These seven films covered the decade of the fifties starting with Has Anyone Seen My Gal? and finishing with what has to be the ultimate full blown melodrama 'Imitation of Life' cemented Sirk's reputation and future. His influence is still felt today in the work of Todd Haynes Rainer Fassbinder John Walters Martin Scorsese and others. Has Anyone Seen My Gal?: A rare comedy from Sirk but still dealing with family issues and status. Samuel Futon (Charles Coburn) de
1950s melodramas might not be popular among the young and /or socially progressive these days. But this collection of Douglas Sirk's "women's films" suggests that they should be. The boxset features seven of the German emigre's films with acceptable to good image quality. The first film in the set is "Has Anyone Seen My Gal?". It opens up with the question: "This is a film about money. Remember it?", before it demonstrates that money is not everything, but human contact, community and friendship is. It is a fun film, full of cliches (it uses them well) such as the wealthy man feigning poverty to witness the real side of a family he wishes to benefit. The second film is "Magnificent Obesession", "perhaps the greatest weepie of all time", and a tale of a selfish and immature playboy who causes the death of a local doctor (and hero) whose widow he then falls in love with, who he also blinds. The playboy (Rock Hudson) slowly redeems himself by first being told and then learning the true meaning of altruism. Perhaps my favourite film in the set is "All that Heaven Allows", inspiration for Fassbinder's "Fear Eat Soul" and Haynes' "Far From Heaven". This one is another love story, as middle aged widow falls in love and struggles to maintain a relationship with her young gardner (Rock Hudson, again). This is not easy for her as she faced the scorn of her neighbours, community and, worst of all children. He, however, is a pure of heart and beautiful man, and there is, no suprises, a happy, and wonderfully shot ending. I am afraid that I have made these films sound a bit sanctimonious, but, believe me (and watch them), they are not. This is one great boxset with seven good DVDs of seven great films, made one great man. And it is cheap. Fassbinder wrote that: "I have seen six films by Douglas Sirk, including the most beautiful in the world". That film is inclued in this set, watch it! And one quick afterword, as to who and how great Rock Hudson is, a man at an AIDS support group when the media discovered that Hudson was gay and had AIDS said: "A few days ago, I was just another person with AIDS whom nobody cared about. Now I have Rock Hudson's disease, and everything has changed."
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Douglas Sirk's body of work collected for posterity. The man is a Hollywood icon to actors and producers that have followed in his footsteps. His influence is still felt in the work of Todd Haynes, Rainer Fassbinder, John Walters, Martin Scorsese and others.
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