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Rating:  - The Untold Want
Walt Whitman wrote, "The untold want by life and land ne'er granted, Now voyager sail thou forth to seek and find." This short poem serves as the theme of both the film and its star's continual battles with Hollywood for self-determination.
Davis is brilliant as the brow-beaten Charlotte, used by her twisted, domineering mother and deprived of her own identity. Ultimately, she suffers a breakdown and discovers her own inner strength due to the kindness of the doctor and staff of a sanatorium. Testing her new-found-freedom, Charlotte takes a cruise and falls in love with Jerry, a married man with an equally unhappy and neglected daughter.
Charlotte returns home. Her newfound strength enrages and frustrates her mother so that she has a heart attack. Her death sends Charlotte back to the sanatorium, overcome by guilt. However, she emerges stronger than ever, finding the life of independence she deserves, and able to give that strength to others as well.
It's hard to pick the best of Bette Davis' films, but Now Voyager has my vote.
Rating: - Now Voyager
Bette plays an ugly spinster aunt who is under the constant hovering of her overbearing mother. She eventually suffers a nervous breakdown and goes off to be treated then takes a trip and meets a man. When she returns nobody can believe her transformation especially her controlling mother.
Rating: - A gem from the old days.
I have loved this film for decades, and I watch it every time it's on television. Now I have my own DVD of it, which I requested as a birthday gift. It has all the best qualities of a film from the old days of Hollywood -- romance, pathos, triumph, cinematic symbolism... try it; you'll like it.
Rating: - Classic Betty Davis
I really liked this film, first because it's classic Betty Davis, second because it's a love story with a twist which reflects the moral values and self-sacrifice of yesteryear. Bette Davis' performance in this film was outstanding as she changed from a dowdy over-wrought spinster to a sophisticated beauty and subsequent love triangle and redeeming outcome. "Oh Jerry, don't let's ask for the moon. We have the stars." Gladys Cooper was fabulous as the overbearing domineering mother.Claude Rains was excellent in his portrayal of the psychiatrist. A very good film.
Rating:  - One woman's voyage from shadows into the light
Like another classic Bette Davis drama, "Dark Victory", 1942's "Now, Voyager" tugs at the heartstrings not only because of its sad, bittersweet elements, but also due to its frequent scenes of characters reaching out to one another to provide help and solace. Like that other film, this one makes one feel that's there's hope for the human race, showing we're capable of true other-centeredness when we put our minds (and hearts) to it. Of course, Gladys Cooper's monstrous portayal of Bette Davis' mother also shows the other ways humans are capable of behaving.
This Warner Home Video DVD of "Now, Voyager" doesn't include a lot of extra features (though there are generous audio samplings of the film's scoring sessions), but the print and sound are sharp and clean.
If you're interested in discovering the old classics of Hollywood, or especially the old classics featuring famed actress Bette Davis, this is definitely one of the essentials. Don't miss it.
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