Vidor's - Stella Dallas

directed by King Vidor
USA 1937

King Vidor's adaptation of Oliver Higgins Prouty's famed tearjerker stars Barbara Stanwyck as the eponymous heroine. Eager to escape from her neighborhood on the wrong side of the tracks and the home of her tyrannical father, Stella sets her sights on Stephen Dallas (John Boles), a plant manager from a wealthy family. After a brief courtship, Stephen and Stella marry and have a baby girl named Laurel. As time goes by, however, Stella's loud and vulgar manner and penchant for garish clothing begin to grate on Stephen, and she's equally put off by his perpetual lectures on correct behavior. She also begins spending much of her time with Ed Munn (Alan Hale), who shares her tastes, although not her bed, further alienating her husband. The couple decides to separate and Stephen soon marries Helen Morrison (Barbara O'Neil), a woman of similar background. Although Stella devotes herself to her daughter, she gradually comes to the painful realization that Laurel would have a better life away from her influence. So, feigning indifference, she sends her off to live with her father in New York. Stanwyck gives what may be her best performance, investing a character who could easily drown in pathos with energy, intelligence, and dignity. The ambivalence of Vidor's attitude toward the character and toward the issue of class in America also adds to the film's resonance.

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Theatrical Release: August 5th, 1937 - USA

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DVD Review: MGM - Region 1 - NTSC

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	MGM - Region 1- NTSC
Runtime	1:45:36
Video	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.14 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Audio	English, DUB: Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Dolby)
Subtitles	English, French, Spanish, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: MGM Home Video Aspect Ratio: Original aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details: • none DVD Release Date: March 8th, 2005 Keep Case Chapters: 20

Comments:

Now I love film grain, but many may find this a little excessive. The image is quite strong with excellent contrast, but is very grainy at times. This is usually a good sign that nothing has been tampered with so I'd rather not complain too much. For a film from 1937 this transfer is bordering on excellent. Awful yellow subtitles and no extras mark a pitiful package from MGM, but we do appreciate the fine picture. Another very inexpensive DVD that you'd be crazy not to pick up. out of