Barbara Stanwyck drowns in suds in this mawkish turn of the century nostalgia piece directed by Douglas Sirk. A hint of Stella Dallas (embarrassing mom) it's an uneven mix of stilted melodrama and hum drum performance that fails to raise the temperature beyond tepid.
Small time chorus girl Naomi Murdoch receives a letter from her youngest daughter asking her to attend a play. Murdoch, who blew town after a major scandal with another guy (Lyle Bettger) has been lying to her about her career but decides to go anyway bringing about a minor eruption to the Murdoch home and staid conservative town always up for gossip.
"Desire" is well framed by Sirk but his characters ring hollow with some preposterous actions to go along with a tacked on happy ending that washes away all that took place before it.
Small time chorus girl Naomi Murdoch receives a letter from her youngest daughter asking her to attend a play. Murdoch, who blew town after a major scandal with another guy (Lyle Bettger) has been lying to her about her career but decides to go anyway bringing about a minor eruption to the Murdoch home and staid conservative town always up for gossip.
"Desire" is well framed by Sirk but his characters ring hollow with some preposterous actions to go along with a tacked on happy ending that washes away all that took place before it.