I think that Barbara Stanwyck's performance as a mother who sacrifices her own happiness and desires so that her daughter can be happy is fantastic. My favourite two scences are when Stella goes to see Mrs. Morrison and the final scene with Stella standing in the rain watching Laurel through the window (it's so sad).
shareI believe Stanwyck's best scenes are the ending where she is watching her daughter (of course) and when she is in the berth of the train and hears the girls talking about her and the way she dresses/looks. Both scenes she has basically no dialogue, but her emotion is conveyed in her face and her eyes. Absolutely gorgeous performance. This movie is great to watch on a Sunday, curled up on the couch. Bawled my eyes out too.
You look like the Miami Sound Machine just exploded all over you.
Barbara Stanwyk was great as Stella. the two above scenes were especially good. the hurt she felt when those snotty girls were making fun of her.the final scene of her standing there at the window always chokes me up. Sad too because so what if Stella was not polished or rich, or "classy". she was a terrific mother.she never would have taught her daughter to look down on others. Unlike those other snobby mothers who did not let their daughters go to Lolly's birthday party. their snotty brat kids who made fun of Stella. you know this was taught to them by their parents. Stella did a far better job by teaching her daughter to be kind.
shareI agree with all the above scenes cited. The final scene in particular could draw tears from a stone. I'd just like to mention one of my favorites, when Stephen comes home on Christmas Eve and is going to take Laurel and Stella out for dinner. Stella is just as much in love with him as ever, and in her dressing room, because she knows it will please him, she tones down the makeup and takes a few frills off the dress. But when she goes back to the living room to leave with everyone, a drunken Ed Munn staggers in from the kitchen, where Stella had tried to hide him after he forced his way into the apartment. Stephen takes one look at him and you can tell he's never going to speak to Stella again. Stella has once again got hold of the short end of the stick. This scene has me reaching for the handkerchief, too.
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thank-you for stating you bawled your eyes out. I did as well, and thought maybe I was crazy for doing so. I found it all so powerful, and pathetic.
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Agree with all of the above scenes mentioned. Another memorable tear-filled moment is when Stanwyck pays the new Mrs. Dallas a visit and asks her to take Laurel, then back home when Laurel returns to Stella and Stella has to pretend she doesn't care about her, when inside her heart is breaking. Stanwyck should have won the Oscar for this!!!
shareSo sowwy.
Well, I loved it very much. Watched it with my mother this evening, and I can see how some feel she should have won. Man, all that we go through for our darned lovable kids -- don't care how rotten they are. Isn't that right..."Veda...Pierce?"
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Hi,one can never be too rich or have too many friends. I don't recall a freelancer winning,Louis Rainier who won for The Great Ziegfield and the Good Earth the next year was under contract to MGM so she had more pull. Babs always said she should have won for Stella because she put alot of work in it and it was her favorite role. The same thing happened to Judy Garland,she lost oscar because she was a freelance,one time only performance for A Star is Born. Grace Kelly won for the forgettable The Country Girl because both MGM and Paramount were pushing for her.
So many incredible people never won an Oscar, and so many forgettable ones did. It is like the Walk of Fame--it means NOTHING. It proves nothing.
shareI have never thought of that side of it. Always tried to understand why Stanwyck does not get the credit she deserves. This could well be the reason she lost Oscars for so many great performances. The Lady Eve, which is one of the great comedic turns by Stanwyck in a classic screwball comedy which ranks alongside "Bringing Up Baby".. Even "Ball of Fire" which is a truly fabulous movie and her performance in it is classic and wonderful. I won't even mention her work with Capra, in which I feel every performance she ever gave was Oscar worthy.
Perhaps if Miss Stanwyck had been working for MGM or Warner Brothers, she may easily have taken home three or more Oscars. Personally I place Stanwyck alongside Hepburn and Davis and perhaps Joan Crawford as the top three Film Actresses of all time. Of the three others, she is probably the finest actress.
Hepburn for sure was a great Actress and so was Davis. There are two things that make a movie star great, Charisma and Acting ability. Hepburn was tops in both. Davis was perhaps the greatest female star ever, which attests to her Charisma and acting, but she was not a particularly notable Comedic actress, in the manner of Hepburn and Stanwyck who could go from Comedy to Tragedy effortlessly. Crawford played Crawford and you could take her hilarious performance in "the women" and plunk it down line for line in "Mildred Pierce" and the performance would go from Comedy to Drama but her performance would remain the same.
As far as Stella Dallas, I agree its possibly the finest tearjerker ever made except for possibly "Dark Victory"... but then again, the range required in Stella Dallas is probably greater.
The last scene, some have identified as tragic, however, insofar as the movie, its a very positive ending. Yes she cries as she watches her daughter through the windows getting married.... the brilliance of her Stanwyck's performance is at this moment beyond description.. In her eyes, through her tears you can see that at least some of those tears are for herself.... somehow Stanwyck conveys this utterly and you can see this woman as she cries.. with happiness, longing, sadness, relief.. even joy.. all these emotions mixed up and yet evident to the audience.
As Stella Dallas turns from the window, still in tears, and as she walks down the street.. one can clearly see Stella Dallas face change as the tears become joy.. pure Joy.. because she has seen every wish of her beloved daughter fulfilled.. Somehow Stanwyck manages to convey this without a word and yet every single person who sees the final credits knows that she is crying tears of joy..
What a performance. What an Actress.
Hi,one can never be too rich or have too many friends. What was fascinating to me was when Babs was watching the wedding with tears in her eyes,actually she was looking past the camera at the crew when they made it but it was glorious u could read the emotion in her expression. Mary Astor always had them put up blank screen by camera so she wouldn't be distracted by a crew mewmber looking on.
I also agree wtih all these heartwrenchings scenes,I cried buckets lol,
shareI loved the scene on the train--the part where AS climbs into bed with her, it makes me bawl everytime.
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Truly so very sad ending but beautiful too....
shareBarbara Stanwyck was absolutely magnificent in this movie. One of the best performances I've seen in my whole life. Moving, heartbreaking and even funny at the right moments.
Animal crackers in my soup
Monkeys and rabbits loop the loop
That Stanwyck did not receive the Acadamy Award for Stella Dallas is one of life's great mysteries. She was absolutely brilliant in her portrayal of Stella.
I love Barbara Stanwyk and I love the movie but it also frustrates the hell out of me. She makes all these sacrifices for her daughter but had she made a few before, perhaps for her husband's sake, she would never have had to lose her daughter. It just goes to show you can take the girl out of the gutter but you can't take... however that phrase goes. My point, all of this was Stella's own doing. She refused to listen and made the decisions that led to where she completely lost all that mattered.
Woman, man! That's the way it should be Tarzan. [Tarzan and his mate]
It's a remarkable performance. I was happy to see she was nominated for an Oscar. The final scene with her being able to see her daughter's marriage, but only through a window and in the pouring rain, was perfectly done.
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