Written on the Wind (1956)
Genre: Drama
Duration: 99 minuten
Alternative title: Duistere Driften
Country:
United States
Directed by: Douglas Sirk
Stars: Rock Hudson, Lauren Bacall and Robert Stack
IMDb score:
7,3 (15.390)
Releasedate: 4 October 1956
Written on the Wind plot
"This woman in his arms was now the wife of the man he called his best friend!"
Mitch Wayne and Kyle Hadley have been friends since childhood. Marylee, Kyle's sister, hopes Wayne will marry her one day, but, like Kyle, he is in love with Lucy Moore. Kyle proposes to Lucy, which she agrees to before Wayne can express his love for her. A year later, Lucy finds out she's pregnant, but when Kyle discovers he probably won't be able to father children, Marylee suggests that Wayne and Lucy are dating.
Actors and actresses
Mitch Wayne
Lucy Moore Hadley
Kyle Hadley
Marylee Hadley
Jasper Hadley
Biff Miley
Dan Willis
Dr. Paul Cochrane
Hoak Wayne
Roy Carter
Reviews & comments
Spetie
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- 38871 messages
- 8608 votes
It's a beautiful film, really. I can certainly appreciate this kind of melodrama, when it is told in such a captivating way.
The use of color, in particular, is very beautiful. Lovely, striking, and bright colors make for a beautiful design. Story-wise, I also found it very engaging. The Hadleys are a wealthy family, but both the brother and the sister are clear proof that money doesn't always bring happiness. Brother Kyle is something of a loser and a doubter, and is portrayed well by Robert Stack. Sister Marylee is mainly jealous and enormously frustrated because she cannot get the man she is in love with. Dorothy Malone delivers a truly amazing performance as her; she is a beautiful presence, but also very annoying. Especially the moment when she tells the truth in court after all, is acted exceptionally well. Lauren Bacall and Rock Hudson do a decent job, but are just slightly less strong than the brother and sister.
The drama might be a bit overdone here and there, but for me personally, it worked very well. The moments when Kyle is drinking are quite exaggerated, but I felt they fit the overall atmosphere perfectly. Additionally, those kinds of moments prevent it from becoming too sentimental. The drama itself is strong because the characters are also well-developed. Towards the end, I was really empathizing and strongly hoping that everything would turn out alright. Despite Marylee's annoying behavior, I still felt a kind of admiration for her because she didn't think of herself for once at the end. Somewhat unexpected, but very believable.
Douglas Sirk is my kind of thing, and this sort of drama too. Written on the Wind is, in any case, a film that certainly deserves to be seen by more people.
4.0*
Translated from Dutch · View original
starbright boy (moderator films)
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- 22710 messages
- 5343 votes
My third Sirk film is also the third bullseye. I experienced this film as a little different from the first two. Less satirical, I think, perhaps less bitter too, and somewhat more ironic. A tad less strong as well, but the difference is very small.
Sirk is clearly exaggerating here and is deliberately artificial. Particularly beautifully artificial. Even more so than in All That Heaven Allows. The comparison with Almodovar has already been drawn, and I think this will even be his favorite Sirk. And Sirk goes quite far here, using colors that reflect the mood of the main characters, for example. The whole luxurious world in which the protagonists live is fake, merely a facade, while meanwhile they struggle with their inflated problems. It is difficult to explain, but that artificial side brings life to this film.
By now, I would like to call Sirk and Nicholas Ray my heroes of 50s Hollywood. I also think they are quite related to each other.
4.0*
Translated from Dutch · View original
BBarbie
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- 12893 messages
- 7675 votes
Yet another Douglas Sirk film that I cannot get excited about. A more or less standard “Dynasty” story about the outrageous (often laughable) behavior of an immensely wealthy oil family is drenched in extravagant colors *and* acting that is almost continuously over the top. Robert Stack, in particular, attempts to elevate hamming to an art form. Because of all this, it seems as though the film is trying to be a farce of itself. According to some commentators, that is Sirk’s intention. That may be true, but it is wasted on me.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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