After the successful but preposterous weepie Magnificent Obsession, director Douglas Sirk reteamed with stars Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson for this exquisite melodrama. Wealthy widow Cary Scott (Wyman) risks the disapproval of her curtain-twitching neighbours and her own grown-up children when she embarks on a May-December romance with free-spirited gardener Ron Kirby (Hudson). Both leads are wonderful, with Hudson in particular bringing charm and tenderness to his role. Sumptuous Technicolor photography and lavish sets and costumes mean the film looks beautiful, and Sirk cleverly juxtaposes this with the ugliness of the attitudes that lie just beneath the surface. He deftly critiques the moral values (and hypocrisy) of 1950s America while simultaneously crafting a genuinely touching romance, making this one to melt even the hardest of hearts.

Two different social classes collide when Cary Scott, a wealthy upper-class widow, falls in love with her much younger and down-to-earth gardener, prompting disapproval and criticism from her children and country club friends.