1 One sure sign, among many others, that the great melodramas of Douglas Sirk’s time at Universal Studios (1952–1959) might not be all they initially seem is the immediate ambiguity of the titles of many of the most ambitious ones. For example, All That Heaven Allows (1955) could suggest, “Look at all that heaven allows in its generosity.” And it could mean, “Be careful. This paltry consolation or happiness, and this alone, is all that heaven allows.” (In interviews, Sirk made clear he meant the latter, that for him “heaven is stingy”; he was amused the studio gave it the former interpretation. They thought it a brilliant, uplifting title.) Many other films throughout his American career have the same double character: Imitation of Life (1959), Tarnished Angels (1957), All I Desire (1953), and There’s Always Tomorrow (1956). This ambiguity is tied neatly to the famous irony of Sirk’s melodramas. The great ones succeed in narrating both a surface story and, like the titles, an ironic counterpart. In Sirk’s case the films manage both to indulge the audience’s expectations for melodrama, often satisfying them, even as the technique and style exaggerate those conventions, sometimes garishly, often bordering on kitsch, and thereby also expose the self-deceit and fantasy-

中文翻译：

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道格拉斯·瑟克 (Douglas Sirk) 的天堂所允许的一切中的爱与阶级

1 一个明确的迹象表明，道格拉斯·瑟克 (Douglas Sirk) 在环球影城 (1952-1959) 时期的伟大情节剧可能并非它们最初看起来的全部，这是许多最雄心勃勃的片名的直接模糊性。例如，All That Heaven Allows (1955) 可以暗示，“看看天堂所允许的慷慨。” 它可能意味着，“小心。这种微不足道的安慰或幸福，只有这一点，才是上天所允许的。” （在采访中，瑟克明确表示他的意思是后者，对他来说“天堂是吝啬的”；他很高兴制片厂给了前者的解释。他们认为这是一个精彩的、令人振奋的标题。）在他的美国职业生涯中，许多其他电影都有同样的双重角色：《生命的模仿》（1959）、被玷污的天使（1957）、我渴望的一切（1953）和永远有明天（1956）。这种模糊性与瑟克情节剧的著名讽刺密切相关。伟大的人成功地讲述了一个表面故事，以及像标题一样具有讽刺意味的对应物。在瑟克的案例中，电影既满足了观众对情节剧的期望，往往也满足了他们，即使技术和风格夸大了这些惯例，有时花哨，往往近乎媚俗，从而也暴露了自欺欺人和幻想——