Written on the Wind (1956)
A great example of how melodrama can succeed, by going fully committed into the excess of style and heightened emotions. The plot is full on soap opera, but damn does it work well and I was fully entertained. Not the least thanks to the performances, with Lauren Bacal’s unimpressed demeanor and Robert Stack’s desperation. Gorgeous environments and sets, a loud score screaming the emotional beats in capital letters and every character acting utterly self-destructive, yet it never tips over into ridiculousness or camp.
Rating: 4