Product Details

• Actors: Barbara Stanwyck, Richard Carlson, Lyle Bettger, Marcia Henderson, Lori Nelson
• Directors: Douglas Sirk
• Writers: Carol Ryrie Brink, Gina Kaus, James Gunn, Robert Blees
• Producers: Ross Hunter
• Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Universal Studios
• VHS Release Date: September 12, 1995
• Run Time: 79 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6303560083
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #18,389 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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  Video > Drama > Family Life > Mothers & Daughters

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

A modest but intense turn-of-the-20th-century melodrama starring Barbara Stanwyck as a wayward mother who returns home to a hostile town, All I Desire looks ahead to the soapy melodramas that would make Douglas Sirk's reputation. Stanwyck is marvelous as the struggling actress who yearns for her old life, all but overpowering her wooden costar Richard Carlson. This is the first of a long string of films Sirk made with producer Ross Hunter, and it's a marriage made in Hollywood. Hunter provides the pulpy material, the stars, and the increasingly larger budgets, and Sirk cranks up the emotions with an operatic sweep, twisting the clichés into fun-house-mirror reflections of American society. Though this is set in the past, the evocation of rural small-town life--a seeming idyllic little world poisoned with gossip, social prejudice, and double standards--isn't all that far from the modern suburbia of All That Heaven Allows. The picture stretches for an unconvincingly pat happy ending, but as Stanwyck fights her reputation, the attentions of an old lover, and the wagging tongues of a judgmental town, Sirk suggests that the final fade-out is only the beginning of her struggle. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sterling Stanwyck performance in fine emotional drama, December 5, 2002

By	Simon Davis - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

What we get in "All I Desire" is fine later day Barbara Stanwyck in a role perfectly suited to her seasoned talents. Indeed I personally judge this film as one of her better roles from this 1950's period of her career when great female parts for more mature actresses were becoming scarse.

"All I Desire" is the phrase upon which the premise of this story is based in that there exists a desire by the lead character to be excepted back into a family where a serious mistake was made many years previous and where the wounds caused by that error have not entirely healed. Stanwyck plays Naomi Murdoch a small town Wisconsin mother who in an earlier time sacrificed her family life for a stage career that in the years ahead never went nowhere. Naomi realises the mistakes she made and what she gave up and finds in an unexpected invitation to attend her daughters performance in a play the perfect excuse to return home and try to rebuild her life with some purpose and meaning. Upon her arrival home she finds unfortunately herself the object of curiosity and ridicule in a town riddled with double standards. She also finds her family situation no easy thing to deal with whereby one daughter worships her while the other is hostile to her because of her abandonment of them all those years ago. Naomi also finds that her husband who formerly worshiped her has moved on in life and has developed a satifying relationship with the local school teacher. When after her arrival further scandal erupts in the small town she finds that possibly any chance for a new beginning could be dashed forever.

Out of such vintage melodrama often comes great acting and in her performance Stanwyck brings a sound conviction to her playing of a woman who wanted more out of her ordinary life but having gone through the school of hard knocks then realises that what she got was not that desirable after all. She brings her usual power house performing to the role whether she is perfroming in her cheap review show, trying to reconnect with her children she abandoned so many years ago, taking on the malicious gossips in the town or handling the unwelcome advances of a past lover who could ruin everthing for her. Produced by Ross Hunter and ably directed by Douglas Sirk who was expert at maximising the effect of potentially syrupy stories as this, it is a good marriage of Director and lead Actress.

"All I Desire" is Stanwyck's show all the way and Richard Carlson as her husband Henry Murdoch really is window dressing for the lead's performance. Maureen O'Sullivan makes a welcome return to a major role as Sara Harper the local school teacher who with the sudden arrival of Naomi in town finds her whole world and future life with Henry suddenly threatened. Marcia Henderson is also very effective in the role of the older resentful daughter who cannot forgive the injury she and her family sustained by Naomi's walking out on them all those years ago. It's also interesting to see the performance of Richard Long as Naomi's daughters suitor. Destined for a short sad life Long would work again with Barbara Stanwyck in the 1960's where he played her son on the long running highly successful western series "The Big Valley".

"All I Desire" has a polished turn of the century look about it and the costumes and settings are very lavish and effective as per usual for a Ross Hunter production where great care was always taken with the look and feel of a production. For those that enjoy high melodrama delivered with convincing performances "All I Desire" is an enjoyable viewing experience and despite its tacked on and quite unsatisfactory happy ending, really pulls no punches in exposing the holes in small town mentality and lifestyles. Barbara Stanwyck is of course the overwhelming reason to watch this film and even in her more mature roles later in her career she is a joy to watch. Her performance here is earnest and heartfelt and really makes this film a worthwhile viewing experience.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Barbara Stanwyck is terrific!!!, July 9, 2001

By	"sky_girl80" (San Jose, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This is definitely one of the best Stanwyck's films, in which she steals the show and is truly remarkable. She plays an actress, Naomi, who has become a vaudeville performer and is no longer very successful, when she suddenly receives a letter from her daughter who also wants to be an actress. So Naomi decides to go back to the town, which she left long ago and, as expected, she isn't warmly received by most of the people that she used to know. Pesonally, my favorite scene in the film is the "Bunny Hug" dance that Barbara Stanwyck shares with Richard Long (who later played her eldest son, Jarrod Barkley, in "The Big Valley" TV show). Being a huge of Stanwyck and BV show, I thought this old dance that they did was heart-warming and funny; and both of them obviously enjoyed dancing together. One great film!!!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Movie with Lori Nelson, May 3, 2004

By A Customer

If you like soap operas you would like this movie.It is a little like the soap opera Santa Barbara when Sophia (Judith McConnell) came back to the family.Lori Nelson who co starred in the syndicated 1950's "How To Marry A Millionaire" with Barbara Eden and Merry Anders plays the daughter in the movie who wants to be an actress.Marcia Henderson who co starred in the movie "The Wayward Girl" with Barbara Eden plays Lori Nelson's character's sister in the movie.