‘Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed’ Examines the Gay Man Behind the Movie Star
Filmmaker Stephen Kijak uncovers the man behind the myth in HBO's dishy documentary "Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed."
The drop-dead gorgeous epitome of what they used to call “a man’s man,” movie star Rock Hudson was that indeed, and in more ways than his adoring public was ever supposed to know.
And were it not for Hudson being forced to reveal his AIDS diagnosis, just before his death in 1985, the world outside Hollywood might never have known that one of cinema’s classic leading men of the ’50s and ’60s had hidden his secret life as a gay man.
Those secrets spill out deliciously in Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed, the latest in-depth documentary portrait by Sid & Judy director Stephen Kijak.
Kijak’s films, both narrative and nonfiction, have delved into cultural icons from Judy Garland to Lynyrd Skynyrd to the Backstreet Boys. For this entertaining bio, he worked closely with author Mark Griffin — whose 2018 All That Heaven Allows: A Biography of Rock Hudson is considered definitive — “to look at all the facets and angles, and the reflections and double meanings and mirror selves” presented by the bright, ex-Navy seaman from Winnetka, Illinois, who became Rock Hudson.
“He was in some of the more indelible films of those classic eras,” Kijak says, ticking off Hudson’s famous Douglas Sirk-directed romances Magnificent Obsession and All That Heaven Allows. “I mean, Giant, the George Stevens [film], it’s him, Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean. They’re just magnificent films. When he’s good, he’s really good. The classics are these towering classics of old Hollywood.”
Yet, Kijak admits, Hudson’s enduring popularity as a big-screen heartthrob has been overshadowed. “I think there is a generation that has completely forgotten him,” Kijak says. “James Dean or Marilyn Monroe tower over those decades. They’re the ones you remember, because, you know, ‘Die young, Stay pretty,’ right? They are these eternally perfect icons that are in the firmament forever. And we saw Rock, if people even remember, seeing his decline and death from AIDS, which is the other shocking cultural moment for him, which was seen around the world.”
The film, featuring a current and emotional audio-only interview with Hudson’s friend and Dynasty co-star Linda Evans, vividly recaptures the earth-shaking moment when the star’s illness was revealed to the world.
Kijak also wanted to capture Hudson’s fabulous gay life before his decline, when the star played host and strapping main attraction to a buzzing circle of Hollywood’s queer elite, including his notorious agent Henry Willson. Some in the audience will be taken aback by the risqué details revealed about their grandma’s favorite silver screen idol, but Kijak insists that’s part of telling Hudson’s story truthfully.
“Look at where we are culturally in this moment of backlash. Violence against LGBTQ people. It’s never a bad time to tell these stories,” says Kijak. “And the intention was very much to…claim him and to tell his story as a gay man, and tell it as fully and as intimately as possible. I mean, I think the problem is a couple of people will see this and hear ‘big dick,’ ‘orgy,’ and that’s all they’re going to hear and see. And all of a sudden, they’re just freaked out and they’re like, ‘Oh my God, All they’re talking about is his sex life.’ Bullshit.”
Not only are those stories supported in the film by recordings of Hudson, and first-hand accounts, but the documentary also deftly juxtaposes all the biographical detail with glimpses of how Rock revealed — or obscured — himself in his roles onscreen.
“We dig deep into the film work. We have got experts talking about the directors in the films, and you see tons of clips. And I just think there are still people that are afraid of gay male sexuality and can’t fucking handle it,” Kijak explains, as our discussion turns to one of Rock’s lovers in the film recounting a memorable hookup in measurable detail.
“So an 83-year-old man is talking about not being able to handle Rock’s manhood. So what? He’s 83 and he still is a sexual being. Deal with it. And there are books that have been written about Rock Hudson, and we are barely scratching the surface. You think our film is sexy? My God. Go read the book about Henry Willson, The Man Who Invented Rock Hudson. Whew. That’s a dishy, fun read. So it’s out there. And if you don’t come away from this film with a sense of his magnificence as a great Hollywood actor, you haven’t been paying attention.”
Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed is available on HBO and Max. Visit www.hbo.com or www.max.com.
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