Stella Dallas (1937) is the bittersweet melodrama about a woman from the wrong side of the tracks, Stella Martin (Barbara Stanwyck) and her ravenous desire to do right by her only daughter. After marrying the ambitious Stephen Dallas (John Boles) and giving birth to Laurel (Anne Shirley) Stella soon realizes that her uncouth upbringing is in direct conflict with the high society world that populates her husband's existence. Stella's refusal to assimilate herself into that world ultimately leads to marital unhappiness to divorce. When Stephen remarries, this time to the respectable widow, Helen Morrison (Barbara O'Neil), Stella devotes herself to smothering Laurel. The two become inseparable. But after an embarrassing incident while on holiday at a ritzy seaside resort, Stella comes to the realization that her only child would be better off without her as a mother.
Director King Vidor keeps the pacing of this four hanky tearjerker swift and smooth, tugging at the heart strings but never in a way that is obvious or cliché. His staging of Stella's subsequent sacrifice, standing outside the window in the pouring rain while her daughter achieves everything she would have hoped and dreamed for herself is both heartwarming and heartrending. This is remarkable film making and a stellar example of the studio system with all its pistons firing.
This new transfer of "Stella Dallas" is only a marginal improvement over the original release through HBO. Though the gray scale of the black and white image is quite pleasing throughout, there is an excessive amount of film grain present throughout this presentation for a very gritty quality that is, at times, quite unflattering. Blacks are solid. Fine details are generally nicely realized. There's a hint of digital grain for a picture that is not very smooth over all, though after watching the first 15 minutes one tends to get lost more in the performances and forgo the substandard presentation. The audio is mono and generally nicely balanced. There are NO extras.
Director King Vidor keeps the pacing of this four hanky tearjerker swift and smooth, tugging at the heart strings but never in a way that is obvious or cliché. His staging of Stella's subsequent sacrifice, standing outside the window in the pouring rain while her daughter achieves everything she would have hoped and dreamed for herself is both heartwarming and heartrending. This is remarkable film making and a stellar example of the studio system with all its pistons firing.
This new transfer of "Stella Dallas" is only a marginal improvement over the original release through HBO. Though the gray scale of the black and white image is quite pleasing throughout, there is an excessive amount of film grain present throughout this presentation for a very gritty quality that is, at times, quite unflattering. Blacks are solid. Fine details are generally nicely realized. There's a hint of digital grain for a picture that is not very smooth over all, though after watching the first 15 minutes one tends to get lost more in the performances and forgo the substandard presentation. The audio is mono and generally nicely balanced. There are NO extras.