{"id":350,"date":"2024-09-25T01:40:38","date_gmt":"2024-09-25T01:40:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/introtofilm2024\/?p=350"},"modified":"2024-09-25T01:41:06","modified_gmt":"2024-09-25T01:41:06","slug":"all-that-heaven-allows-how-society-tries-to-control-a-womans-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/introtofilm2024\/2024\/09\/25\/all-that-heaven-allows-how-society-tries-to-control-a-womans-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"All That Heaven Allows: How society tries to control a woman’s heart"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I have to admit I did not have many expectations for this movie. I have a bad habit of writing off movies made before the 1980s (1990s if I’m being honest), and hearing it was a melodrama made me even more skeptical, however, I thought this movie was far from over dramatic or laughable. All That Heaven Allows<\/em> surprised me with its depth, especially in how it shows the ways society tries to control women, forcing them into roles instead of letting them follow their hearts. Even though it was made in 1955, and despite what many people will say about how society has progressed since then, the pressure Cary faces as a widow, mother, and woman feels incredibly modern, and, honestly, very familiar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the most infuriating aspects of the film is how Cary\u2019s own children treat her, especially when they beg her not to marry Ron and then barely care when she calls off the engagement. Ned’s character angered me most, telling her she can\u2019t marry Ron because she was his father’s wife. Ned reduces Cary to nothing more than an object that once belonged to his father which acted as stark reminder of how deeply ingrained patriarchal values can be. Kay’s character also was a bleak reminder of what society can do to young women. She genuinely wants the best for her mom, but she\u2019s so wrapped up in what society thinks that she can\u2019t see beyond it, and, sadly, it is hard to move past it when you’re that age still finding your place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In contrast, Ron presents a beautiful chance for Cary to break free. He\u2019s mature, grounded, and in touch with the reality of life and what is truly important. He spends his time growing trees, watching things develop slowly and naturally, which is the exact opposite of the rigid social expectations that surround Cary. Ron is the one who helps her see that she\u2019s been stuck on this \u201cmerry-go-round\u201d of pleasing others and, with him, she gets a glimpse of what life could be like if she finally puts herself first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One of the most powerful scenes I found in the film was when Ned gets Cary a TV for Christmas despite her clear desire to not own one. Society’s insistence that she buy a TV to avoid being lonely, suggesting she fill the void in her life with a screen rather than real connection, is clearly misguided and frankly insulting. When Cary is framed in the dark TV screen, shiny and new with a bow on top, we see the true sadness that society\u2019s shallow solutions give. Even if in the short run media can consume one’s time and attention, once the screen is off, you are left hollow and empty as the screen itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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All That Heaven Allows<\/em> is more than just a romance, it\u2019s a commentary on how society tries to box women in, dictating how they should live, love, and grieve. Cary\u2019s journey is a reminder that stepping off the merry-go-round is hard, especially when everyone around you is pushing you to stay on, but, it is also a story about finding the courage to live your own life, even when the world tells you not to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One question I had for this film was the role that clocks play. In many of the cuts between scenes, a clock was shown, whether it was the large town clock or the grandfather clock in Cary’s house. I interpreted it as a tool to show time passing but also a reminder of Cary’s age. Clearly, she is a beautiful woman, and, frankly doesn’t look that much older than Ron, but society insists on placing her ‘ticking clock’ at the forefront of most conversations. Are the clocks acting as a symbol of Cary’s passing youth or was there more meaning hidden within them?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have to admit I did not have many expectations for this movie. I have a bad habit of writing off movies made before the 1980s (1990s if I’m being honest), and hearing it was a melodrama made me even more skeptical, however, I thought this movie was far from over dramatic or laughable. All […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9227,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,17],"tags":[88,59,89],"class_list":["post-350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-viewer","category-week-5-9-19-9-21-editing-i-continuity-editing","tag-all-that-heaven-allows","tag-viewer","tag-week-5"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/introtofilm2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/introtofilm2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/introtofilm2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/introtofilm2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9227"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/introtofilm2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=350"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/introtofilm2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":360,"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/introtofilm2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350\/revisions\/360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/introtofilm2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/introtofilm2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/introtofilm2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}