Stella Dallas
by Olive Higgins Prouty
Stella is a woman who wants better. In love, she sets her sights on a man clearly above her station—an old fashioned term, yes, but the novel was written in 1923. During her marriage, the high class Stephen Dallas can’t continue to ignore her crude and embarrassing behavior. They separate—a big deal at that time, especially when a couple had children—and Stella’s priorities change. She still wants better, but this time around, she wants better for her daughter.
The heart of the story is Stella’s heart, which is clearly evident in the 1937 film adaptation starting Barbara Stanwyck. In the novel, the central theme gets lost in the shuffle.
Many chapters of the novel are consumed with Mrs. Morrison, a woman who is obviously not the title character. Mrs. Morrison is important, and she is featured in the movie, but not nearly as much as she is written about in the original. In my opinion, if Olive Higgins Prouty was trying to write the story from different perspectives, maybe she should have given it a different title.
It would be absolutely dreadful of me to give away the ending. All I will say is that the ending of the film differs drastically from the ending of Prouty’s original, and this change is infinitely better. Add the considerably less poignant ending to the additions of Mrs. Morrison’s point of view and the lack of motivation to the beginning—the film starts fifteen years before the novel starts—the book isn’t very satisfactory for fans of the 1937 film. For those who haven’t seen the movie, it is probably even less so. Just go rent the movie. And keep your Kleenexes handy.
Be sure and check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of the 1937 film adaptation of Stella Dallas here!
Be sure and check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of Olive Higgins Prouty's novel Now, Voyager here!
The heart of the story is Stella’s heart, which is clearly evident in the 1937 film adaptation starting Barbara Stanwyck. In the novel, the central theme gets lost in the shuffle.
Many chapters of the novel are consumed with Mrs. Morrison, a woman who is obviously not the title character. Mrs. Morrison is important, and she is featured in the movie, but not nearly as much as she is written about in the original. In my opinion, if Olive Higgins Prouty was trying to write the story from different perspectives, maybe she should have given it a different title.
It would be absolutely dreadful of me to give away the ending. All I will say is that the ending of the film differs drastically from the ending of Prouty’s original, and this change is infinitely better. Add the considerably less poignant ending to the additions of Mrs. Morrison’s point of view and the lack of motivation to the beginning—the film starts fifteen years before the novel starts—the book isn’t very satisfactory for fans of the 1937 film. For those who haven’t seen the movie, it is probably even less so. Just go rent the movie. And keep your Kleenexes handy.
Be sure and check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of the 1937 film adaptation of Stella Dallas here!
Be sure and check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of Olive Higgins Prouty's novel Now, Voyager here!