Stella Dallas

Stella Martin is the daughter of a factory worker in Massachusetts who not only dreams of bettering herself, she pursues that goal single-mindedly. She snags factory manager Stephen Dallas, son of a bankrupt millionaire. But after their daughter Laurel is born, cracks appear in the marriage. Stella thinks Stephen is boring, and Stephen finds Stella’s lower-class ways vulgar. When he is transferred to New York and Stella stays behind, Laurel becomes the only bond between them. When her father decides to marry his former childhood sweetheart, a rich heiress, Laurel appears to choose life with her father. And Stella Dallas is fiercely maternal; she will do whatever it takes to make sure Laurel has a better life … The popular novel provided the basis for a 1925 film by Henry King, and Vidor uses a clip from it in his film. Over the years, feminist film theory has had nothing but praise for this version. In addition to garnering Oscar nominations for its two female leads, Vidor succeeded in drawing a complex portrait of a dominant woman who was equal parts self-sacrifice and triumph. German filmmaker Helma Sanders-Brahms said in 1979 that “it goes even further than Douglas Sirk”.