The film All That Heaven Allows was filmed from a
time period much different than today’s, but still bares similarity to current
time, one being melodrama. Melodramas attach themselves to one’s heart, making
them feel a spectrum of emotions. Exaggerations, music, over the top characters
and attitudes, unrealistic expectations, realizations, love, hatred and
betrayal can all describe melodramas; such things as these can been seen in All That Heaven Allows. From the beginning
the film starts off dramatic. In the film the main character Carry (a recent
widow) falls in love with a man named Ron, but he’s from a class much lower
than hers. A melodramatic seen occurs when her and Ron decide to get married.
As she tells her kids about this marriage they are infuriated at their mother
and do not approve it at all. In her children’s minds, how could their mother
betray their father by marrying a man like Ron? As one can see they are being
very overemotional and this becomes even more melodramatic in the film as the scene
is accompanied by serious music. As the movie progresses, this “Style” (page
38) of melodrama continues and can been seen throughout the whole movie, eventually leading to a cliche happy ending.
