Now, Voyager (1942) in Color — Starring Bette Davis & Paul Henreid

Now, Voyager (1942) — Buy This Classic in Color

Now, Voyager (1942) is one of the most beloved romantic dramas ever made, starring Bette Davis, Paul Henreid, and Claude Rains, directed by Irving Rapper. Davis delivers an unforgettable, Academy Award-nominated performance as a repressed woman who transforms herself and finds forbidden love in a story that celebrates personal liberation and the courage to claim one’s own life. Featuring the most famous cigarette-lighting scene in cinema history and one of the most quoted final lines ever written, this is Hollywood romantic drama at its absolute finest. This professionally colorized version brings the emotional journey and glamorous settings to vivid new life. Buy your colorized copy today for €15.00 and own this timeless classic movie in color.

Plot Summary

Charlotte Vale (Bette Davis) is a plain, dowdy, emotionally devastated spinster living in the oppressive shadow of her wealthy, domineering mother Mrs. Henry Vale (Gladys Cooper), a Boston society matriarch whose tyrannical control has systematically crushed every spark of independence, confidence, and joy in her youngest daughter for decades. Charlotte has been reduced to a trembling, overweight, bespectacled woman who speaks in whispers and flinches at her mother’s cutting remarks — a prisoner in her own gilded cage. On the verge of a complete nervous breakdown, Charlotte is saved by the intervention of the compassionate, wise psychiatrist Dr. Jaquith (Claude Rains), who recognizes the vibrant woman buried beneath years of psychological abuse and gently guides her toward recovery. Under his care, Charlotte undergoes a stunning transformation — not merely physical, though she loses weight, gains confidence, and becomes genuinely beautiful, but psychological and spiritual, discovering a self she never knew existed. Reborn and radiant, Charlotte embarks on a South American cruise where she meets Jerry Durrance (Paul Henreid), a kind, cultured, deeply sensitive man trapped in a loveless marriage to a demanding wife who uses guilt and their children as weapons to keep him bound. Charlotte and Jerry fall deeply, passionately, and impossibly in love, sharing one of cinema’s most iconic romantic moments — Jerry placing two cigarettes in his mouth, lighting both, and handing one to Charlotte in a gesture of intimate tenderness that audiences have never forgotten. But Jerry cannot leave his wife without devastating his children, and Charlotte must return to Boston to face her mother and the society that has always defined her as nothing. When Charlotte later encounters Jerry’s troubled young daughter Tina — a girl suffering the same kind of emotional neglect Charlotte herself endured — she finds a profound way to maintain a connection to the man she loves while building a meaningful, independent life on her own terms, caring for Tina with the love and understanding she herself was denied.

Cast & Crew

Director: Irving Rapper

Stars: Bette Davis, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Gladys Cooper, Bonita Granville, Ilka Chase, John Loder, Lee Patrick, Franklin Pangborn, Katharine Alexander

Why Buy This Classic in Color?

This colorized version of Now, Voyager reveals Charlotte’s stunning transformation in breathtaking visual richness — from her drab, shapeless clothing and oppressive dark rooms in the Vale mansion to the elegant cruise-ship gowns and sun-drenched South American landscapes where love transforms her. The original black and white film captured the romance and emotion beautifully, but the professionally colorized restoration brings the luxurious staterooms of the ocean liner, the vibrant tropical ports of call, the elegant evening wear at formal shipboard dinners, the dark severity of the Boston mansion that serves as Charlotte’s prison, and the luminous faces of Davis and Henreid in their most intimate moments to life with frame-by-frame precision. Watch this restored classic film in gorgeous, romantic color. Now also available in colour.

Buy Now, Voyager in color today for just €15.00. Your DRM-free MP4 download is available for instant access.

Historical Significance

Now, Voyager is one of the defining films of the “women’s picture” genre and features one of Bette Davis’s most iconic and beloved performances — a portrayal of personal transformation that has inspired generations of viewers. The film won the Academy Award for Best Original Score for Max Steiner’s unforgettable romantic theme, and earned additional nominations for Best Actress (Davis) and Best Supporting Actress (Gladys Cooper, terrifyingly brilliant as the monstrous mother). The cigarette-lighting scene between Davis and Henreid became one of cinema’s most famous and endlessly imitated romantic gestures, a moment of such understated intimacy that it said more about desire than any explicit scene could. Based on Olive Higgins Prouty’s novel and adapted by Casey Robinson, the screenplay crafted a story of female empowerment that was groundbreaking for its era — Charlotte’s ultimate choice to build an independent life rather than sacrifice everything for conventional romance gave audiences a heroine who was both deeply romantic and courageously modern. The immortal closing exchange — Jerry asks “And will you be happy, Charlotte?” and she replies “Oh Jerry, don’t let’s ask for the moon. We have the stars” — remains one of the most quoted lines in the history of cinema. The colorization adds magnificent new visual beauty to this timeless romance.

Technical Details

• Format: MP4 digital download
• Resolution: HD restored
• Colorized: Professionally colorized from original black and white
• Audio: Original mono restored
• Runtime: Approximately 117 minutes
• DRM-free: Yes — watch on any device
• Instant download: Available immediately after purchase
• Price: €15.00

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Movie-Specific Questions

Q: Is this the original 1942 Bette Davis film?
A: Yes, this is Irving Rapper’s Now, Voyager starring Bette Davis in one of her most celebrated performances, alongside Paul Henreid and Claude Rains, presented in its professionally colorized version.

Q: Is this the complete version?
A: Yes, this is the full theatrical release with all its romantic drama intact, including the famous cigarette-lighting scene, Charlotte’s magnificent transformation, and the immortal closing line.

Q: Why is this considered one of the greatest romantic films?
A: Now, Voyager combines Bette Davis’s extraordinary performance of personal transformation with a love story that is both passionate and mature. Rather than offering a simple happy ending, the film celebrates the courage to live authentically and find meaning in connection, sacrifice, and self-discovery — themes that continue to resonate with audiences more than eighty years after its release.

Digital Download Questions

Q: What format is the download?
A: DRM-free MP4, compatible with virtually any device or media player.

Q: How much does it cost?
A: €15.00 for instant download. The colorization process ensures every scene looks stunning in color.

Q: Can I watch on multiple devices?
A: Absolutely. The file is DRM-free, so you can watch on your TV, tablet, phone, or computer.

Related Colorized Classics

• Arch of Triumph (1948)
• The Valley of Decision (1945)
• Indiscretion of an American Wife (1953)
• Ladies of Leisure (1930)
• The Bride Wore Red (1937)