MovieChat Forums > Stella Dallas (1937) Discussion > Don't understan this woman

Don't understan this woman

posted 10 years ago by parisel
4 replies | jump to latest

She knows perfectly well how to act refined, and yet she gets herself up like a clown, embarrassing her daughter.

When Stephen came at Christmas, she not only dressed refined, she spoke well. Next scene she has that horrible accent again. It just doesn't make sense.

I guess it's like looking at clouds. You see one thing and I see another. Peace.

[–] RigbyEleanor 10 years ago

She knows perfectly well how to act refined

I think the word "act" is the definitive word. She could "act" the part but she wasn't really "refined", in itself. She would have grown tired of wearing that mask all the time, pretending, I imagine. Drab dresses, table tennis, and boring dinner parties just wasn't who she really was.

[–] parisel 10 years ago

I don't agree. She wanted to be part of the upper class world, and was able to refine her speech. That has nothing to do with drab clothing. Her clothing made her look like an insane person and her actions and preposterous behavior had nothing to do with being brought up poor. We saw her home life. Her family were normal working class people of their time and place. They didn't act like she did. It makes no sense for her to dress and act as she did.

I don't think Helen looked drab. And Stella was smart enough to have adapted.

I guess it's like looking at clouds. You see one thing and I see another. Peace.

[–] RigbyEleanor 10 years ago

Her clothing made her look like an insane person and her actions and preposterous behavior had nothing to do with being brought up poor. We saw her home life. Her family were normal working class people of their time and place. They didn't act like she did. It makes no sense for her to dress and act as she did.

I agree. Her behavior had nothing to do with being poor or working class. Yes, she did want to be part of the elite class but she was ignorant to what that really entailed, relative to her husband's idea of their lifestyle.

But we saw her ogling at movies and through magazines, perhaps she formed an idea of "upper class" from them. She obviously found the flashier dressers more intriguing and that's what she emulated. She thought classy people flashed money around like Ed and his ilk. Nothing wrong with that, in particular circles. Her "acting" demure fooled her husband in the beginning but later he was appalled when she showed her true preferences in life. Her problem was that she thought "rich" was excess, so she piled all she could on, at one time, clothes, furs, jewelry, sparkles, make up, etc. Overkill. Most old money people, back then, didn't live that way.

[–] 10 years ago

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