Douglas Sirks, Written on the Wind (1956)

Douglas Sirks, Written on the Wind (1956)

 

Synopsis: Written on the Wind (1952) is a lover’s take on a triangle love story that ends in death. Lucy Moore (Lauren Bacall), a young secretary is introduced to Kyle Hadley (Robert Stack) a young rich Texas oil tycoon, who seduces and then asks for her hand in marriage. Unknowingly, that his down to earth best friend Mitch Wayne (Rock Hudson) is secretly in love with the same woman. After Kyle and Lucy marry, Mitch stays in the picture as the good friend to both Lucy and Kyle, but only to then be scouted by Kyle’s nymphomaniac sister Marylee Hadley who has been in love with Mitch since they were children. As emotions rise between Kyle and Nancy, Nancy and Mitch, and with Marylee and Kyle, friends and lovers soon become enemies and plots to get revenge in the end, lead to Kyle’s death and the un-breaking bond of true love.

Analysis

Characters Appearances + Mannerisms of (Lucy Moore Hadley)

When Lucy Moore is introduced at the beginning of the film, we see a woman who has a well-positioned job as executive secretary of the Hadley oil company. Her physical appearance shows her performance of idealized femininity, she is mature but still young. She is tall and slender and wears long pencil skirts with a collar shirt tucked in at the waist. Her lips are painted red and her cat heel pumps. Lucy is proper and polite; it is when Mitch Wayne (Rock Hudson) convinces her to accompany him on a business meeting with Kyle Hadley that her performance of a reserved cautious woman takes place. When invited she says, “Look I’m only Mr. Ryan’s Secretary, I don’t think it would be proper.” But she is convinced anyway.

Lucy’s performance of idealized femininity is not only in her appearance. After meeting Kyle Hadley, she is pursued by him. She masters her idealized gender role, when she first performs as a vigilant woman when Kyle Hadley tries to pursue her. He tells her he will buy her an advertising agency, and calls for a phone. He asks her, what’s the number? She says, “To the agency or my apartment.” Lucy can see through Kyle’s intentions. Her performance shows a woman who is saving herself and who isn’t easily fooled. Even though there were many things that contributed to the image of idealized femininity in the 1950s, the image of a pious woman plays into Lucy’s performance and shows one of the roles woman were expected to compose.

After spending time with Kyle, Lucy’s feelings about him start to change and she grows feelings for him. With the realization of those feelings, she tries to run away from Kyle and his attempts to woo her. It is not until Kyle finds her at the airport and confesses to her that about his wrong intentions with her at that he was sorry, “I want to start all over again, with you” she says, “but how?”, Kyle then says, “what if I came to New York, asked you out for dinner and take you to the movies, I’d be happy with a good night kiss.” The main important thing that Kyle says to Lucy to win her over was, “I’ll think seriously about all the things I use to laugh at, like having a wife, and a home, and kids” When Kyle says those things to Lucy, her master performance of idealized femininity as a woman is to desire those things, home, husband, children. Kyle mentions how much he loves her, and because he does, he wants to marry her. Lucy is left speechless and just embraces Kyle and kisses him passionately. Her performance of idealized femininity is in wanting marriage, which would play into how a woman would attempt to master idealized femininity.

After her marriage to Kyle and becoming Mrs. Lucy Moore Hadley, She takes on her role as a wife. In one scene on their honeymoon, she wakes up in the middle of the night and sees Kyle’s head had fallen off the bed. She gently lifts his head and places it back on the pillow. The nurturing characteristic which she performs is prevalent for idealized femininity. Like all melodramatic films, marriage is idealized as something to desire, but in reality it’s portrayed as a stepping stone for unhappiness. After a year of blissful marriage, their marriage becomes an unhappy one. Her husband finds out that the reason why Lucy hasn’t been able to get pregnant isn’t because she is infertile, but because he has a “weakness”. Kyle spirals down into depression and paranoia. Lucy’s father-in-law asks what she is planning to do, she simple says to him, “go to him and help him.” She performs idealized femininity through her performance as the understanding, patient martyr wife to her husband while she sees him suffering.

After more time passes by and Kyle’s condition get worse, Lucy finds out that she has become pregnant with Kyle’s child. She tells Kyle in hopes that it will bring him out of his depression. By telling Kyle about the child, she gently guides him to the bedroom. She tells Kyle, “We’re going to have a baby,”
Lucy hopes to help him regain his masculinity through her performance of idealized femininity as a new would be mother. Kyle then becomes enraged by the news because he doesn’t believe that the child is his. He accuses her of adultery and hits her. After Mitch throws him out of the house Lucy performs as the fragile wife, she says to Mitch, “take me away Mitch, take me out of this house… I’m afraid.”
But still out of consideration for her husband she asks where he is, when Mitch says that he better not come back to the house because he would settle things with him, she cries out, “No Mitch, Please.” Even after the abuse by her husband, Lucy stays worrying about him. In the ending scenes when she witnesses her husband stumbling out of the house shot, she faints right on the spot. Her performance as the long suffering wife comes to a turn after her husband dies. In the ending scene she drives off with Mitch and gets to start a new life and fulfill her roles as a loving appreciated wife.
Characters Appearances + Mannerisms of(Mitch Wayne)
When Mitch Wayne in first introduced in the beginning of the film, His physical appearance shows a tall, lean built man. He

meets Lucy and shows interest. His performance of idealized masculinity is in his performance as the strong silent type.

When Mitch Wayne in first introduced in the beginning of the film, His physical appearance shows a tall, lean built man. He meets Lucy and shows interest. His performance of idealized masculinity is in his performance as the strong silent type. After being ditched by Kyle in his attempts to pursue Lucy, Mitch meets up with them on Kyle’s private plane. Kyle says to Mitch, “I can’t shake you, can I” and Mitch replies, “It goes both ways,” Mitch’s performance of idealized masculinity in these beginning scenes is in his performance as the ‘knight in shining armor.’ He understands Kyle’s intentions; his performance of idealized masculinity is in the fact that he is a

gentleman and a protector.

Mitch’s idealized masculinity is in the fact that he is reserved. As Kyle continue to attempts to pursue Lucy and Lucy go along with his games, Mitch keeps his distance and his emotions intact, he says to Kyle, “I figured she be different then all the rest, but I guess she’s not.”He then says, “If she were she would spit right in your eye.”He is reiterating that if she was a ‘decent and proper woman’ then she would be different because she would be performing according to her idealized femininity. This brings up the concept, ‘it takes one to know one.’ Mitch has understands his idealized gender role, in the sense that he understands that in order any man to perform accordingly, there needs to be a woman who master’s her idealized femininity.

Mitch’s role of idealized masculinity is that he is the hero. When he gets a phone call that Kyle’s sister Marylee is out causing trouble with some low life guy, he comes to her rescue. When Kyle goes with him and starts a fist fight with the low life, Mitch just sits back until he starts to see Kyle in trouble. He steps in and grabs her and says, “Wait outside Marylee” his performance of idealized masculinity is also in his physical strength. He wins the fist fight against the guy and when Kyle asks for a gun to kill him, Mitch says, “Forget about it.”

Mitch’s mental strength to not rely on a gun with his physical strength and strong silent manner helps him in his performance of idealized masculinity. As the film progresses, Mitch comes to the realization that he is in love with his best friend’s wife. While he is hunting with his father, Mitch confesses to his father, “I better level with you dad, with why I’m leaving (for Iran) I’m in love with a woman who happens to be Kyle’s wife.”  Because of this, Mitch performs idealized masculinity in his is loyalty to his best friend. He doesn’t pursue Lucy, but instead for her sake stays by her side, as the ‘knight in shining armor’ when he sees their marriage going downhill. 

After Mitch comes to the realization of his one sided love for Lucy, he confesses it to her. After coming to pick her up from a doctor’s appointment he turns to her and says, “I can’t hide it anymore, Lucy I’m in love with you,” he then grabs her and pulls her near and forcefully kisses her. It wasn’t in Mitch’s confession of love for Lucy that helps with his mastering of idealized masculinity; it is in his body language. He grabs her by her shoulders and pulls her into him and forcefully kisses her. He performs as the patriarchal savior who must force his affections onto her in order to convince her.

Near the end of the film after Kyle’s depression gets worse and he hits Lucy, Mitch tells Lucy, “I won’t leave you.”In the ending scene of the film, Mitch and Kyle get into a brawl and all the while, Kyle has a gun and he plans to kill him. Mitch stays calm, doesn’t show fear, but tries to calm Kyle down. Kyle accuses Mitch of sleeping with his wife and that the child she carries isn’t his, and Mitch calmly tells him, “Kyle we’ve never lied to each other,” as he says this he walks closer to Kyle and his facial expression show that of sincerity. He them tells him, “and I’m telling you know, I never touched Lucy...only because she’s your wife.” Fearless, loyal and sincerity play in Mitch’s performance of idealized masculinity. I a sense it’s these characteristics which help him master his idealized gender role.