Now, Voyager (1942)

A frumpy spinster blossoms under therapy and becomes an elegant, independent woman.

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	...	Jeremiah (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

Boston spinster Charlotte has had her life controlled entirely by her mother; a wealthy mother, Mrs. Henry Vale. Feeling despondent, she's convinced to spend some time in a sanitarium. Soon, Charlotte's transformed into a sophisticated, confident woman. On a cruise to South America, Charlotte meets, and begins a torrid affair with Jerry Durrance, a married architect. 6 months later, she returns home, and confronts her mother with her independence. One day, after a brief argument, her mother has a heart attack and dies. Charlotte inherits the Vale fortune but feels guilty for her mother's death. She returns to the sanitarium, where she befriends a depressed, young adolescent, named Tina. The young girls' depression brought on by having been rejected by her mother; Charlotte's former lover, Jerry's wife. Charlotte takes Tina home to Boston with her

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Plot Keywords:

domineering mother | emotional blackmail | mother daughter relationship | mental illness | comma in title | 

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Taglines:

LOVE DOESN'T ASK QUESTIONS...it takes what it wants.! (original print ad)

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was featured in the movie "Summer of 42". Benjy and his friends spend the summer on an island and during this summer see this movie. Yet this movie wasn't released until October 1942.

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Goofs

At one point when Charlotte and Jerry have a drink, the way she holds her drink and cigarette changes several times between shots.

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Quotes

Charlotte Vale: Thanks to you. Oh, so many, many thanks to you.
Jerry: For what?
Charlotte Vale: Oh, for walking my legs off sight-seeing, and for lunch and for shopping and, for a few moments today when I actually felt alive.

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Connections

Featured in The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996)

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Soundtracks

Night and Day
(1932) (uncredited)
Written by Cole Porter
Played offscreen on piano at the pre-concert party

User Reviews

Ugly duckling turns into a swan

At the height of WWII, Hollywood produced a lot of excellent melodramas. These were the vehicles the studios created for its stars of that era. It was either a Joan Crawford picture, or a Barbara Stanwyck, or a Bette Davis one, since their presence, bigger than life, was the only reason to bring these stories to the big screen.

Take this one, for instance, under the direction of Irving Rapper. It had all the right elements, yet it was chaste enough to pass the censor. Undoubtedly, this movie owes a lot to the fantastic score by the talented Max Steiner who was a genius. Mr. Steiner's music plays the haunting melodies with such flair, we feel we are listening to a great symphonic work.

The story, by today's standards wouldn't raise an eyebrow. At the time it came out, it was a different thing. After all, Jerry was a married man with a daughter and a situation that had no easy solution then. That makes Charlotte Vale suffer after she found her soul mate aboard the ship that served to free herself from a despotic mother.

Bette Davis plays Charlotte to perfection. Her scenes with Paul Hendried lighting the two cigarettes is something to cherish by film fans. The chemistry that Bette Davis shared with her leading men was no small accomplishment. She was an actress that knew how to pull the heart strings of the general public. She had such a charisma and power to lose herself in all those strong women she played through the years. The transformation of the plain Charlotte to the smart woman, who embarks on a tour to begin a new life, is something out of a fairy tale, but Ms. Davis pulls it with great panache.

The rest of the cast was excellent. Claude Rains, Gladys Cooper, Bonita Granville, Ilka Chase! They only come once in a lifetime. No one in present day Hollywood comes near to that. It was perfection.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Portuguese

Release Date:

31 October 1942 (USA)

Also Known As:

Now, Voyager

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