Earlier reports that Greek filmmaker Michael Cacoyannis' Stella was based on Olive Higgins Prouty's Stella Dallas were derived from misleading contemporary reviews. In fact, all that that Cacoyannis film has in common with the Prouty novel is the fact that both are centered around a strong, fiercely independent female protagonist. Melina Mercouri plays the film's title character, an intensely passionate girl who falls out of love with her many beaux the minute they start talking about marriage and commitment. Ultimately, Stella comes to grief when one of her more ardent suitors decides that, if he can't have her, no one can. Adapted from his own stage play by Iakovos Kambanellis, Stella was filmed in 1955, but did not attain a widespread American release until 1957.
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide