Bette Davis acting could make any movie better. That is the case with Now Voyager. She takes a story that isn’t the best, and gives it life. She makes her character, Charlotte Vale, her own. Charlotte is a spinster, repressed by her domineering mother, Mrs Henry Vale, (Gladys Cooper). Charlotte is an unglamorous woman, who stays in her room. Her family, concerned, she may have a nervous breakdown, contact Dr. Jaquith, (Claude Rains). After talking to Charlotte, and noticing her behavior, he recommends a stay at his sanitarium.
Charlotte agrees to Dr. Jaquith’s suggestion. She stays there for two months, and is released. She has come out of her shell, becoming a socialite. Charlotte’s transformation is shown at a party in the house. She gracefully comes down the stairs, in a beautiful dress. She is nearly unrecognizable. She isn’t wearing glasses, and is now an engaging attractive woman. Irving Rapper has beautifully captured this scene. It is at the suggestion of Dr. Aisquith, that she takes a cruise to South America. This is to get away from her surroundings. Her cruise becomes a turning point in her life. She meets Jeremiah Durrance, (Paul Heinreid). He is an unhappily married man. This fact doesn’t matter to Charlotte. They fall in love with each other. They are happy, but after a months, Jerry breaks it off. This causes pain for Charlotte. She soon meets a nice society man named, Elliot Livingston. Elliot loves her, but she doesn’t love him. Charlotte understands the implications, but breaks off their engagement. This enrages Mrs.Vale. The two have a confrontation, that leads to a fatal heart attack for Charlotte’s mother.
The death of Charlotte’s mother, leaves her the heir to the estate. This doesn’t console Charlotte. It leads her to seek Dr. Aisquith’s help. She stays at the sanitarium. It is while there, that she meets a young girl, Tina, (Janice Durrance), much like her. She helps the girl, and becomes a surrogate mother to her. She even goes on a camping trip with the girl. It is in the fashion of the melodrama, that the little girl, is the link to Charlotte’s recent past. That past, is of course, Jerry. He is her father. It is the love and kindness that Charlotte gave to his daughter, that brings him back to her.
The musical score is provided by Max Steiner. He was the premier composer of Hollywood’s golden age. He is responsible for Gone With the Wind’s famous score. The lover’s theme is hauntingly beautiful. It is Pathetitique, by Tchaikovsky.
The acting is good by both principles. Paul Heinreid is best known as Victor Lazlo in Casablanca. His role in Now Voyager came first, and proved him to be a true romantic lead. It is an unforgettable scene, when he lights Bette Davis cigarette. Heinreid manages to show the emotions of his character very well. This role lead to several others, with Hollywood’s leading ladies.
Bette Davis was the queen of melodramas. She was nominated for academy awards for her work on several of them. Her performance as Charlotte Vale got her nominated. She did not win, but already had two oscars for previous performances, Dangerous and Jezebel. It is surprising that Bette Davis never won another award. She was one of the fortunate in Hollywood, who one twice. Many hard working actors, like Cary Grant never won.
Acting doesn’t always come naturally. A director helps. The man in charge in this instance, was Irving Rapper. He got the best from his performers. He had experience working with actors, Edward G. Robinson and Paul Muni before this picture. He also filmed an ending, that matches the dialogue. Even though it is a little sugary, it fits.
Melodramas were a Hollywood staple, for a long time. It allowed scriptwriters to come up with stories that seemed silly, but worked with audiences. This film, based on a novel, by Olive Higgins Prouty, has a screenplay by Casey Robinson. Robinson wrote many melodramas. He was later one of the screenwriters for Casablanca. Now Voyager is a film that is watchable for what it is.