This 1937 release will make you cry, on Mother's Day or any other day.
I can't say enough about Barbara Stanwyck. She's been celebrated & acknowledged as one of the most versatile actors of all time. This role is a great example of her skill.
I didn't know there was a silent version, released in 1925, with Ronald Colman and Belle Bennett. The one with Stanwyck is the better-known one, of course.
If you have this movie on in the background, and not really watch the nuance, Stella is a prime candidate for derision. Cheap, vulgar, garish, self-serving - the early parts of the movie don't paint Stella in a sympathetic light. As the story unfolds, and we see a depth and a motherly instinct start to bloom, we find that Stella is a complicated character. Maybe her background made her the way she is. Maybe she will never change on the outside, but her heart does evolve.
Her daughter "Laurel" (Anne Shirley) is the catalyst for Stella's growing motherly love. As Laurel aspires for a different life than her mom's, Stella comes to a difficult realization. The mother can't provide the kind of security and position in the community the daughter craves. Like a lot of movies in that era, the class distinctions are evident. Working class status is something to discard and leave behind, like tattered old clothes. Women of the day were expected to "marry well", find that white-collar gentleman who can take his wife to a better life of material benefits and status.
Laurel finds herself torn. She starts to realize just how much her mom loves her. Laurel is also embarrassed in the fact that her mom will never fit in the world in which Laurel wants to inhabit. As Laurel gains maturity, she understands just how much her mom is willing to sacrifice for Laurel's future well-being. The wedding scene choked me up, once I understood the context. The mother's level of selfless love helped the daughter grow into a capable woman on her own.
John Boles (the 1931 "Frankenstein") is appropriately formal and reserved as "Stephen Dallas", Stella's ex. Stephen too has emotional upheaval and a search for stability in his life. He and Stella don't last as a couple, but he is a part of the world his daughter strives to access. Barbara O'Neil ("Ellen" in "Gone With The Wind") is Stephen's new wife Helen, providing a genteel contrast to the tawdry Stella. "Broad brushes" are everywhere regarding character development, but that's alright.
Alan Hale, Sr., Marjorie Main and Tim Holt add to the story as key characters. Lines are drawn, and each character is firmly on one side or the other of this class separation.
This movie was constructed with a high degree of professionalism and thought. The camera angles draw you into the lives of the characters. You find yourself in this world.
Stanwyck nails this role. She seemingly goes from cheap tart to loving mother to wise adult to self-sacrificing woman in a way that looks logical and natural.
Make no mistake: this is a melodrama. Ultimately, there are some strong soap opera elements to the script. But, if you allow yourself to see the world through Stella's eyes, you'll get it. You'll see just how heartbreaking and uplifting sacrifice can be. I love this movie. Am I a big softie? Yeah, I guess I am.
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