ROCK HUDSON : ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWED is a new documentary film about the legendary American actor, directed by Stephen Kijak. The film’s title references Hudson’s 1955 film All That Heaven Allows which starred Hudson and Jane Wyman.
Kijak’s film is described as an intimate and in depth portrait of Hudson which includes retained interview footage with Doris Day, Linda Evans, Mark Griffith, Piper Laurie, Ross Hunter, Douglas Sirk, Illeana Doughlas, Allison Anders and Armistead Maupin.
The film looks at how cinema lovers around the world were shocked to find out that one of the world’s most celebrated actors, who played the romantic lead in some of the great movies of the 1950s and 1960, was gay, and were devastated when he died of AIDS at the height of the AIDS epidemic.
This promises to be a fascinating film, albeit a very sad one. As a result of the pressures coming from the big studios as for him to maintain his persona, fearful that he will lose his popularity if his sexuality was made public, Hudson had little choice but to lead a double life.
As we now live in more enlightened times, the hope is that people no longer have to live such a thankless, compromised life.
An Altitude Entertainment Production in association with Berlani Schneider Films and Dog Star Films. ROCK HUDSON : ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS will be available on digital platforms on 25 October 2023.
