“The untold want by life and land ne’er granted, Now, voyager, sail thou forth, to seek and find,”- Walt Whitman. Bette Davis stars in Now, Voyager about a woman’s self-discovery on a cruise ship and falls for a married man.
Definitely a major improvement! Now, Voyager is about Charlotte Draper, a plain-looking woman with a mother who constantly reminds her she was not wanted. Charlotte has had enough of her mother’s abuse and has decided to makeover not only her looks, but her life. While on a cruise, she meets Jeremiah (Paul Henreid) and immediately falls for him. Unfortunately, he’s a married man and feels he cannot leave his wife due to all the problems she has. My favorite scenes are when Charlotte connects with Jerry’s daughter who has been through the same pain with her mother. It shows that we do not have to be blood to give a child love she has never felt before. That we have the power to stop the cycle of self-hate and give into love.
Now, Voyager really helped shape Bette Davis’ career. It was her biggest box office hit of the 1940s, establishing her as a romantic leading lady for Warner Brothers. Audiences saw this movie as a “woman’s picture” for female viewers to reenact their romantic fantasies. I mean, come on! Going on a luxurious cruise in celebration of gaining independence from your overbearing mother only to meet a handsome man? You know you want to! Now, Voyager was a work of feminism during World War II showing an independent woman looking out for herself. While men were off to war, many wives had to take care of their children on their own and work in factories.
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While this movie really was a delight to watch, the third act fell flat for me. I’m not talking about the fact that Charlotte and Jerry don’t end up together. I mean the fact that Jerry basically gives his daughter up to Charlotte. I understand he’s doing this to protect his daughter from her unloving mother, but he still loves her. He could have still tried to raise her as best he could. And Jerry doesn’t leave his wife even though she’s bad for their daughter and is emotionally manipulative. I would like to think Jerry would have left his wife if made today. Now, Voyager was probably just trying to show that the character of Jerry was a moral and faithful husband no matter the circumstances. It’s just one of those movies where the circumstances would not work well today. Do you agree?
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While I was not a fan of the third act, I do give the movie credit for the message of being happy even if you do not get everything your heart desires. The movie also does a great job of representing mental illness in that it is okay not to be okay. Through helping someone else, you can help yourself too. Now, Voyager was nominated for Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and won Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture- Max Steiner. I recommend seeing this movie if you are a fan of the beautiful Bette Davis and love romantic melodramas about a woman’s independence.
You can watch Irving Rapper’s quintessential melodrama on HBO Max and comment below what you think:
Oh, For the Love of 1001 Films! 