Melodrama was trendy again in the fifties ,in the wake of Douglas Sirk,with whom Stanwyck made "All I desire".
Like "All I desire" ,"These wild years " concerns older people whereas melodrama is par excellence the field of the wild youth .
Cagney is a self- made man who epitomizes the American dream;now that he is wealthy ,he would like to find the son he had when he was young .He meets a woman who takes care of orphans and wants her to help him in his search.But she is not prepared to accept it: this boy is 20,he loves his parents ,he would be an intruder ,and most of all,money can't buy him love.
Among Stanwyck's protégées ,there is a charming sixteen-year-old girl ,who looks like Audrey Hepburn's kid sister,complete with ponytail;she is pregnant and of course the father walked out on her (she pretends they were like Romeo and Juliet ,but this romantic flavor is not really convincing) The film is a classic melodrama but it's not too syrupy:for instance ,the dad/son meeting features no music ,no violins or choirs but only the noise of a bowling;we can only hear the sound of the son's feet on the sidewalk when he walks away from his father.And most of all,we are spared a Cagney/Stanwyck romance ,although there is one ,even if it invisible.... Well acted.
Like "All I desire" ,"These wild years " concerns older people whereas melodrama is par excellence the field of the wild youth .
Cagney is a self- made man who epitomizes the American dream;now that he is wealthy ,he would like to find the son he had when he was young .He meets a woman who takes care of orphans and wants her to help him in his search.But she is not prepared to accept it: this boy is 20,he loves his parents ,he would be an intruder ,and most of all,money can't buy him love.
Among Stanwyck's protégées ,there is a charming sixteen-year-old girl ,who looks like Audrey Hepburn's kid sister,complete with ponytail;she is pregnant and of course the father walked out on her (she pretends they were like Romeo and Juliet ,but this romantic flavor is not really convincing) The film is a classic melodrama but it's not too syrupy:for instance ,the dad/son meeting features no music ,no violins or choirs but only the noise of a bowling;we can only hear the sound of the son's feet on the sidewalk when he walks away from his father.And most of all,we are spared a Cagney/Stanwyck romance ,although there is one ,even if it invisible.... Well acted.