wind is flat out excellent, accommodated by Sirk's signature visuals (was anyone better at cultivating this kind of look?) and a wonderfully melodramatic love story filled with subtleties (Kyle's possible homosexuality, Marylee's nymphomania and a couple of hilarious visual jokes that play off of it, the almost ironically over-the-top direction) that an audience could choose to ignore if they wanted to experience the pulpy top layer on its own.
Robert Stack and Dorothy Malone are both excellent in their tortured villainy, almost to the point that watching Hudson and Bacall feels dull by comparison, but what make the film truly great is its screenplay, an elegantly structured piece filled with witty dialogue that allows for the two divergent ways one can view a Sirk film (either an earnest, trashy melodrama or a still-earnest-yet-hilarious satire of an earnest, trashy melodrama, with the added element of genuinely affecting material).
It may not beat All That Heaven Allows in that respect, but it's certainly considered to be one of his best for a reason.
This review of Written on the Wind (1956) was written by Scott R on 02 Dec 2015.
Written on the Wind has generally received very positive reviews.
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