Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed
HBOWhile countless names come and go, some stick around. For whatever reason, some individuals become icons and their stories find their way to be told. One of these names is undoubtedly Rock Hudson. Representing a deep contradiction within the fabric of American society as a figure of straight masculinity lived a double life where he tried his best to conceal his true sexuality from the outside world in a time where such a declaration would have ended any chance of a career, Hudson has lived on in conversation with Stephen Kijak's documentary, Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed, looking to capture both what Hudson represented and the truth about the man behind the name. What results is a strong documentary that succeeds with its goals, even if it never reinvents the wheel.
When it comes to presentation, Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed is as strong as a documentary can get without pushing the basic layout and identity of what a cinematic biopic tends to look like. Claire Didier weaves together plenty of archival footage and artifacts with modern interviews extremely well to help engage the audience and transport them back to the ideals and world of yesterday. Much of the film's 105-minute runtime is spent trying to bring audiences back to this time which is crucial to understand if one wants to dissect the life of Hudson. Hudson was a product of his time where sexuality was a hidden secret of Hollywood that many turned away from despite its undeniable presence. If one wants to understand why Hudson lived life how he did and maneuvered through the world how he did, one has to have an understanding of the complex social game he found himself in the center of.
While needed, this is also the section of the film where the film's more straightforward approach to storytelling and filmmaking feels its dullest. For those hoping for a more inspired biopic like the genre has provided recently with films such as Fire of Love, Won't You Be My Neighbor?, and Val, disappointment is sure to be felt. Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed plays it safe with its presentation which can cause some of the longer sequences to start to feel somewhat lecture heavy and dull. Surely there is a way for this era of Hollywood to be captured on screen that is somewhere between this film and the absurdity of Ryan Murphy's Hollywood, another project to include Hudson and the role of his sexuality.
Where the film works best is in its more human moments directed towards capturing who Hudson was as a person. While one can spend hours looking at the roles he played, the interviews he gave, and the legacy he left, it is also vital to remember the soul behind all of this. By using interviews with many individuals who were close to Hudson, the film does a wonderful job at bringing a sense of personality and heart to its capturing of Hudson which speaks to the empathy the film holds towards him. Kijak isn't focusing on a story of an actor forced to hide his sexuality; he is focusing on a story of a young man lost in a bid for fame and success that has to sacrifice and hide who he is. This is the far more compelling angle for the documentary to take and speaks to why the genre can be as moving as it often is. These are not fictionalized stories written to evoke emotion, these are real cases of human spirit and endeavor that speak to the real world that the audience shares.
While Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed is far from perfect, the film is an undeniably poignant love letter to Hudson and the life he was forced to live. Filled with heart and craft, the documentary is an all-around engaging and worthwhile cinematic experience that does the legendary figure proud and reminds the audience of the soul that he held.
