It stopped me cold, and I couldn’t change the channel. It was Barbara Stanwyck, in 1937’s Stella Dallas, a film I hadn’t seen in years.
It’s the story of a working class mother who manages to marry into money, leaves her husband, then raises her daughter under difficult (and questionable) circumstances. Years later, when the girl is a teen, she hands her over to the father as he remarries, so she can know the advantages of a more privileged upbringing.
The message is one of sacrifice – in a context that seems odd today. And in the final scene, the grown daughter is marrying into a well-heeled family, as a teary Barbara Stanwyck stands outside, looking in through the window. Tears roll down her face as she watches, then turns and walks away – head held high, a bounce in her step, and a smile on her face – knowing she did the right thing for her daughter.
I admit it. I’m a sucker for a good tear-jerker.
This is the sort of film I watched growing up and continued to enjoy into adulthood, with characters that stuck and value messages intended to make their impression.
Film memories
When I contemplate the morality tales that were part of my youth, Frank Capra’s idealized vision of American values comes to mind, with his films Meet John Doe and of course, It’s a Wonderful Life. There was also Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, not to mention Peck’s performance in Elia Kazan’s Gentleman’s Agreement, dealing with Anti-Semitism.
Each of these films offered life lessons which I took in, and never forgot.
Certainly, I watched plenty of other movies – all those Elizabeth Taylor “greats” – plenty of Rock Hudson and Doris Day, my share of classic Hitchcock, and grittier fare as well, like 1969’s Easy Rider.
What films will our kids remember?
Thinking back to the films my children have seen – those I took them to at the theater, or that they watched on television – I can’t imagine what they might consider memorable. But I wonder if their recollections will have to do with special effects, rather than portraits of unforgettable characters, or stories that intrigue or inspire.
Perhaps I’ll ask them.
- Were movies integral to your upbringing and ideas of how to live in the world?
- Do you find examples in movies today to use as models for behavior?
- What old films still touch you, as they did when you were younger?
- What films do you think your children will remember?
My girls grew up with Harry Potter. They love the books, movies, everything. In fact, my eldest daughter is planning a trip to Harry Potter World with her best friend to coincide with the premier of the last movie.
Many different movies and books have come and gone in their lives. The one that persists is Harry Potter.
Please don’t let it be Barbie movies for my girl. Thinking back on the movies of my childhood, they weren’t that much different than the ones my son watches now — ET, Back to the Future, Nightmare on Elm Street. I suppose I’m not the best role model for great movies!
(PS – Saw Stella Dallas on the guide and had no clue what it was. Next time I’ll watch!)
@Andrea – Harry Potter. Of course!
@Kelly – There are Barbie movies? 😉
When my kids were younger, it was Disney animated films; in the last few years, it would have to be the Harry Potter series and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. We were able to visit some of the LOTR movie locations in New Zealand on a family trip back then, it helps when dad is a fan also 🙂
Influential movies for me from the classic era include To Kill a Mockingbird (obviously from my pseudonym), Casablanca, Inherit the Wind, It’s a Wonderful Life and the fine 12 Angry Men. These are all movies that never get old and if they are on the bill (or lighter fare like Hard Day’s Night or The Graduate) at our local repertoire theatre, they are a wonderful treat to see on the big screen. As for modern movies, tastes change and I don’t think a film about twelve men in a jury room will cut it these days. We still have gems like the multiple trajectories colliding in Crash, off-the-chart creativity of Donnie Darko, quirky character-based The Station Agent, and real-life Into the Wild to remind us that movies are still a worthy form of expression.
I did notice a bit of atticus in your batticus! These are wonderful films – not only filled with memorable characters and moral lessons, but capturing a moment in pop culture and changing society with delicious performances (The Graduate). You (indirectly) raise the issue of the way film reflects our complicated culture, with the more real-life references you mention, their quirky characters and the remarkable imagination brought to the screen by filmmakers and their actors.
Ahh, someone beat me to Harry Potter for my children. One of the proud accomplishments in my life was reading the first Harry Potter installment to my oldest, cover to cover. Before the movie came out. A wonderful memory that I carry where he sat for hours at my feet listening as I went from chapter to chapter.
One of the more memorable films for me growing up was Gone With The Wind. A neighbor took me to see it because she last saw it as a young woman when it first came out and needed someone to go with her. It’s the only movie that I’ve ever been to that had an intermission. But the passion, the battles, the dialog and the characters stuck with me as vividly as Star Wars would for me later.
Oh, I’m so glad you mentioned Gone With the Wind! Yes, the Intermission. And it was an impressive movie to see in the theater – even decades after its premiere. Your memory of reading Harry Potter sounds lovely. I imagine your oldest will remember it. I still remember being read to as a child, don’t you?
Glad you stopped by to comment. Hope you come by again, MTFFH.
I couldn’t let go of this Sunday puzzler! I hope you don’t mind another comment on it, I finally thought of a recent “life lesson” classic. Forrest Gump is by any measure a wonderful film and a reminder that a life can be built one step at a time. The similarity to It’s a Wonderful Life with a modern twist and special effects makes it a worthy throwback to the older classic movies.
Yes! Good one, batticus!
Barbara Stanwyck. Mmmmm.
My daughter loves the Pixar flicks and especially enjoys watching them with her Daddy (who is a self-proclaimed movie buff). I remember Gandhi and ET as movies that left an impression on me.
We watch all the Miyazaki Hayao’s films as a family together and they convey great messages which I am glad my kids seem to be getting. They don’t seem to outgrow them either. For the classics, so far I can’t really convince my boys to watch them with me. BUT we break out The Sound of Music once in a while and do the marathon viewing.
I don’t remember going to many movies as a family growing up. Of course, when our girls were young, we trekked to see all the Disney flicks! But, we also took them to see theatre productions and those are the ones they seem to remember the most. Man of La Mancha, Annie, Miss Saigon, Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar, Les Miserables, The King and I, etc. It was an eclectic mix to be sure! I still go to a variety of movies and productions, and always try and analyze the characters, plot and cultural psychology of the story with my worldview. Art imitates life, and tell a lot about who we are as a society.