All That Heaven Allows

In melodramas, the use of props and mis-en-scene is what helps the viewer understand what is happening in the scene without the characters blatantly saying how they feel or what the situation entails. The movie All That Heaven Allows is no exception. The movie takes place in the 1950s when not everyone had a television set, and throughout the narrative this object is used as the symbol of loneliness, the giving up on human interaction by becoming a "substitute for companionship" (Mercer & Singler, 63), and the conformity to societal expectations. Cary is a widow who has not tried to remarry, and in the beginning of the movie her friend Sara suggests that she buys a television set so that she has something to do because she is alone in her home. Cary is against this, as she does not want to use this last resort and accept the fact that she is alone without a partner to share her life with. When the movie progresses and Cary is happily a couple with Ron, the television salesman comes to Cary's house, but she is so happy in her relationship (and in a hurry to meet with Ron) that she dismisses him completely. This encounter symbolizes that Ron is her "true alternative to loneliness," and not the television (Mercer & Singler, 64). Towards the end of the movie when she is alone again, broken up with Ron, her children who are both leaving her life more permanently buy her a television. As they are telling her how great the t.v. will be, the camera shows Cary's reflection on the screen, alone, with the reflection cluttered with objects. This angle symbolizes that if she embraces this life-style of conforming to what is popular or accepted, like the television, in society she will be alone, and the cluttered reflection symbolizes this oppression (Mercer & Singler, 63). Without these symbols it would be impossible for the audience to understand the societal constraints and expectations that, naturally, are not spoken about in conversations during the movie.