<![CDATA[All I Desire: minor Douglas Sirk movie from 1953]]>Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Classic Film

Sophienoire — 2 years ago(May 31, 2023 04:13 PM)

in the early 1900s, a woman (Barbara Stanwyck) who abandoned her husband (Richard Carlson) and children 10 years before and ran off to go on the stage returns to the small town after she gets a letter from her now grown daughter (Lori Nelson). nothing seems to have changed and the small town gossips are abuzz about the return of the "scarlet" woman.
the film opens with an opulent, busy, mirror-infested set that looks like something out of von Sternberg, and then contrasts it with the broad, open landscapes of small town America. Barbara Stanwyck plays a sort of prodigal wife: an ambitious, failed actress who abandoned her family to pursue her career and now returns to the town and family she left behind with a newfound wholesomeness that no one, including herself, really believes to be true. Stanwyck is in her element here with a lovely performance but with the exception of Maureen O'Sullivan as a teacher in love with Carlson, there's no one in the cast on her level. it's a terrific vehicle for her talent, portraying one of the many sympathetic outsiders that appear in director Sirk's output. this is minor Sirk but still worth visiting. it has all the trademarks of Sirk's Universal period melodramas: the mean spirited small town hypocrisy (
All That Heaven Allows
), motherhood (
Imitation of Life
) and an attempt to remedy the past (
There's Always Tomorrow
).
we believe in the optimism of the premise, despite the fatalistic plot that falls into place. this one offers some of the best evidence of Sirk's ironic use of form, swallowing his central characters in ominous shadows when they appear to make amends at movie's end. unfortunately, the ending doesn't seem right and sure enough, the producer had Sirk reshoot the original downbeat ending and substitute a happy one. 7/10
https://mubi.com/films/all-i-desire
https://letterboxd.com/film/all-i-desire/
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/all_i_desire
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045492/reference/
the sound of your racing heart

]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/topic/160654/all-i-desire-minor-douglas-sirk-movie-from-1953RSS for NodeSat, 16 May 2026 08:00:34 GMTTue, 21 Apr 2026 22:49:31 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to All I Desire: minor Douglas Sirk movie from 1953 on Tue, 21 Apr 2026 22:49:47 GMT]]>spiderwort — 2 years ago(December 09, 2023 02:26 AM)

I finally saw this, Sophie, and I really enjoyed it. Stanwyck is wonderful, of course, but I also thought it was one of Richard Carlson's best performances. Not Sirk's best, but it definitely displays his talent with the script and his ability to draw fine performances from actors. Have no idea how I missed it all these years, given that Stanwyck is one of my all-time favorite actresses, but I'm very glad to have finally seen it now.

]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/1350371https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/1350371Tue, 21 Apr 2026 22:49:47 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to All I Desire: minor Douglas Sirk movie from 1953 on Tue, 21 Apr 2026 22:49:46 GMT]]>Sophienoire — 2 years ago(June 01, 2023 04:46 PM)

thanks! well i don't think i've seen Tarnished Angels (noted), but my top 5 favourite Sirk movies are:

  1. Imitation of Life
  2. Written on the Wind
  3. All That Heaven Allows
  4. A Time to Love and a Time to Die
  5. A Scandal of Paris
    the sound of your racing heart
]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/1350370https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/1350370Tue, 21 Apr 2026 22:49:46 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to All I Desire: minor Douglas Sirk movie from 1953 on Tue, 21 Apr 2026 22:49:40 GMT]]>spiderwort — 2 years ago(June 01, 2023 12:46 AM)

Very nice review! I haven't seen this one, though have no idea how I missed it, given that I'm a huge Stanwyck fan. I look forward to seeing it.
In the meantime, re: Sirk, whom I greatly admire: one of my favorite of his films is
Tarnished Angels 1957
, adapted from a William Faulkner novel. It stars Rock Hudson, Robert Stack, and Dorothy Malone, and it's a solid example of Sirk's talent for a film made in a far different style than what he's mostly known for. Worth a look, if you haven't seen it.
Of his other films, my favorite is
All That Heaven Allows
, followed by
Written on the Wind
.

]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/1350369https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/1350369Tue, 21 Apr 2026 22:49:40 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to All I Desire: minor Douglas Sirk movie from 1953 on Tue, 21 Apr 2026 22:49:39 GMT]]>Sophienoire — 2 years ago(May 31, 2023 04:37 PM)

shut up
the sound of your racing heart

]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/1350368https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/1350368Tue, 21 Apr 2026 22:49:39 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to All I Desire: minor Douglas Sirk movie from 1953 on Tue, 21 Apr 2026 22:49:37 GMT]]>/.​ — 2 years ago(May 31, 2023 04:22 PM)

Good grief u watch some shyte
My password is password

]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/1350367https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/1350367Tue, 21 Apr 2026 22:49:37 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to All I Desire: minor Douglas Sirk movie from 1953 on Tue, 21 Apr 2026 22:49:36 GMT]]>frtt wins3, pHd — 2 years ago(May 31, 2023 04:22 PM)

he was good at these epic soap opera type films that u just have to luv.

]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/1350366https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/1350366Tue, 21 Apr 2026 22:49:36 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to All I Desire: minor Douglas Sirk movie from 1953 on Tue, 21 Apr 2026 22:49:34 GMT]]>Sophienoire — 2 years ago(May 31, 2023 04:21 PM)

yes, i love Douglas Sirk, and this was one of his (minor) films i havent seen before.
the sound of your racing heart

]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/1350365https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/1350365Tue, 21 Apr 2026 22:49:34 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to All I Desire: minor Douglas Sirk movie from 1953 on Tue, 21 Apr 2026 22:49:33 GMT]]>frtt wins3, pHd — 2 years ago(May 31, 2023 04:18 PM)

great pick! luv that u found it and brought it up.

]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/1350364https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/1350364Tue, 21 Apr 2026 22:49:33 GMT