Directed by King Vidor
Barbara Stanwyck, John Boles
Stanwyck was nominated for a best actress Oscar for her bravura performance in this heartbreaking melodrama about class, mother love, and sacrifice.
Stella Dallas: I’ve always been known to have a stack of style.
Stella Dallas began as a novel by Olive Higgins Prouty and went on to become three movies, a play, and a radio soap opera that ran for seventeen years. King Vidor’s 1937 filmed version is considered by most critics to be the best adaptation. Stanwyck stars as the title character, a working class Cinderella who marries her high society prince. Happily ever after, however, is not in the cards. Stella remains a vulgar misfit among the country club set and a social liability for her husband and her daughter. Whatever may be said about the snobbery and casual cruelty depicted in this film, Stanwyck’s performance is outstanding, raising what could have been a saccharine melodrama into a satisfying and poignant story.
CinemaLit Films
