Douglas Sirk is one of the unsung heroes of American cinema. From 1942 to 1958 he directed some 30 lush melodramas starring the likes of Rock Hudson and Lana Turner. Sirk"s films are many-layered, the style transcending the melodrama and transforming the material into works of art. Viewed today these films reveal a disintegrating society of pretence and illusion, befogged by alcohol. 30 photos.