My mom would have given her life for me and my brother. She felt we were her biggest accomplishments ( thankfully, not disappointments). Since Mother's Day just past, I thought I would talk about 3 films where mom did her all for her ungrateful..er scratch that, for her sweet children. Here are my 3...
1. STELLA DALLAS- 1937
I may have spoken about this film before but it's a great film starring Barbara Stanwyck as a woman, from the wrong side of the tracks, who marries a rich guy and has a daughter. As soon as she has the daughter, her love goes to this baby even though she didn't show much aptitude for anything before. She makes sure her daughter has the best and, when she realizes her daughter is embarrassed by her mom's classlessness, she makes sure to stay out of the picture. It's very well acted but I will say, even when I saw this as a kid, I thought her daughter was a bit of a jerk, or jerkess.
2. JOHNNY BELINDA-1948
This is a favourite film of mine starring Jane Wyman ( the first Mrs. Reagan) as a deaf mute living on a farm with her dad and Aunt. Along comes this kindly Dr who realizes that she has intelligence but must cut through the blindspot of the dad and aunt. When they notice that she can talk through sign language, they are overjoyed until she is raped by the local thug. No matter, she loves her baby and will do everything she can to protect her baby. It is a touching and sweet film despite the violent part but, thankfully, they don't show anything( unlike today where they feel they have to show this). I love this movie and thought the acting was excellent.
3. IMITATION OF LIFE-1959
Lana Turner plays a somewhat ok mom who loves her ambition of being an actress over being a mom or 50s housewife( I am with her on the latter). She meets up with Juanita Moore, a black lady with her own daughter who could pass for white. This beautiful mom cares for both girls and even the other mom living with Lana and caring for everyone. We follow the ups and downs of the 2 moms and the daughters. When the daughter from Juanita does not want to be known as black and doesn't want anyone to know her mom. Her mom, devastated, accepts what her daughter wants and sacrifices everything for the love of her ungrateful bitch of a daughter. Sorry, too harsh? This is a lavish soapy directed by Douglas Sirk known for these films and the lush style. I still need to see the 1934 original with Claudette Colbert and Louise Beavers which I will, one day. Oh, this film came out around the same time that Lana’s 14 yr old daughter was on trial for the stabbing death of Lana’s mafia boyfriend. The rumour is that Lana stabbed her boyfriend but her daughter took the rap declaring she was protecting her mom. WHO knows what is true except he was dead…good riddance.
What film can you think of that represents a sacrificing mom?