Now, Voyager (1942)

Boston spinster blossoms under therapy and finds impossible romance.

Director:

Irving Rapper

Writers:

Casey Robinson (screenplay), Olive Higgins Prouty (from the novel by)

Stars:

Bette Davis, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains

Won 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Bette Davis	...	Charlotte Vale
Paul Henreid	...	Jerry Durrance
Claude Rains	...	Dr. Jaquith
Gladys Cooper	...	Mrs. Henry Vale
Bonita Granville	...	June Vale
John Loder	...	Elliot Livingston
Ilka Chase	...	Lisa Vale
Lee Patrick	...	'Deb' McIntyre
Franklin Pangborn	...	Mr. Thompson
Katharine Alexander	...	Miss Trask (as Katherine Alexander)
James Rennie	...	Frank McIntyre
Mary Wickes	...	Dora Pickford

Storyline

In Boston, the over-weight spinster Charlotte Vale is a repressed woman without self-esteem and completely dominated by her wealthy mother Mrs. Henry Vale. When her sister-in-law Lisa Vale brings the renowned psychiatrist Dr. Jaquith, who is her friend, to visit Charlotte, he invites her to spend some time in his sanatorium. Soon Charlotte transforms in a sophisticated and confident woman and travels in a cruise to South America. She meets architect Jerry Durrance, who is married, and they have a love affair in Rio de Janeiro. Six months later, she returns home and confronts his mother with her independence and own free will. One day, Charlotte has an argument with her mother and she dies of a heart attack. Charlotte becomes the heir of the Vale's fortune but she feels guilty for the death of her mother. She decides to return to Dr. Jaquith's sanatorium whether she befriends Tina, who is the twelve-year-old daughter of Jerry rejected by her mother. She brings the girl to her house in ...

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Plot Keywords:

love | spinster | cruise | nervous breakdown | heart attack | 

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Taglines:

IN THE Arms OF ANOTHER WOMAN'S MAN...SHE FINDS Her MAN! (original print ad - almost all caps)

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Portuguese

Release Date:

31 October 1942 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Estranha Passageira

Filming Locations:

6621 Whitley Terrace, Whitley Heights, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The biggest box office hit of Bette Davis's career.

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Goofs

When Charlotte first enters the room to meet Jaquith, her position changes; she is first at the steps near the doorway, but in next cut she is close to her mother's chair.

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Quotes

Mrs. Henry Windle Vale: No member of the Vale family has ever had a nervous breakdown.
Dr. Jasquith: Well there's one having one now.

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Connections

Featured in The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996)

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Soundtracks

"In An Old Dutch Garden (By An Old Dutch Mll)"
(1940) (uncredited)
Music by Will Grosz
Played in the drugstore where Charlotte takes Tina for ice cream

User Reviews

The Great Quest

Bette Davis plays Charlotte Vale, an unmarried and very unhappy plain-Jane who lives with, and is under the emotional control of, her wealthy, domineering, matriarchal mother (Gladys Cooper). Help for Charlotte arrives in the person of Dr. Jaquith (Claude Rains), who suggests a different living environment, and eventually a new direction in life. Charlotte thus sets out on a voyage of discovery, or quest, to find herself and her potential for happiness and love.

The film starts off Gothic, but gradually translates to a love story with lots of twists and turns. The underlying premise is sound, but the plot is overwrought, drawn out, and talky. Small sections of the film's middle section could have been expunged, to tighten the plot. And the dialogue could have been reduced in places, which would have rendered a film of even greater impact. Nevertheless, the film still tells a great story.

The B&W cinematography ranges from good to excellent. In one scene, special effects create an image wherein Charlotte's eyes overlap her mother's face. It is a visually stunning image, and it wonderfully captures the film's timeless theme, the painful process whereby a grown child must confront an overbearing parent, if that child is to grow and gain adult independence.

The film's costumes are interesting. And Max Steiner's original score adds emotional texture to the story. But it is the acting that really makes this film a classic. Except for her work in "All About Eve", Bette Davis gives as good a performance here as in any film of hers that I have seen. Claude Rains and Paul Henreid are good in support roles. And the never smiling Gladys Cooper is stunningly effective as the matron saint of outdated Victorian Puritanism.

Despite its cryptic title, taken from a poem by Walt Whitman, this film presents viewers with a story that most people can identify with, in one way or another. "Now, Voyager" transcends its hyperbolic working script, and compels attention through its cinematography, its music, and especially the acting of Gladys Cooper and Bette Davis.