Now, Voyager (1942)

The untold want by life and land ne'er granted;
Now, Voyager sail thou forth to seek and find. Walt Whitman

Now, Voyager starts out with that snip of poetry and I don't exactly know what it means, but by the end it just seems to fit and is memorable.

Bette Davis (Jezebel) shows her considerable stuff in this story in which she transforms from an ugly duckling to a swan in spite of being under the thumb of a domineering mother (Gladys Cooper).

Bette plays Charlotte Vale, daughter of an ultra rich Boston Brahmin family with a smother mother who keeps her dowdy, fat, and in glasses seemingly far beyond her SELL BY date.   Luckily Charlotte's cousin introduces her to headshrinker Dr. Jaquith (Claude Rains) who gives Charlotte a good appraisal of her mental state and keeps her separated from her mother whom he rightly judges to be the major cause of her anxieties.  The psychiatrist takes her to his spa and gets her back on an even keel and then sends her on a cruise - at mama's expense, of course - wherein she is able to experience life as a total person.  Bette Davis is transformed into a beautiful charming woman that has no trouble attracting suitors including the married Paul Henreid (Casablanca).

This reminds me of a song - from Lou Reed:

Holly came from Miami FLA,
Hitchhiked away across the USA
Plucked her eyebrows on the way --- etc.

- Anyway, all I wanted to mention was what a difference it made to get rid of the thatchy brows on Bette. She became a doll without that woodpile over each eye. Of course she got her hair done and got some make up and nice clothes on - but those eyebrows! :o  What a babe she became!

OK, now I'll be the first to admit that love stories are not exactly my cup o' tea, but this is a quintessential chick flick that even a diehard action freak that loves good acting can get into.  

Bette Davis was one of the rare actresses who could play a part and add the little shtick that really brings a character to life.  Here and in many of her performances she carried the film much as one of the great actors like Flynn, Bogart, Gable, or Lancaster carried theirs. Only Stanwyck, Colbert, Garbo, and a very few others could do as well as Bette Davis could in making a character live and a story memorable.

Now, Voyager is one of the best of Bette Davis' movies and one that all movie lovers should see because it is so well presented in all respects. Bette herself does a bang up job with the repressed Charlotte and the transformed beautiful version as well. The supporting cast is from Warner Bros stable of great character actors and includes Claude Rains and Gladys Cooper as well as many other familiar faces; all of which are as good as ever trod the boards in front of a camera. The Max Steiner score won an Academy Award and the music cues are very memorable and have been used endlessly in thousands of TV shows and commercials.

Paul Henreid, of course, made another great love story Casablanca in the same year 1942 with the radiant Ingrid Bergman yet as good as they were together it does not overshadow the performances in Voyager.  With that sort of comparison I hope I piqued your interest to see this great movie.

The Warner Bros DVD has a great, well-preserved copy of the 117 minute black and white movie.  Of course, it is in 4x3 format as all films were in 1942.  The extras include Max Steiner's music cues, notes on the cast, career highlights, and the theatrical trailer.

Everybody should see Now, Voyager.  That includes you.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening