Stella Dallas

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Stella Dallas

1937

1h 51m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

82%

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11 Reviews

82%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

When Stella Martin (Barbara Stanwyck), a working class woman, meets and marries the wealthy Stephen Dallas (John Boles), they quickly have a daughter named Laurel (Anne Shirley). Stella and Stephen struggle to stay happy as their class differences become a problem; when they finally separate, Laurel is caught in the middle of the divorce. Soon, Lauren becomes the center of Stella's life. Stella tries to be a good mother, but realizes that her daughter can flourish quite well without her.

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Scott Tobias

The Dissolve

01/08/2014

4.5/5

Stella Dallas itself-sentimental without question, building to an act of heartbreaking selflessness-earns the copious tears it jerks, embodying the "weepie" in every respect, yet more complicated and more flush with genuine emotion.

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Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

10/02/2024

5/10

It's a melodrama that boasts a splendid performance by Barbara Stanwyck, but unfortunately it doesn't shake off a contrived plot that often undermines the inconsistencies of its social issue about class, motherhood and divorce. [Full review in Spanish]

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Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

07/06/2022

3.5/4

Barbara Stanwyck flings her voice around like a lasso.

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Loren King

Newport This Week (RI)

05/07/2020

The mother of all sacrificial mother movies, "Stella Dallas," should have earned an Oscar for Barbara Stanwyck in 1937 for what is arguably her finest performance.

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Ann Ross

Maclean's Magazine

09/26/2019

Barbara Stanwyck, always at home in a part that calls for tough yet tender handling, is excellent as Stella, and Ann Shirley is surprisingly good as the daughter, Laurel.

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

10/13/2014

B-

Barbara Stanwyck gives a sensational brassy performance as the ambitious poor girl trying to make a better life for herself by marrying above her class.

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Debi M.

@RT70254073 Jun 16

I love love loved this movie. Great actors! Highly recommend!

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Henry D

@Henry_Domke Jun 1

Subtle is not a word anyone would use to describe this picture. The syrupy strings and boldly drawn "black-and-white" behavior make sure of that. Add to that Barbara Stanwyck’s outrageously gauche costumes, which practically become characters of their own. But it was fun, and we enjoyed it.

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Sharon I

@Puddles426 Mar 7

I’ve always loved Stella Dallas and Barbara Stanwyk’s heartbreakingly beautiful performance.

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Jaime H

@Sfrajett Mar 1

Barbara Stanwyck should have clinched an Oscar for her stunning performance as a tough cookie with a soft heart in this classic "women's pic." This movie is all about femininity and class in mid-century America, where a working class mother's efforts to help her daughter rise socially can only succeed if she erases herself from the picture. Stella's tenderness, loyalty, and heartbreaking belief in true love allows her a certain triumph in the end, but as is true in many fairy tales, her victory costs her everything that is dear to her. Watch this on the big screen if you can, and bring lots of Kleenex. Stanwyck is breathtaking.

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Alec B

@Alec97 03/28/2025

Mostly interesting for how unglamorous Stanwyck is from start to finish.

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Chloe A

@RT51472368 01/18/2025

Barbara Stanwyck is excellent.

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King Vidor

Director

Barbara Stanwyck

Stella Dallas

John Boles

Stephen Dallas

Anne Shirley

Laurel Dallas

Barbara O'Neil

Helen Morrison

Alan Hale

Ed Munn

Dodsworth

91%

85%

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Synopsis

When Stella Martin (Barbara Stanwyck), a working class woman, meets and marries the wealthy Stephen Dallas (John Boles), they quickly have a daughter named Laurel (Anne Shirley). Stella and Stephen struggle to stay happy as their class differences become a problem; when they finally separate, Laurel is caught in the middle of the divorce. Soon, Lauren becomes the center of Stella's life. Stella tries to be a good mother, but realizes that her daughter can flourish quite well without her.

Director: King Vidor
Producer: Samuel Goldwyn
Screenwriter: Joe Bigelow, Harry Wagstaff Gribble, Victor Heerman, Sarah Y. Mason, Gertrude Purcell, Olive Higgins Prouty
Distributor: United Artists
Production Co: Samuel Goldwyn Company
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 5, 1937, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 5, 2017
Runtime: 1h 51m