1937 – Barbara Stanwyck
Stella Dallas
When the ending credits began to roll, my first thought was that Stanwyck did an incredibly good job in a very complex role. I went into the film blind, not knowing what it was about or what kind of character she was playing. But during the first half of the movie, I must confess, I didn’t like her character. But eventually, it became clear that I wasn’t really supposed to, which made it clear that Stanwyck was actually amazing.
She played the part of Stella Dallas, a cheap, tawdry woman who had aspirations of being a classy woman in high society. But the problem was that she had no idea how such women actually behaved. And a big part of it, as shallow as it sounds, though it was important in the 1930s, was the way she dressed. She was a coarse floosy. I think the film was trying to make the point that you can take the girl out of Hicksville, but you can’t take Hicksville out of the girl.
But what mad the character so wonderfully complex was that she genuinely and sincerely loved her daughter, and she was willing to sacrifice her own happiness for hers. When she learned that she was a dead weight around Laurel’s future, she did what was necessary to give her the life that she could not provide. And it was here that Stanwyck really shined. She was incredible. The way she displayed her emotions on the screen was perfection, consistently making it absolutely clear what she was feeling, without ever over-doing it. This role seemed to be made for her.
There was a scene on a train when she overhears people talking about her, saying how they felt bad for Laurel because of the utter embarrassment her mother was. Stanwyck’s reaction to this revelation was heartbreaking to watch, even though she was a character who I didn’t really like. She was selfish, and self-centered in everything except her love for her daughter. And this is made clear in the last few scenes of the films, when she selflessly gives her daughter away so that Laurel can live a life free of her own low-class reputation of shame. Because of the way Stanwyck portrayed Stella Dallas, I actually ended up liking her character. She totally deserved her Best Actress nomination.