--- title: "Now, Voyager" year: 1942 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/now-voyager" fi1m_id: "now-voyager" imdb_id: "tt0035140" tmdb_id: 32847 wikidata_id: "Q1346566" fi1m_score: 82 critics_score: 78 critics_reviews: 7 published: "2026-09-25T03:15:04.499634+00:00" updated: "2026-09-25T03:15:05.860463+00:00" region: "PE" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Now, Voyager (1942) Directed by Irving Rapper · 1h 57m · Romance, Drama ## Identity Now, Voyager - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/now-voyager - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** now-voyager - **IMDb ID:** tt0035140 - **TMDB ID:** 32847 - **Wikidata ID:** Q1346566 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035140/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/32847, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1346566 **Fi1m score: 82** · Critics 78 from 7 reviews *In a sentence:* Bette Davis makes getting a life seem considerably more urgent than getting a man > Bette Davis gives this indulgent romance enough nerve and uncertainty to make Charlotte’s transformation convincing. Irving Rapper lets the story wander, but we recommend it for a heroine whose independence matters as much as her love life. ## Synopsis Charlotte Vale (Bette Davis) begins to question a life of repression and imagine one with room for affection. Jeremiah ‘Jerry’ Duvaux Durrance (Paul Henreid), Dr. Jaquith (Claude Rains) and Mrs. Henry Vale (Gladys Cooper) are among the people around her as that change begins. Charlotte wants love, but also the independence to choose what she does with her life. Her transformation brings the possibility of romance closer, while leaving her to work out what she wants beyond being wanted by someone else. ## Review *Now, Voyager* asks us to take a woman’s desire to change her life seriously, even when it arrives in the form of an extravagant romance. We think it earns that attention. Irving Rapper’s film is indulgent, sometimes awkwardly assembled, and moving because Bette Davis gives Charlotte Vale enough prickliness to resist being merely pitiable. The pleasure is in watching a heroine who cannot acquire confidence quite as easily as a romantic drama might like her to. Bette Davis makes Charlotte’s transformation convincing without suggesting that becoming more desirable cures everything. Her sharpness remains visible alongside the vulnerability, so the character can seem newly hopeful and still liable to retreat. We were moved by that uncertainty in her performance. She gives us reason to care about Charlotte’s independence even when the romance seems ready to settle for making her happy in love. Casey Robinson’s screenplay, adapted from the novel by Olive Higgins Prouty, keeps Charlotte’s wishes in view even when the romance threatens to take over. This is where the film makes good use of melodrama: the feelings are large because the choices matter to the person making them. Irving Rapper does not apologise for that scale, and we are glad he does not. A more embarrassed treatment would have missed much of the pleasure. Sol Polito’s cinematography gives the romance a luminosity that suits its confidence in strong feeling. The flattering image could easily make Charlotte’s transformation look too simple; Bette Davis keeps something unsettled within it. Orry-Kelly’s costume design belongs to the same persuasive glamour, although the performance is what makes the change credible. We enjoy the clothes, but we keep looking because Charlotte still seems capable of being hurt. The weaknesses are in the joins. The screenplay moves episodically, and Warren Low’s editing cannot quite make every passage feel necessary to the next. There are stretches when the film seems to have found another way of keeping Charlotte occupied rather than a compelling reason to carry her story forward. At 117 minutes, it has time for those diversions, but we occasionally wanted the director to be firmer about which scenes deserved our attention. Max Steiner’s music is a less serious reservation. Its emotional insistence belongs to the film, and there is pleasure in hearing a romance take itself this seriously, but the acting does not always need the assistance. We sometimes wanted the score to leave Charlotte a little more room. That excess is easier to forgive than the episodic writing, because the film’s willingness to risk being too much is also part of its appeal. As a romantic melodrama, *Now, Voyager* is unusually interested in how affection changes a woman’s opinion of herself. Bette Davis makes that interest felt without turning Charlotte into an example for anyone to follow. We recommend it with patience for the wandering script and an appetite for openly expressed feeling. Give her your attention even when the music is asking for it. *Fi1m score 82, published 25 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics respond warmly to Now, Voyager, with praise centred on Bette Davis rather than on the romance alone. The reviews repeatedly credit her with giving a familiar transformation story conviction, vulnerability and a sharper edge than its conventions might suggest. Irving Rapper’s direction also earns approval for its handling of melodrama, while Radio Times singles out Sol Polito’s cinematography. The broad agreement is that the acting makes the film’s emotional appeal persuasive. Reservations concern the storytelling more than the performances. Variety finds the writing episodic and questions the ending, whereas Empire regards that ending as particularly ingenious. Slant Magazine acknowledges the romance’s indulgence but finds sincerity enough to justify it. The recorded spread runs from strong enthusiasm to qualified approval, with no negative verdicts, though the limited Time Out excerpt and inaccessible New York Times text leave those critics’ broader positions unconfirmed. ## Straight answers **Is Now, Voyager worth watching?** *Now, Voyager* is worth watching for Bette Davis’s convincing portrayal of a woman finding independence as well as romance; we score it 82 out of 100. We recommend it to anyone with an appetite for openly expressed feeling, though the episodic script wanders and the music sometimes presses emotions the acting already conveys. **How long is Now, Voyager, and what is it rated?** *Now, Voyager* runs 1h 57m. It is a romance and drama film. **Where can I watch Now, Voyager in Peru?** *Now, Voyager* is not on any streaming or rental service in Peru at the moment. It is available in 9 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How does Now, Voyager compare to Brief Encounter?** *Now, Voyager* is the more extravagant melodrama, while [*Brief Encounter*](https://film.one/film/brief-encounter) makes falling in love feel ordinary and frightening; we recommend the latter more strongly. Both take longing seriously without offering easy answers, but we favour *Now, Voyager* for its attention to a woman learning to value her independence alongside the possibility of romance. **Is Now, Voyager based on a true story or a book?** *Now, Voyager* is adapted from a novel by Olive Higgins Prouty, rather than presented as a true story. Casey Robinson’s screenplay keeps Charlotte’s wishes and independence in view, though we make no claim for its fidelity to the novel; we recommend the film on the strength of Davis’s performance, with no prior reading needed. **What should I watch after Now, Voyager?** After *Now, Voyager*, try [*Brief Encounter*](https://film.one/film/brief-encounter) (1945, Fi1m 90): Another romance that takes longing seriously and leaves easy answers alone. Then [*The Heiress*](https://film.one/film/the-heiress) (1949, Fi1m 90): For a different, harsher account of a woman learning to value herself. ### Reviews we read (7) - **Radio Times**, Sue Heal (5/5): The review praises the film as a beautifully acted classic weepie, with Bette Davis delivering a consummate performance. It singles out Davis’s tear-jerking speech and the famous two-cigarette scene, alongside Irving Rapper’s grand direction and Sol Polito’s luminous cinematography. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-3zspdo/now-voyager/) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (90/100, inferred): Bradshaw finds the film a magnificent, passionately acted Hollywood melodrama. He especially praises Davis’s performance, which balances sharpness with sensuality and vulnerability. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/aug/04/now-voyager-review-bette-daviss-sublime-sex-free-act-of-sublimation) - **Slant Magazine**, Jeremiah Kipp (4/5): The critic finds the romance indulgent but sincere and unforgettable, and praises the Criterion restoration as dazzling. Bette Davis’s committed performance is singled out for helping the film rise above the conventions of the woman’s picture. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/now-voyager-blu-ray-review-bette-davis/) - **Empire**, David Parkinson (76/100, inferred): Parkinson treats the film as an accomplished, enduring melodrama that makes inventive use of genre conventions. He particularly praises Rapper’s direction and the ingenious ending, which balances Charlotte’s romantic hopes with her independence. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/now-voyager-review/) - **Variety**, Variety Staff (70/100, inferred): The review is broadly positive, despite calling the writing episodic and the ending questionable. It singles out Bette Davis’s performance as one of her finest roles. [Read](https://variety.com/1941/film/reviews/now-voyager-1200413847/) - **Time Out**, TM (65/100, inferred): The available excerpt offers praise for Bette Davis’s performance but does not reveal the review’s overall verdict. It singles out her ability to make Hollywood’s repressed-spinster transformation feel more refined. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/now-voyager) - **The New York Times**, Bosley Crowther (64/100, inferred): The review’s verdict and specific praise or criticism cannot be confirmed because the article text is inaccessible. The available page does not reveal what the critic singled out. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1942/10/23/archives/now-voyager-with-bette-davis-paul-henreid-claude-rains-at-the.html) ## Details - **Director:** Irving Rapper - **Director:** Irving Rapper - **Screenplay:** Casey Robinson - **Novel:** Olive Higgins Prouty - **Cinematography:** Sol Polito - **Editor:** Warren Low - **Music:** Max Steiner - **Costume design:** Orry-Kelly - **Producer:** Hal B. Wallis - **Cast:** Bette Davis as Charlotte Vale; Paul Henreid as Jeremiah 'Jerry' Duvaux Durrance; Claude Rains as Dr. Jaquith; Gladys Cooper as Mrs. Henry Vale; Bonita Granville as June Vale; John Loder as Elliot Livingston; Ilka Chase as Lisa Vale; Lee Patrick as Deb McIntyre - **Runtime:** 1h 57m - **First release (the US):** 22 October 1942 - **Genres:** Romance, Drama - **Budget:** $877,000 - **Box office:** $4 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cr2sS2WN7w ## Where to watch in Peru Not streaming, renting or buying in Peru at the last check. Also available in: AU, CA, ES, GB, IE, NL, NZ, RO, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Academy Awards 1943: Best Actress (nominated); Best Supporting Actress (nominated); Best Original Dramatic or Comedy Score (won) ## If you liked this - *Brief Encounter* (1945), Fi1m 90: Another romance that takes longing seriously and leaves easy answers alone. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/brief-encounter.md) - *The Heiress* (1949), Fi1m 90: For a different, harsher account of a woman learning to value herself. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-heiress.md) - *All That Heaven Allows* (1955): Romantic feeling meets social disapproval, with clothes and colour doing crucial work. - *Ali: Fear Eats the Soul* (1974): For another romance in which other people’s opinions become an exhausting burden. - *The Lunchbox* (2013): A quieter courtship, equally attentive to the courage required to accept affection. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/now-voyager