Written on the Wind

Written on the Wind shows director Douglas Sirk at his most lavish and best. 

Sirk and producer Albert Zugsmith gather an all-star cast for this tale of a dysfunctional family at the head of a Texas oil dynasty, In particular, Written on the Wind explores the complicated relationships between the alcoholic heir to the family fortune, his wife – a former secretary to the family company – his best friend, and his ruthless, self-destructive sister. 

Rock Hudson, Lauren Bacall, Robert Stack and Dorothy Malone lead a stellar cast firing on all melodramatic cylinders. Sirk complements his players’ efforts with his typically precise mise en scène, creating perhaps his most fully realised work.