Talking About the Stigma of Age-gap relationships.
The age gap between partners in modern-day marriages and relationships is a very commonly observed phenomenon. According to Wikipedia, about 25% of all marriages have an age gap of 5 or more than 5 years. But in 1955, this phenomenon was not so common, especially when in heterosexual marriages, the woman was much older than the man. It was believed that if the man was successful and more had high social and financial capital, he could have a wife that was much younger than him. This logic unfortunaThe age gap between partners in modern-day marriages and relationships is a very commonly observed phenomenon. According to Wikipedia, about 25% of all marriages have an age gap of 5 or more than 5 years. But in 1955, this phenomenon was not so common, especially when in heterosexual marriages, the woman was much older than the man. It was believed that if the man was successful and more had high social and financial capital, he could have a wife that was much younger than him. This logic unfortunately, did not work the other way around. The woman was expected to find a partner older or the same age as her. Specially if the woman was remarrying, she was expected to be marrying a man who was older than her. Here is a video of age-gap couple sharing their stories of how they fought against sterotypes. link: https://youtu.be/D_SQqstnpgI?si=fV-aWNMhsZYn2vth With his exceptional film, All that Heaven Allows, Douglas Sirk tries to challenge these myths and stereotypes using his creativity as a director and amazing cinematography. When this movie was released, it was unnoticed and appealed to only the then called ‘designed to appeal to the trashy “women’s weepie” audience’. link: https://youtu.be/D_SQqstnpgI?si=fV-aWNMhsZYn2vth But now, looking back, it is considered a masterpiece and how it is so far ahead of it’s time.tely, did not work the other way around. The woman was expected to find a partner older or the same age as her. Specially if the woman was remarrying, she was expected to be marrying a man who was older than her. Here is a video of age-gap couple sharing their stories of how they fought against sterotypes.
link: https://youtu.be/D_SQqstnpgI?si=fV-aWNMhsZYn2vth
With his exceptional film, All that Heaven Allows, Douglas Sirk tries to challenge these myths and stereotypes using his creativity as a director and amazing cinematography. When this movie was released, it was unnoticed and appealed to only the then called ‘designed to appeal to the trashy “women’s weepie” audience’. link: https://youtu.be/D_SQqstnpgI?si=fV-aWNMhsZYn2vth
But now, looking back, it is considered a masterpiece and how it is so far ahead of it’s time.
Talking About Class Distinction in 1955
The protagonists of the movie, Cary and Ron tackle yet another important social issue in their movie. This is the stigma of class distinction. A rich older lady marrying a poor younger guy was considered taboo in the olden days and is still frowned upon by modern society. The film challenged the social norms and conduct, that women in the olden days were expected to follow. This film was a stepping stone for the filmmakers of the future to challenge unjust social norms with courage and shape the upcoming political and social views of the society.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/30136118
The point that I found particularly interesting was that Cary’s daughter in the movie, who is shown to be highly intellectual and modern, struggles to accept her mother dating a man who is not socially acceptable. Even education from prestigious universities such as Princeton could not make her mind open and her thoughts flexible enough to accommodate her own mother’s happiness.
Even when Henry behaves inappropriately with Cary, he is not being blamed by his friends, it is Ron that is blamed for making a scene and threatening Henry. This is a classic example of capital based social structure. I found this article that talks about how unconsciously we punish the poor and dont focus on the flaws of the rich.
Link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/behavioural-public-policy/article/abs/invisible-inequality-leads-to-punishing-the-poor-and-rewarding-the-rich/EDCB613D2680009C80CCB4FF0D7EDF7D
I feel like the movie worked on a lot of levels tackling both social and age stigma present in the society. It have served as an example for filmmakers over the years and will be regarded as a cinematic masterpiece for the message it has for the viewers.
