Dark Victory

It's easy to see why Bette Davis admired "Dark Victory" more so than any of her other star-vehicles--her Judith Traherne is the quintessential Bette Davis character: smart, sassy, nervously gay, a drinking pal to the guys and a best buddy to the girls. Traherne is without malice, a real chum, and Davis plays her with fluttery vitriol and upper-crust glee. Long Island society girl, ailing but still strong, falls wildly in love with her doctor...but how can he tell her that she has very little time left to live? The supporting cast is made up of some odd personalities: Geraldine Fitzgerald's dedicated girlfriend seems to have no life outside of Judith's world (and performs her gal-pal duties with a curious severity); Humphrey Bogart is an Irish stable-hand with a secret crush on Judith (she's tempted, but ultimately conveys to him the old 'don't touch' message); Ronald Reagan is a country club type, always in a tuxedo and at the bar; George Brent is the brilliant surgeon who loves Judith (but he's faster with his fists than he is with words). Based on a play by George Emerson Brewer, Jr. and Bertram Bloch (which had starred Tallulah Bankhead), this chatty Warner Bros. weeper is glossy and flossy, a dithering, overstated, swooning romantic mini-epic for masochists. In other words, the archetypal Bette Davis film. *** from ****

You've been feeling somewhat ill, and just not with it, your vision gets quite blurred, but you admit it, so it's off to see the doc, though you're in for quite a shock, an operation is required to get you fit. You start to mend, but there's something new you feel, seems you've fallen for the man who's made you heal, emotions at a high, but there are things you've been denied, then indiscretion leads you to a big reveal.

There's some racy dialogue to contend with, but the performances of both Bette Davis and George Brent are divine, in what is not your typical boy meets girl story of the time. You also get the added bonus of Humphry Bogart, although his Irish brogue would never earn him any rewards, and a future President provides some small support.

A film of its time but plenty to enjoy still today.

When Bette Davis was in ball buster mode, watch out!! But when she decided to suffer nobly, she could suffer with the best of them.

In "Dark Victory," Davis plays a woman dying from the deadliest of deadly diseases---the vague, unnamed illness that beautiful actresses died of in movies from the 1930s. The symptoms never seem to be the same, but they're always tear-inducing. Here, they make Davis go blind and we know when the disease is getting worse because a fuzzy black halo begins to appear around the edges of the frame.

Actually, this movie is a rather pale companion to the ultimate Davis melodrama, "Now, Voyager." But it has perhaps my favorite line ever delivered in a Bette Davis movie. She's found out that her illness is fatal, and she's at dinner with the doctor who has kept this from her to protect her fragile soul. When the waiter comes to take her order, she says, "How about a nice big helping of..." pause, as she throws the most withering of withering stares at her companion ..."prognosis negative." That should really be on a bumper sticker somewhere.

As for the other actors.....wait, other actors? No one watches a Bette Davis movie to see other actors. I'm not even sure there were any other actors in this movie.

Grade: B

This is definitely a tear-jerker involving a young socialite Judith Traherne, (Betty Davis) who is full of life and an only child who gets her own way all the time, but is well liked by everyone. Judith loves horses and enjoys riding them and performing with them in various horse shows. The trainer of these horses is Michael O'Leary, (Humphrey Bogart) who loves his work and likes Judith because of her love for animals. One day Judith is riding her horse and her vision becomes blurred and she sees double and falls off the horse. It seems Judy is having bad headaches but does not mention it to anyone and her own doctor refers her to a Dr. Frederick Steele, (George Brent) who is a brain surgeon. Ronald Reagan appears in this film as a playboy drunk who is always drinking. Great performance by all the actors, but bring the tissue box, you will need it.

By today's standards, "Dark Victory" might seem cliched. Of course, that could be because it was so greatly copied! Here is Bette Davis, a star in the fullness of her talent and ability. Bette simply shines; she owns this film from first frame to last. Ably supported by a wonderful cast (including a somewhat mis-matched Humphrey Bogart as an Irish-brogued horse trainer), it is still difficult to watch the film and not be constantly anticipating Bette's appearance in any scene she isn't in. The ending, even in those days, might have turned out either wimpy or waspish. In Bette's hands, it is neither. It works in a way that literally drains one of emotions. I might also add that, while revealing only a bare back, Bette shows more sensuality than a dozen of today's more "open" actresses.

There is an old disparaging adage about "showing the full gamut from a to b," in this movie Bette not only shows A to Z, but some letters that haven't been invented yet.

Despite my gushing over Ms. Davis, the film is solid in all departments. If you wish to experience when melodrama is great movie-making, see this film.