Douglas Sirk
(1897 - 1987)
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ShareThree Key Films: All That Heaven Allows (1955), Written on the Wind (1956), Imitation of Life (1959)
Underrated: The Tarnished Angels (1958) Long out of print in the US, this adaptation of William Faulkner’s Pylon stars Sirk standbys Rock Hudson, Dorothy Malone, and Robert Stack. It truly is unfortunate that this film has fallen by the wayside as much as it has. One of the only late films by Sirk to be shot in black-and-white, the tragic tale of a barnstormer (Stack) and the people surrounding him was believed by Faulkner to be the greatest filmed version of one of his works. Lacking any of the aspects that have led audiences to accuse Sirk of “campiness”—the occassionally lurid technicolor, seemingly overly pithy scripts, and sweeping orchestral soundtracks—The Tarnished Angels in fact almost might be one of his more accessible works for today’s audience. A re-release is necessary, without question.
Unforgettable: In Written on the Wind, Mary-lee (Dorothy Malone) is a nymphomaniac, who’s every action is meant to entice Rock Hudson’s character. Upon returning home from her latest tryst, she goes upstairs and begins dancing to loud, tempestuous music. Her father, an exhausted, aging millionaire, begins walking up the stairs to discipline her. But the music and sexuality is somehow too much for him, even behind the door of his daughter’s room. He has a heart attack, and falls down the long, winding staircase that fills the foyer of the family estate. He dies, pretty much without question, a victim of his daughter’s sexuality.
The Legend: Although still relatively well-known, the reputation of this German immigrant auteur has been woefully tarnished for years. His most famous and best-remembered work is mis-remembered—or rather, unfairly marginalized—as commercial fodder produced for the “Women’s Market”. Probably his most popular film at this point remains his 1959 remake of John Stahl’s Imitation of Life, and this only because of its wide-ranging scope and tearful ending.
Despite that fact, this director is essential most likely because of the sheer density and openness to interpretation of his most famous films. Although he was incredibly prolific in his years working for the German film industry, the melodramas he made for Universal in the 1950s are what film fans remember him most for. Written on the Wind, All That Heaven Allows, and other works from the same period exist as singularly poetic works of (mostly Technicolor) genius.
When critically analyzing his works, something curious becomes clear. Sirk seems to be either treat purely as a social commentator or a creator of camp classics. While there certainly is a little bit of truth to each claim, it doesn’t really go far enough to explain why he is an Essential Director. The complexly arranged sets and lighting, combined with the vivid, almost expressionist performances by actors for the most part otherwise known for milquetoast roles points towards a fundamental understanding of the human soul, when placed in the cinematic realm.
The idea of what can be done in a filmic space can and should be incredibly flexible; and while a red light in the cabin of Robert Stack’s private plane in Written on the Wind may certainly be treated both as a symbolic object representing alcoholism and a lurid amplifier of emotion, it may also just be meant to show a singular wrongness in the cinematic world. An endless parade of mirrors, lights, and windows always place us between the characters and their problems, at the same time making clear the fundamental difference and affinity between the audience and the film. Thus, self-reflexivity is introduced to the world of the commercial genre film. And they’re entertaining as hell, to. 
Mark Schiffer
