:
Barbara Stanwyck,
John Boles,
Anne Shirley,
more...
:
King Vidor
see all cast/crew...
: Not Rated
: MGM
: Classics, Drama, Classic Drama, Classic Drama, Weepies
: 106 min.
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Produced by Sam Goldwyn, this second film version of Olive Higgins Prouty's Stella Dallas is by far the best. The combined talents of Goldwyn, director King Vidor and star Barbara Stanwyck lift this property far above the level of mere soap opera. Stanwyck is perfectly cast as Stella Martin, the loud, vulgar factory-town girl who snares wealthy husband Stephen Dallas (John Boles). When Stephen is offered a job in New York, Stella stays behind, knowing that she'll never be part of her husband's social circle. She pals around platonically with her old beau, the cheap and tasteless Ed Munn (Alan Hale), a fact that drives yet another wedge between Stella and her husband. The final straw is daughter Laurel's (Anne Shirley) birthday party, which is boycotted by the local bluenoses. Though she would like to remain part of her daughter's life, Stella knows that she and she alone is the reason that Laurel is shunned by the rest of the community. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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| Stel-lah! (earlier version)
by talltale
March 29, 2005 - 8:18 PM PST
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1 out of 2 members found this review helpful
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Watching the 1937 version of STELLA DALLAS today is to be aware that you are partaking of one of the world's best-known, mother-love soap operas. Youngsters (anyone 35 or below, that is) may vaguely remember the Bette Midler remake, which was perfectly OK. But till you've viewed the Barbara Stanwyck version (with crack actors like Alan Hale and Marjorie Main), you ain't seen nuttin'! Not that this movie holds up all that well: it's dated and silly in some ways. Stella tells her upper crust beau that she wants to be just like his kind of people--and then proceeds to be anything but; he, on the other hand, tells her not to change, then spends the rest of movie waiting for her to do so. Whatever: this was Hollywood in the 30s.
What's interesting about the film today is how it manages to include everything from mother/daughter love to women who choose the wrong man to downsizing (when times get bad, Stella lets the family maid go). And, yes, that famous ending still jerks the tears. Even more moving is the great scene between Stella and her husband's first love/second wife (wonderfully played by Barbara O'Neil) in which Stanwyck gives over her daughter to the "better" family. One of the pleasures of this movie is that there are no villains--just flawed folk trying to do their best and messing up at least half the time. Sort of like you and me. |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 7.18)
28 Votes
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