Now, Voyager (1/10) Movie CLIP - Nervous Breakdown (1942) HD

CLIP DESCRIPTION:
Charlotte (Bette Davis) succumbs to a nervous breakdown after relentless teasing.

FILM DESCRIPTION:
Olive Higgins Prouty's popular novel was transformed into nearly two hours of high-grade soap opera by several masters of the trade: Warner Bros., Bette Davis, Paul Henreid, director Irving Rapper, and screenwriter Casey Robinson. Davis plays repressed Charlotte Vale, dying on the vine thanks to her domineering mother (Gladys Cooper). All-knowing psychiatrist Dr. Jaquith (Claude Rains) urges Charlotte to make several radical changes in her life, quoting Walt Whitman: "Now voyager sail thou forth to seek and find." Slowly, Charlotte emerges from her cocoon of tight hairdos and severe clothing to blossom into a gorgeous fashion plate. While on a long ocean voyage, she falls in love with Jerry Durrance (Henreid), who is trapped in a loveless marriage. After kicking over the last of her traces at home, Charlotte selflessly becomes a surrogate mother to Jerry's emotionally disturbed daughter (a curiously uncredited Janis Wilson), who is on the verge of becoming the hysterical wallflower that Charlotte once was. An interim romance with another man (John Loder) fails to drive Jerry from Charlotte's mind. The film ends ambiguously; Jerry is still married, without much chance of being divorced from his troublesome wife, but the newly self-confident Charlotte is willing to wait forever if need be. "Don't ask for the moon," murmurs Charlotte as Max Steiner's romantic music reaches a crescendo, "we have the stars." In addition to this famous line, Now, Voyager also features the legendary "two cigarettes" bit, in which Jerry places two symbolic cigarettes between his lips, lights them both, and hands one to Charlotte. The routine would be endlessly lampooned in subsequent films, once by Henreid himself in the satirical sword-and-sandal epic Siren of Baghdad (1953).

CREDITS:
TM & © Warner Bros. (1942)
Cast: Claude Rains, Ilka Chase, Gladys Cooper, Bette Davis, Bonita Granville
Director: Irving Rapper
Producer: Hal B. Wallis
Screenwriters: Casey Robinson, Olive Higgins Prouty

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[joracer]

If Davis's talent don't pull your heart strings this entire move, you're not human. An Oscar not presented for this acting masterpiece is a criminal act...

[caliden]

Betty was not afraid to look unglamorous for a role.she was an actress in every sense of the word.

[geoffm]

Davis and Rains, two wonderful stars of the silver screen. Rains is superb in the role of the doctor and Davis pulls out all the stops to give a magnificent performance as the downtrodden Charlotte. This is what real acting is like. Sad that we won’t see their likes again.

[Jhensy]

I think Claude Rains was in more classics than any other actor. His filmography is amazing.

[bootblackbob]

I love this movie! My grandmother was a carbon copy of Mrs. Henry Vale. My dear aunt was controlled just like Charlotte Vale. Years later while visiting my aunt I brought a copy to view with my aunt, I remember my aunt saying several times during the movie "I could never please my mother."On several, occasions I stood up to my grandmother and told her to STOP TRYING TO CONTROL ME AND day of independence!

[vnach]

Bette should have won her third Oscar for this role, marvelous!!

[lynngregory]

June is a young version of Mother Vale. This movie is about mean people and how they will keep someone down. It is timeless.

[jaytaylor]

Not just a well-written, well-acted movie, but just a beautiful to look at movie. Thanks for posting.

[yardgoods]

"A mother's rights. Twaddle." One of the greatest lines in the history of cinema!

[keith]

The mother is the problem and someone needs to shut June up..

[pisceslove]

I wish acting like this still existed. Bette Davis was amazing in this film. My mom is a big fan of Bette Davis and after I saw this movie I became one too.

[AuntieMamie]

So much talent! Gladys Cooper excelled in her role too. The film is luminous, illuminating and even fresh today. Thank you for a perfect outtake

[jessicavictoriacarrillo]

When Bette Davis is teased by Nancy Drew to the point of tears, you know something is wrong.

[user]

Probably my favorite Betty Davis movie.

[cynthiahawkins]

Charlotte already has a champion. Before she takes those first shaky steps - becoming her own woman...meets Jerry and blossoms under his love..she is protected and steered into psychoanalysis, by wonderful Dr. Jaquith, played with quiet, wise strength by the incredible Claude Rains. He did these roles so well, with such kindness, quiet strength and understanding. "Now Voyager" is of course, a line from a poem of Walt Whitman...If you admire Rains screen work as much as I do - in these types of roles, check out 'Mr. Skeffington', with Bette Davis again. And 'The Passionate Friends', with Anne Todd. Also excellent!!!

[thegirlatthefrontdesk]

I swear I can somewhat relate to this character. Some mothers just suck.

[normamcmanus]

Am so very glad this film was made in black & white; but, would have loved to have had a glimpse of the setting for The Cascades in color. So very grateful these classic, wonderful films are preserved for generations to see. Nothing Hollywood puts out today or the so-called Stars compares!

[windstorm]

the best movies show transformation of character--and this movie is a template of this--Charlotte goes from a shattered 'child'--a 'caterpiller'  to a glamorous, self assertive  'butterfly'==with a few bumps along the way--who can't relate to this as we grow as human beings?

[mariedewitt]

Bit of trivia. Olive Higgins Prouty wrote these books about the Vale family. I believe she, herself had some psychiatric concerns and she was the mentor for Sylvia Plath who wrote the Bell Jar. Olive paid for a lot of Sylvia's psychiatric treatment. Hence the theme of mental illness in the film.

[AmandaBeeRekendwith]

Mrs. Henry Vale: "No member of the Vale family's evaah had a nervous breakdown."
Dr. Jaquith: "Well there's one having one now!"