Written On The Wind

Genre: family drama
Director: Douglas Sirk
Release: 1956
Studio: Universal Pictures
Rating: PG
MBiS score: 8.2/10


Even Oilmen Have The Blues


On a whim, oil baron Kyle Hadley (Robert Stack) hops on a plane with his friend Mitch Wayne (Rock Hudson) and travels from Texas to New York to eat a sandwich in one of his favourite restaurants. While in the Big Apple, Kyle also intends to do business with a publicity agent but his fortuitous meeting with Lucy Moore (Lauren Bacall), the agent’s assistant, will set off a whim of a different kind. With Dorothy Malone (Marylee, Kyle’s sister) and Robert Keith (Jasper Hadley, their father).

Director Douglas Sirk had a knack for gut-wrenching soap operas and WRITTEN ON THE WIND, based on a novel by Robert Wilder, shows him in particularly fine form. First and foremost, this film about love, desire and inadequacy features great characters interpreted by great actors. The dominant player in the story is undoubtedly Kyle Hadley, a brash young man driven to spectacular excess. Kyle expects everything from life and usually gets it but, unlike his disciplined father who worked for his gusto, Kyle orders it or brazenly deals for it; his penchant for booze also contributes to his avowed ‘bad boy reputation’. Mitch, a lifelong buddy and polar opposite, has always accepted his role as Kyle’s faithful sidekick but, as time passes and events dictate, their friendship will strain noticeably for reasons better left unsaid. As for Lucy, her positive influence may or may not be enough to counteract the dysfunctional nature of the Hadley household. Marylee, for her part, needs love desperately enough to look for it in all the wrong places and, as the drama unfolds, you will agree with Kyle’s description of his sister as ‘a bigger black sheep than me’. In WRITTEN ON THE WIND, it will be personal issues – and not money matters – that ignite the fireworks, so be prepared for a loud and colourful show.

Given such volatile characters, one could easily focus on them alone and overlook other aspects of the production but, in all fairness, Sirk’s work must also be commended for its excellent pacing, well-constructed dialogues and solid screenplay. Let’s not forget that Dorothy Malone deservedly won an Oscar for her scintillating performance as Marylee.

Now, have I said enough to convince you? I do hope so because this great drama from yesteryear must not be allowed to gather dust on some backroom shelf. If tales about happy people rarely make compelling films, then the Hadleys will captivate you with their experiences in love, jealousy, yearning and betrayal.


MBiS

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