Locarno’s tribute to Douglas Sirk, painter of troubled consciences

Time passes and so do the photos. Old films fade from memory and in their substance. The green meadow where the cowboys of yesteryear galloped turns yellow and the films of Douglas Sirk have taken on the hue of faded roses in the collective imagination. They evoke virile men, femme fatales facing a technicolor destiny in post-war America. But the memories are treacherous. It’s time to revise your knowledge, fill in your gaps and rediscover the great filmmaker thanks to the retrospective offered by the Locarno Film Festival.