Stella Dallas (1925)

When a rather coarse girl (Belle Bennett) from the "wrong side of the tracks" marries up to a well bred upper class young man (Ronald Colman), they have a child. But almost immediately, their lifestyles as well as their different values clash and when the husband is promoted to a job in New York, she stays behind with their daughter. Mother love has been a staple in films since the inception of cinema and STELLA DALLAS is one of the more notable examples of the genre, in fact, it practically defines it. Most moviegoers remember the 1937 version with a superb Barbara Stanwyck performance and perhaps its less successful remake with Bette Midler in 1990. This first film adaptation directed by Henry King (SONG OF BERNADETTE), is an effective piece of cinematic sentiment. I'm unfamiliar with the work of Belle Bennett (who died in 1932) but based on her memorable performance here, she appears to be a formidable actress. Not on a par with Stanwyck's career benchmark performance but impressive nonetheless. The transfer I saw was truly silent, it had no music at all so I put on the Elmer Bernstein soundtrack to BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ and it was downright eerie how effective it was. With Alice Joyce, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Jean Hersholt and pretty Lois Moran who effectively plays the daughter from the age of 10 to her 20s.