WRITTEN ON THE WIND

Well finally I got round to watching one of Douglas Sirk’s 1950s melodramas. 

This one is about a brother and sister, Kyle and Marylee, (played by Robert Stack and Dorothy Malone) who are filthy rich because their father is an oil tycoon (we’re in Texas).

Needless to say their money doesn’t make them happy.

Marylee is in love with handsome Mitch (Rock Hudson) who she has known since childhood. Problem is that he only loves her as a brother.  It might also be the case that he recognises that she is Trouble.

Mitch is Kyle’s best friend and works as a geologist for Kyle's dad's oil company.  Mitch is the opposite of Kyle; he has studied and worked hard, and he’s not an alcoholic.  In comparison with Mitch, Kyle doubts his masculinity and resents the fact that his father would probably prefer to have Mitch as his son.

Into this combustible mix walks Lucy (Lauren Bacall) who both Kyle and Mitch fall for instantly, but it’s Kyle she marries, not for his money but because of his vulnerabilities.

At first the marriage goes great, but after a year Kyle learns that it may be due to him 'firing blanks' that Lucy isn’t yet pregnant. This sets off all his insecurities and causes him to fall off the wagon big time.

This inevitably leads to a melodramatic conclusion, and this being America where everyone has a gun it’s a sure bet that not all the four main characters are making it alive to the end credits. 

(If you’re going to hide a gun from an alcoholic it might be a good idea to remove the bullets as well - just saying)

Robert Stack and Dorothy Malone have the showier parts, and the former in particular gives a compelling performance that holds the picture together although it was the latter who picked up an Oscar. 

Bacall and Hudson are also fine as the two well adjusted people who clearly should end up together.

The colour design has to be seen to be believed. It’s spectacular yet tasteful and a delight for the eyes.  For example, early on Kyle tries to impress Lucy with a hotel suite he’s paid for, and it is simply breath-taking.

I approached this film with some trepidation. Would it be too banal, too soapy, too over the top? Not a bit of it. The dialogue is sharp and the characters’ personalities are sufficiently nuanced and layered as to keep me totally engaged as to how the underlying tensions would play out.