It would be wrong of anyone in the film criticism world to understate Douglas Sirk influence. Criterion Collection UK havent and rightly so. In this their third Sirk release, they have done a few things differently. They focus almost exclusively on his most respected film, instead of covering his whole career, which is broad and interesting and covered well elsewhere. So unlike WRITTEN ON THE WIND or MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION (which this film reteams Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson), we are treated to a deeper dive and like that latter film, we have the original version to enjoy, with its comments on technology and dependance as unveiling of our time, as theirs. ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS is the prototype of melodrama if you have never seen the genre or if you want to start at the summit and work your way down. It follows the blossoming love between suburban lady and now widow Cary Scott ( Wyman) and her handsome younger gardener Ron ( Hudson). Now it would pass with a little word here and there but then it was seen as a shocking betrayal. An older woman getting a younger man and romance is always a subject that others want to muscle in on. This one prompts the scorn of her children, who are brattish and snide in equal measure. Ass to this the country club friends like Sara Warren (Agnes Moorehead), who might be jealous or might be in denial. Cary wants to pursue her own happiness but the problem is, will she lose it all for the man she loves? Her life has been predestined and so she has the problem of rocking the boat or settling in for the long, slow road to death….

Sirk was a wonder but also understood how film was a visual media. Coming from UFA and expressionism might have forged this (the documentary here, seen before, tip toes around that). So when this restoration was announced many wondered what would happen to cinematographer Russell Metty stunning work? Well it delivers in the balance, technicolour richness and tastes a lot like it should. This is not rare from Criterion, the last two have been good and this is no exception. But there have been concerns and a complaint or two. Complaints, I have a few mind about the release. There need be a decent conversation on how Sirk imbued nearly every shot, scene and sequence with a golden margin of pictorial joy. Near, Far, Hot, Cold, Light and dark. Vivid and distinct emotional tenor. Nothing to hear here (bar that older commentary, which wonder what he did and why.) Why are we to be robbed of the great man. I apreciate the voice from his mouth but how about someone new? Someone who is more academically interested in the work and what it means to them now?  Allison Anders and Kathryn Bigelow wax lyrical but they are big shots and they are going to be overly eager to upsell a great film. Maybe it is me with the problem. Maybe…

• High-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
• Audio commentary from 2008 featuring film scholar Thomas Doherty
• Magnificent Obsession, John M. Stahl’s 1935 adaptation of the same novel, newly restored
• From UFA to Hollywood: Douglas Sirk Remembers (1991), a documentary by German filmmaker Eckhart Schmidt
• Interviews from 2008 with filmmakers Allison Anders and Kathryn Bigelow, in which they pay tribute to Sirk
• Theatrical trailer
• PLUS: An essay by critic Geoffrey O’Brien