Seasoned stage actress, Naomi Murdoch (Barbara Stanwyck), receives a letter from her long lost daughter, Lily (Lori Nelson), inviting her to come and see her star in a local production. After years in the big city, Naomi impulsively decides to return to the small-town where she once lived. Despite the good intentions, Naomi’s return disrupts the small-town life, provoking a myriad of reactions from each family member - from delight to despair - and re-igniting an old flame with a shady character. “All I desire” turns on the divide between city/small-town, female independence/domesticity, recklessness/conformity, with each character embodying either side. The only one torn between the two is Naomi who yearns deeply for the love of her husband and children. However, right at the last minute, the past returns to threaten this promise of happiness and domestic bliss once and for all. “All I desire” is classic melodrama: emotion and desire fills every scene. Douglas Sirk, with producer Ross Hunter, continues in this film his reputation as the master of ‘50s melodrama: expressive use of camera, lighting and performance; total devotion to pangs of the heart and soul, gender and desire, performance and identity and the limits of social convention. At the centre of “All I desire”, however, is Stanwyck’s performance, which shifts from hardened working girl to graceful lady to soft, dear-hearted mother with natural ease. It is a performance that knocks a punch into this film’s underlying theme: the bittersweet notion that in life we often learn things the hard way.
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Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
315942
Language
English
Subject categories
Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → City and town life
Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → City and town life
Family, Gender Identity, Relationships & Sexuality → Mothers and daughters
Feature films → Feature films - United States
Food, Health, Lifestyle, Medicine, Psychology & Safety → Self-actualization (Psychology)
Literature → American literature - Film and video adaptations
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Black and White
Holdings
VHS; Access Print (Section 1)