ROCK HUDSON: ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWED Documentary Review
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We're catching up with "Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed," a documentary about the 1950s, '60s and '70s screen icon who kept his private life as a gay man secret to maintain a career in Hollywood. Director Stephen Kijak explores his early life, prolific career and many romances with men, using copious clips from Hudson's films to comment on his persona on and off camera. Streaming now on Max.
#rockhudson #documentary #max
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Пікірлер: 78
I was a young closeted gay man when AIDS "went mainstream" and Rock Hudson came down with it. It was terrifying. I never knew what life was like before AIDS. So this was moving for me on levels deeper than just a biography of Hudson. Hard to separate my feelings about the documentary itself from all of that. I was wondering if you guys were going to review this because I watched it right before the Wham! documentary and found them to be companion pieces of sorts.
@BreakfastAllDay
10 ай бұрын
Thank you for sharing all of that. Yes, the two films do share a lot of similarities.
That last press conference with Doris Day is so haunting and eerie. Everyone in the room going through the motions with him standing there deadly ill.
@BreakfastAllDay
10 ай бұрын
So sad.
I was so pissed when I found out about the Reagan’s not letting him use their precious plane!! And yes, Elizabeth Taylor was a genuine hero!!! I’ve got to see this!!!♥️
@BreakfastAllDay
10 ай бұрын
Hope you do!
Hello Christy madam, good morning to you. Take care & Have a nice day, u never know what a person is going through. Spreading positivity always. Thank you for keeping a positive, lovely & sweet attitude always, it's wonderful to see as always.
@BreakfastAllDay
10 ай бұрын
So true, thanks Sachin.
Yes, Seconds!!!! I just happened upon it last year on TV, it’s so good and he’s so good in it!
@BreakfastAllDay
10 ай бұрын
Awesome!
I really enjoyed this documentary, it’s definitely my favorite of the recent bunch of its kind that have come out. One thing I never knew about was the friction between Rock and James Dean.
@BreakfastAllDay
10 ай бұрын
That was interesting!
@vedadalsette1453
10 ай бұрын
I'll bet Dean was a cocky a-hole. I'd be on Team Rock.
Great commentary from both speakers here, bang on analysis of why Rock & other performers of the day had to stay in " the closet"
oh wow I really want to see this Rock doc now!
@BreakfastAllDay
10 ай бұрын
Hope you do!
I loved this documentary. Huge fan of the films of Douglas Siri, so this was an easy pick. Your review is so spot on and well put. I have the brilliant "Seconds" on my shelf and will rewatch ASAP. Would love to hear your thoughts on that one. Thanks!
@BreakfastAllDay
10 ай бұрын
Awesome! Thank you! We should review Seconds at some point.
@Celestialrob
10 ай бұрын
@@BreakfastAllDay would be fun as you mentioned you have not seen it :)
Love y’all’s reviews. Fun fact about Hudson is that the primary Superman artist from the 1950s through the mid 1980s, Curt Swan, used Hudson as inspiration for his version on the Man of Steel. Imagine a spit curl on Hudson and you can see it.
@BreakfastAllDay
8 ай бұрын
That makes sense! Thanks for watching.
Love that shirt on you Alonso! 👍🏻
@2nd3rd1st
10 ай бұрын
I'd love it off him 😏
I wonder what old Rock would think of the current state of gay affairs. 70s and 80s had some anger boiling over, but I wonder if he could see things coming as far as they have?
This doc sounds interesting. I mostly remember Rock Hudson from his McMillan and Wife era. Although I'm sure the situation Rock Hudson found himself in, having to hide his true self publicly, has not changed enough, I'd like to think audiences are at least somewhat more flexible now. Can you think of any out gay (or bi) actors who are sex symbols for straight women currently?
@BreakfastAllDay
10 ай бұрын
Matt Bomer! And that hunky Hallmark dude who co-starred opposite Billy Eichner in Bros, Luke Macfarlane. But you're right, there aren't a lot.
@phoenixrising8231
10 ай бұрын
@@BreakfastAllDayprominent gay actors are still in the closet sadly.
@u.e.9948
10 ай бұрын
Jonathan Bailey who plays Anthony Bridgerton on Netflix's Bridgerton.
"Seconds" is on Kanopy!
@BreakfastAllDay
10 ай бұрын
Good to know, thanks! We love Kanopy.
I didn’t know anything about Rock Hudson until I did a Wiki dive watching Ryan Murphy’s Hollywood series
I’m a TCM fan but with the exception of “Giant”, I usually skip Hudson films. However, your review really got me interested in learning more about him. I don’t have Max right now but will try to check this out when I do. Thanks Christy & Alonso!
@BreakfastAllDay
10 ай бұрын
Thanks Jason! Let us know.
@randywhite3947
6 ай бұрын
Your missing out on a lot of great films by skipping his work
@jasonraschen1109
6 ай бұрын
@@randywhite3947 Hi Randy! Sorry for the delay in replying. It’s been one of those weeks. Yes, one of these days I really intend to do a deep dive into his films like “Magnificent Obsession”, “All That Heaven Allows”, “Pillow Talk”, “Lover Come Back”, “Send Me No Flowers” and “Ice Station Zebra”. I have so many blindspots when it comes to classic cinema. Have a great weekend!
I liked the film but Alonso has made a point of how they portray Rock in his life was fascinating and exploitive his films were wonderful..yes he was hot and great actor he will be remembered in the gay community 😢👏🏼 solid 8
@BreakfastAllDay
10 ай бұрын
Thanks for your thoughts!
Very bizarre that he aligned himself with such conservative political party, especially given they cared nothing about him when it really mattered.
@BishopWalters12
10 ай бұрын
The Democrats also did nothing.
8:19 More of that please 🤞
@BreakfastAllDay
10 ай бұрын
Ha!
I do remember hearing the news of his death in the 80's. A sad period for gay people associated with AIDS. Already I did not care at that time about sexual orientation, as long as the person was good in his/her craft. My parents were fans of his work. Anyway great documentary.
@BreakfastAllDay
10 ай бұрын
Glad you watched it!
Rock Hudson is before my time, and Seconds is no Manchurian Candidate, but it's really worth a look. My Dad was pretty straight as far as I know,but he was a fan
I'm ashamed to admit I only know Hudson from that Grease song and Avalanche from MST3K
I indirectly new people who went to his same sex wedding/ civil ceremony, (not legally recognised at the time)in the 1950s.
The Rapport documentary is sharper in its execution and superior. Do you think Scotty the gay pimp had any dealings with Rock?
Liked this a lot, but by the mid-point the use of Rock movie clips to make ironic commentary wore down our patience, as it began to feel more about filmmaker's wit than the subject. The personal recollections were far more effective at reaching our heart, and the AIDS paranoia element brought back way too many departed ACT UP comrades, but that's another story altogether. "Seconds" creeps me out to this day, which is meant as a compliment. This is a worthy documentary, to be sure.
@BreakfastAllDay
10 ай бұрын
Maybe we'll review Seconds one of these days. Thanks always, David!
@DavidN369
10 ай бұрын
@@BreakfastAllDayyes, "Seconds," woohoo! As ever, the thanks are entirely ours.
Funny that no one has ever done a bio pic about him. Would be a good way to showcase the fear of gay people the world once had. And in some areas still do.
@BreakfastAllDay
10 ай бұрын
Who would be a good person to play Rock Hudson, do you think?
@basquat76
10 ай бұрын
@@BreakfastAllDay Maybe someone like George Clooney. Or Paul Giamatti, he can play anyone🙂
@tlovehater
10 ай бұрын
Paul Giamatti lol, you might as well have said Meryl Streep 😆
@basquat76
10 ай бұрын
@@tlovehater Giamatti can pullit off.😎. And if Cate blanchett can play bob Dylan, streep can play Hudson
@tlovehater
10 ай бұрын
@@basquat76 Good point lol.
Rock Hudson life seem so tragic. How toxic Hollywood was and still continue to be.
@BreakfastAllDay
10 ай бұрын
Very sad indeed.
Great review. Will you two be reviewing The Sound of Freedom? I hear nothing but great things about it.
@BreakfastAllDay
10 ай бұрын
Probably not anytime soon, sorry, we're both busy traveling the next several weeks.
@Michael-vk1vr
10 ай бұрын
I am curious , you have the Kelsey Grammer film a fair review. I think it will probably suck too, but I am curious
@BreakfastAllDay
10 ай бұрын
@@Michael-vk1vr That was surprisingly good! Very well made.
I thought the doc was very good. I learned a lot that I didn't know before. I didn't realize how much his death was a direct boost for AIDS research money. As bad as Elzabeth Taylor my have had it when she started trying to raise awareness, and she did A LOT of awareness raisng, unfortunately his death itself was the thing that moved the needle a great deal. I never actually knew that. The whole Reagan thing pissed me off. Linda Evans was amazing. My only criticism is that maybe they got a little repetetive by constantly peppering in how many guys were parading in and out of his home "The Castle". (But maybe that's just me being straight!! haha) But seriously, it was more the repetetiveness of it that I found a little bothersome, not the fact that it was happening. And maybe a little too much of trying to get certain scenes and dialogue of his many movies to fit the narrative. You could almost do that with anyone who has acted a long time and has had so many roles, so I found it trite after a while. Very good doc all around though.
@BreakfastAllDay
10 ай бұрын
Glad you saw it Larry, thanks!
@BishopWalters12
10 ай бұрын
No Republican or Democrat wanted to deal with it. It wasn't just on Reagan.
This doc (loved the title) was one of the last things I watched before dumping Max (too little content designed for my interests) and enjoyed it very much. I mean, who doesn't love Rock Hudson? I wish he'd made 100 romcoms with Doris, but I also enjoyed Seconds, too. Saw it years ago. Seem to remember a naked grape stomping scene. I'm old now and remember when Rock's AIDS news came out. I had known for years he was gay (not sure how; maybe from reading too many Hollywood bios? Or maybe a gay friend told me.). That Reagan refusal to move Rock to a military hospital is not at all surprising. Reagan was scum. One thing I can't understand about Rock Hudson is how he could be so so so so so so handsome and still so nice that everyone had nice things to say about him. I don't think I've ever read a bad thing about him (except to learn he was Republican).
@BreakfastAllDay
10 ай бұрын
Glad you enjoyed this, Veda! Thanks for your thoughts.
It was well done, I've seen comments from people bashing the Reagans because of this documentary, I think people have to understand that both parties ignored it for years and that WW2 generation had a different mindset.
Rock Hudson, George Michael, Tab Hunter. I really want to say something pithy and prescient about stage names in old Hollywood and how people have to hide who they are, but I got nothing.
@BreakfastAllDay
10 ай бұрын
Roy Fitzgerald didn't project quite the same image.
@JamesLacher
10 ай бұрын
"Hide ". You should do just that.
@MINOUTFTABOU
9 ай бұрын
@@BreakfastAllDay This is true. Marilyn Monroe was also an artist name. George Michael had a private Greek surname that was difficult to pronounce. People/Stars or agents look for a name or artist name that could be remembered and easily spoken out. Freddie Mercury did not want to use his private name from birth because he knew that people at that time already had prejudices with certain names. David Bowie had to choose another family name because there was already another famous David Jones.
Nothing to like
Well, when you think about Covid? Should we be shocked?
Wasn't Rock Hudson career better off because he kept his personal life in the closet? I mean he was very convincing as a hetro Alpha male. I think his biggest success was the male family patriarch in Gaint? I mean he is a little before my time, but that's the role I really remember him from. That and Pretty Maids in a Row,where his character had a taste for jail bait. You think Paul Lynn could play those roles?
@BreakfastAllDay
10 ай бұрын
Yes but he wasn't being true to himself, and he was struggling with that contradiction.
@MINOUTFTABOU
9 ай бұрын
@@BreakfastAllDay Unfortunately. Sad. One should be honest with oneself, also ask a lot of questions oneself. He always chose and sought the easy way with fatal consequences. RH had infected a young man from NY and this died at the beginning of 1985.