Now, Voyager (1942) on Netflix
Charlotte Vale lives under her mother's domination in Boston. Her sister-in-law Lisa brings Dr. Jaquith into her life, and a stay at his sanitarium begins to change her.
- Netflix3.9/5
- IMDb7.8/1021,063 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes91%
Trailer
Plot summary
Charlotte Vale is a shy, drab woman in Boston whose mother, Mrs. Henry Vale, controls her life. Her sister-in-law Lisa asks psychiatrist Dr. Jaquith for help, and he sends Charlotte to his sanitarium. Away from her mother, Charlotte gains confidence. Lisa then arranges a cruise for her instead of a return home. On board, Charlotte keeps to herself until Jeremiah Durrance, a married man on a business trip, invites her to share a carriage on an excursion and to help him choose gifts for his female relatives. Their friendship grows as he talks about his daughter Tina.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Now, Voyager (1942)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- For years Davis and Paul Henreid claimed the moment in which he puts two cigarettes in his mouth, lights both and passes one to Charlotte came from their rehearsals, but drafts of Casey Robinson's script held at the University of Southern California show the screenwriter had it in from the start.
- Davis was aghast at Austrian actor Paul Henreid's first costume and makeup tests, thinking the "slicked back" gigolo-like look made him resemble Valentino; Henreid was uncomfortable too, and he was accepted as her screen lover only after she insisted on another test with a more natural hairstyle.
- Prouty spent time in a sanitarium after a breakdown in 1925, which fed the novel's unusually realistic depiction of psychotherapy, and she later drew on that experience to support her close friend Sylvia Plath both financially and emotionally after a suicide attempt in 1953.
- European locations were impossible in the middle of World War II despite the novelist Prouty's insistence on Italy as the main setting, so photography moved to Warner's sound stage 18 and locations around California, with European scenes replaced by stock footage of Brazil.
- The initial choices for Charlotte were Irene Dunne, Norma Shearer and Ginger Rogers; Bette Davis campaigned for the role once she learned about the project, and won it.
