Now, Voyager, so named from the Walt Whitman poem, "The Untold Want:"
The untold want, by life and land ne'er granted
Now, Voyager, sail thou forth, to seek and find
tells the story of the ugly duckling that turns into the beautiful swan in over the top, melodramatic fashion filled with great acting from the three stars, Bette Davis, Paul Henreid, and Claude Rains.
Davis plays Charlotte Vale, the only daughter of a prominent Boston society family. She is the "ugly duckling" of the family and is driven to a mental breakdown by her overbearing mother. Charlotte is sent away to a mental rehab resort where she meets Dr. Jaquith (Claude Rains). After her stay at the resort, Charlotte embarks on a cruise, all narrated in letters to Dr. Jaquith, documenting her effort to seek and find what the world has in store for her.
On her travels, Charlotte meets the dashing, but married architect Jerry who nicknames her "Camille." From both the traveling and Jerry's interest, we watch Charlotte transform into the beautiful swan. Upon her return to Boston, she stands up to her mother, and becomes engaged to a man from another prominent Boston family, all the while never giving up on the love she has for Jerry. She even meets Jerry's daughter who has many of the same problems Charlotte did and Charlotte takes the daughter in as a way to keep a piece of Jerry with her always.
As I mentioned, the movie is over the top and very melodramatic, but that is what makes the movie great. A continual theme in the movie is when Jerry and Charlotte smoke together, Jerry will light the two cigarettes in his mouth and pass one to Charlotte. To add to the drama is the dark lighting with any interaction between Charlotte and her mother, and a swelling, dramatic score. Additionally, the fashion Davis wears is a fantastic catalog of 1940s design.
Davis, Henreid, and Claude Rains all turn out amazing performances in this classic from the studio system of early Hollywood. ~ Dana Jackson - Hardwick
