Film Review of "All That Heaven Allows"

Essay by mriley4465College, UndergraduateA-, April 2014

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Maria Riley

English 251

Prof. Smolen-Morton

March 28, 2014

When an older widow woman falls in love with a handsome younger man in the suburbs of New England in 1955 it was the debate: love and happiness or despondency and loneliness. All That Heaven Allows is a great romance story of Cary Scott, an affluent widow in suburban New England, whose social life involves her country club peers, college-age children, and a few men dying for her affection. However, she is taken by none of them. She becomes interested in Ron Kirby, a passionate much younger man. Ron is content with his simple life outside the materialistic society and the two fall in love. He introduces her to a different life style of free spirited people and she responds positively. Cary accepts his proposal of marriage, but becomes distressed when her friends and children disagree with her decision. Eventually, bowing to this pressure, she breaks off the engagement.

Having destroyed her chance at happiness, Cary's children tell her they are moving out and brought her a television set to keep her company. When Ron has a life-threatening accident, Cary realizes how wrong she had been to allow other people's opinions and superficial social conventions dictate her life choices and decides to accept the life Ron offers her. As he recovers, Cary is by his bedside and ready to start a life with him.

I will be analyzing one scene from this film. The scene is from chapter 12, bout 2/3 through the film when Ron brings Cary home from the "coming out party" at the Stoningham Country Club. This one particular scene is the most important part of the film because it brings everything together when it comes to peoples true feelings toward Cary and Ron. Another reason this scene...