I understood why Stella did what she did, but I didn't like the fact that she left her daughter wondering whether she really cared for her. I was hoping, that at least, she would see her in the window at the end, as her veil was lifted. I thought Barbara Stanwyck was great though, not my favorite role of hers, but definitely one of them.
shareI did too,I hoped she would see her in the window also....
That was the one thing I would have liked to have seen that she would know her mother cared about her.
I'm torn on that point, too. I think, though, Stella was concerned Lollie would feel guilty or upset at not seeing her mother or having her in her life. So, Stella, selfless to the end, didn't want to marr the wedding in any way.
I think Mrs. Morrison sums it up so well for Stella to Lollie - 'Do you think if you mother knew any distance would keep her away?' (or something to that effect.) Mrs. Morrison must have gained a new respect for Stella, with the wedding request (i.e. to view it from the street).
‘Six inches is perfectly adequate; more is vulgar!' (Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Re: An open window).
REAL class dictates that Stella should have been invited to the wedding and she should have went dressed properly. The ending would have been 100% better than what was presented.
I may be the ONLY one who hated the movie based on that ending.
I, too, was hurt by the ending. As a mother, this wrung my heart and made me feel that Stella was wrong in allowing Laurel to feel that she had been rejected for that piece of garbage Munn. AND it was conveniently raining, so Laurel couldn't see her mother through the window, esp. since the room was so brightly lit. I have a feeling the second Mrs. Dallas was fairly certain that Mom would show up, which is why she scolded the butler for drawing the curtains and made him open them!
shareThe first time I watched Stella Dallas I expected Laurel would see her through the window, but actually think it made for a better ending, Stella, selfless to the end for her Lollie. I think one day Stella would tell her she was there and how beautiful she was, and how she didn't want to ruin her day along with the truth of her motivations, all without coming off as a martyr, their life goes on from there, it's not the end. I wish there was another book/movie of the Stella Dallas story, I know there was a radio show, but without Stany it couldn't have been that much and good.
shareI agree with bill3-1. I like to think that sometime down the road, Stella met with her daughter and told her what she had done and why. I would hate to think that Laurel would never see her mother again, especially since she loved her so much. The ending of the book is a little different (SPOILER)...where the lavish party which Stella witnesses through the window is Laurel's debutante party, not her wedding. I like the wedding idea a lot better---much more romance and pathos.
shareAs successful as this movie was I'm surprised there was no sequel (besides the radio show), but I guess they didn't do that in those days, god, today they're multiple sequels to everything successful, which is one of the major problems with today's cinema, they run everything into the ground and milk it for all it's worth. One reason movies from that era were so special and why they remain treasures today.
It really is too bad there wasn't another book, and I completely understand why the public had an appetite for more, and I'm kind of envious, they had a radio soap program, and I would have enjoyed partaking in that, and of course none of it was archived, today we can only wish and wonder what they did and where the story went.
Beetiesmom, how good is the book? Would you recommend it to someone who really loves the movie, or would reading it distract from one's appreciation and enjoyment of the movie itself? Is Stella as multidimensional and complex as Barbara Stanwyck made her, or did Stany just knock herself out by sinking her teeth into the role? There's like zero reviews of the novel on Amazon, and I'm surprised since the movie is so outstanding!
Thx
Bill3-1, I DO recommend the book! I got it from our main public library downtown----I don't think it's been touched for many years. I enjoyed every page and was sorry it ended. Like you, I would have loved a "Part Two" book, going on with everyone's life. I also agree about Hollywood's addiction to "if the first movie made money, then 25 more of the same will make a LOT more money" mind-set! The book goes into much detail about Helen, which I really, really enjoyed. Maybe my suspicions about Helen Morrison are because of some incidents from my own life, which you might say have paralleled a few parts of the movie.....
As I said, the ending of the book is different, but not too much so; the feelings of the outsider-looking-in are certainly the same. I liked the wedding idea that the film used, maybe because I'm mad for weddings, I don't know. But it seemed to make more sense. I always wondered exactly how much time had gone by from the time Laurel came racing back to her father and stepmother, crushed b/c of her mother's note, and the wedding, which Stella witnesses. I'm guessing that Laurel and Stella never saw each other up to the wedding.....and beyond, at least as far as this story goes. Had I been that girl, I would have been crushed that my mother had wiped me out of her life so completely that she couldn't even be found! Which brings me back to Mrs. Morrison/Dallas and Daddy dear~~~~with all their money, even back then, detectives could be hired to find people. Of course, it would have ruined the story-line, but these are the things I think of.
Anyhow, I still rank this film as one of my top five---love it, love it, love it. Never saw the Bette Midler version. Have you? I'm afraid I'd nit-pick it to death. No one can top Barbara Stanwyck as Stell....no one.
IMO the ending to STELLA DALLAS is one of the top five greatest film finales of alltime, it's unforgettable and deeply moving.
It is very bittersweet that Stella and Laurel are not reunited and Laurel believes Stella has forgotten her but that only makes the payoff all the stronger in the end when the self-sacrificing Stella triumphs by breaking the cycle of poverty and lower-class ties ensuring her daughter will always live a life of class and dignity. (And certainly Helen has opened the curtains because she believes Stella will be out there watching.)
The semi-resolved ending is what stays with the viewer/reader, you always should leave them wanting a little more but they've been fed enough to be fully satisfied. This is also the key to GONE WITH THE WIND, we love the ending but we still want Scarlett to get Rhett back. You love the ending to STELLA DALLAS but part of you still wants Stella and Laurel to be reunited.
The ending was perfect. She makes the ultimate sacrifice for her daughter...giving her up to a better life. This film never really misses a beat.