The "Moral Occult" and the Melodramatic Mode

The 'moral occult' is described by Brooks as dealing with spiritual values, and located just beneath the surface of reality. He calls it the "center of interest" (5), as it deals with the truth itself behind the layers of drama that mask it. Brooks writes that the moral occult is located and articulated through the melodramatic mode (5). Melodrama is able to so easily reveal the moral occult because of the exaggerated nature of melodrama itself. Declarations are grand, emotions are poured out, characters speak their minds and gesture meaningfully and so on. As Brooks writes, "The desire to express all seems a fundamental characteristic of the melodramatic mode" (4). This enables us to get right to the moral occult because few things are kept secretive. We know the emotions and feelings of every character the moment they begin to feel them. They make it obvious, and it is easy to find the characters' moral motivation and overall values.
Examples of this can be found within Sirk's All That Heaven Allows. Whenever there is conflict between Cary and her children, both sides speak very openly about what they believe. Her son questions her outright, in front of her new boyfriend Ron, about whether she's intentionally removed the father's presence in the house by taking down his trophy. This highlights the son's morals involved with family as well as how much he values the memory of his father. He also refers to Ron as "a nice set of muscles" when arguing with his mother, showing that he values love and believes that this new relationship is nothing in comparison to the loving one Cary had with the father.

All That Heaven Allows

All That Heaven Allows

Clash of Generations commentary

While the biggest conflict in All That Heaven Allows can be seen as that between Cary and Ron's relationship and Cary's society, I believe that the strongest factor pushing that conflict is the clash that exists between generations in her society. For starters, one of the main problems that Cary’s friends and children have with Ron is the fact that he’s so much younger than her. At least, that’s one of the main problems that are clearly stated through the melodramatic dialogue of the film. I believe that beneath the obvious conflicts, Sirk hints at others in society without needing to be so explicit about them.

           We see early in the film that Cary’s son and daughter are trying to build their lives up since they are still young and have new experiences ahead of them. This is because they are members of a younger generation. In a way, it’s their time to shine right now- to meet people, fall in love, be married, move away, find work, and so on. I believe that they object so strongly to their mother’s relationship because she’s stealing some of their spotlight in a way. The two very clearly loved their father, and want to preserve his memory and keep the past alive through the trophy and stories of him. I see it as being because they were content with their old family structure, and would like to keep it static so that they can lead dynamic lives while they are still in their youth.

          I believe that this is the true reasoning behind the actions of Cary’s children, whether they know it or not. There is a lingering tension in the film that never allows Cary to be truly close with her children. Everything about the mise-en-scene points to this divide. More specifically, “[the] shot constructions make explicit the rift between Cary Scott and her two children" (Mercer & Singler 52). One example is the shot of Cary’s son leaving while Cary appears to be trapped by the screen that has gotten between them.

          The problem of clashing generations only appears in Cary’s suburban world. Ron’s friends have no trouble with the relationship, but the society that Sirk is trying to criticize certainly does. And I believe that conflict between generations is a major cause of this.