Written on the Wind

1956
Approved
1h 39m

IMDb RATING

7.3/10

14K

YOUR RATING

Lauren Bacall, Rock Hudson, Dorothy Malone, and Robert Stack in Written on the Wind (1956)

Play trailer2:46

1 Video

81 Photos

Drama

Alcoholic playboy Kyle Hadley marries the woman secretly loved by his poor but hard-working best friend, who in turn is pursued by Kyle's sister.Alcoholic playboy Kyle Hadley marries the woman secretly loved by his poor but hard-working best friend, who in turn is pursued by Kyle's sister.Alcoholic playboy Kyle Hadley marries the woman secretly loved by his poor but hard-working best friend, who in turn is pursued by Kyle's sister.

Director
- Douglas Sirk
Writers
- George Zuckerman
- Robert Wilder
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.3/10

14K

YOUR RATING

Director
- Douglas Sirk
Writers
- George Zuckerman
- Robert Wilder
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 1 Oscar
- 3 wins & 3 nominations total

Videos1

Trailer 2:46

Official Trailer

Photos81

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Despite Rock Hudson's pleasant camaraderie with everyone on the set and his apparent happiness in his marriage, Dorothy Malone said she found him to be somewhat of a loner who hid his feelings of sadness and insecurity. Nevertheless, she developed a bond with him that helped her through moments of tension on the set. "Rock gave me that sense of security whenever I worked with him."

Goofs
Although set in Texas, all cars in the film have visible California plates.

Quotes
Marylee Hadley: I'm allergic to politeness.

Connections
Edited into Histoire(s) du cinéma: Une histoire seule (1989)

Soundtracks
Written on the Wind
Music Victor Young
Lyrics Sammy Cahn
Sung by The Four Aces

User reviews112

Review

Featured review

7/10

A soap opera with passion, seriousness, and intelligence...

It is ironic that during the '50s, when Douglas Sirk was at his most successful in terms of audience appeal, he was virtually ignored by the critics He is now seen, however, as a director of formidable intellect who achieved his best work in melodrama

"Written on the Wind" is about the downfall of a Texan oil dynasty surrounded by worthless reputation, alcoholism, and nymphomania It is about the twisted, fatal connections between sex, power, and money...

Stack draws a compelling portrait of a tormented drunken destroyed by frustration, arrogance, jealousy, insanity, and some deep insecurities

Dorothy Malone succeeds as an attractive woman with an excessive sexual appetites, degrading herself for Hudson and to other fellows in town Her best line: "I'm filthy." In one frantic scene, we see her shaking, quivering and sweating to a provocative mambo In another weeping alone over a model oil-derrick at her father's desksymbol of excessive wealth and masculine tyranny

The frenetic atmosphere is both made palatable and intensified by Sirk's magnificent use of colors, lights, and careful use of mirrors