alexanderdavies-99382
Bette Davis had secured her place in Hollywood as "Queen of the Lot" at "Warner Bros." by the time "Dark Victory" was released in 1939. The film contains what I would describe as realism and the central character is both tragic and vulnerable. Davis was to make a whole score of successful films for the studio over a 10 year period and "Dark Victory" was just one of them. A young, rich socialite is diagnosed with a rare but terminal brain disorder and is caught up in her own conflict as to how she will live her final weeks. In addition, she happens to fall for the brain specialist who is treating her - played by George Brent. This is very much a woman's film and so it should be. Bette Davis was an exceptional actress and with a strong screen presence, she could easily take centre stage. Humphrey Bogart is cast as an Irish horse breeder and hasn't got much to do. "Dark Victory" was one of many films he made during 1939 when stardom began to beckon. He and Davis had some great scenes in the film "Marked Woman" but they don't have many in the above film. However, they do share a scene together that lasts for about 3 minutes and it is good. George Brent gives solid support, as does Geraldine Fitzgerald who plays the best friend of Davis in the film. A young Ronald Reagan makes an early film appearance not long after he signed his first contract with the studio. The production values are pretty good for a film that didn't have much money spent on it but "Warner Bros." never needed extravagance in order to make good films. The acting and the direction are great, plus the writing is quite memorable.
MisterWhiplash
She didn't do it for every performance (only most of them, you know), but when she had to Bette Davis could bring a certain high-electrical charge to a character that would make a movie more dramatic. It's there in Dark Victory, and she finds with the character of Judith moments to make that energy go really up, and then other moments to tone it down a little more - in a sense this is a performance that is great because of her fluctuating energy levels, if that makes sense. For example, her character discovers, as does happen sometimes (or only most of the time) in such dramas, about what her condition really is by doing just a little bit of digging - her file is on the desk that Dr. Steele happened to leave behind while things are being packed away - and she sees "Prognosis Negative." Just in case we don't notice that enough, the director helpfully takes those words and blows them up.She has a confrontation with Dr. Steele, who she's growing to like a lot before this and he may be falling in love with her too, but it's not an immediate "How could you!?" type of scene; she's out for a night at the club with Steele (Brent) and her friend Ann (Fitzgerald), and she's being a bit uncharacteristically nasty in front of them. Judith's shown up till now she can be a little fiery and direct when talking to people - it's the Bette Davis way, from a number of her characters, just the way she talks and looks at people - but this emotion is different, how she has sarcastic comments and snide remarks as they're looking at the menu for what to eat. She picks hers up and goes (and I'm paraphrasing here), "Ah, shall we have some 'Prognosis Negative'!) And then the cat's out of the bag and things click for the other characters, but this whole scene is indicative of what Davis could do so strongly - we feel angry for her that she's been lied to (though one might understand on the other hand trying to hide the 'There's nothing we can do' sort of melodramatic news involving a medical condition, as Judith has). It's everything behind Davis's FORCE as an actress that does it in that and other scenes here.What's also good about Dark Victory is that Davis gets to show vulnerabilities as well, mostly in the last section as her condition starts to worsen (come on, I don't think I'm giving anything away as far as the plot goes, what's to discover here is the emotional range of things), and her strange going-blind-in-one/both-eyes-brain-falling-apart disease makes her rely on others, but she's not doing it so much that it becomes maudlin. We also come to believe the romance between the two and not simply in that 'you're dying, I'll care for you, etc' sort of way from the doctor, though that's there; I can sense the connection between the actors (Brent I think was a typical contract player for the time, and really this is Davis's show so everyone else are just that, including Bogart and Reagan), and they have good chemistry.Does it get melodramatic? Oh, you bet your life it does. This is meant to draw the tears out, whether you're a woman who's seen it many, many times, or the man who got dragged along (though maybe he wants to see it too) to see the high dramatics unfold. But the writing of it is clever to dole out the details gradually, that the inciting incident, of Judith having the "WTF" moment as she's riding her horse, is startling and harsh, but how characters discover things and then find them out (again, that folder-file scene, and the confrontation after) is told like... well, one of these kinds of stories should be. It's before this sort of tale got over-used and over-wrought (Love Story, I'm sure, is a relative of this even distantly). It's all about Davis though, at least for the most part.And yet, I don't know if it's entirely a *great* movie unto itself, even as Davis surely is; Bogart plays the "Irish Brogue" and his accent goes in and out, so while he tries he's kind of a weak spot in the story for me, as the stable hand who may have feelings for Judith as well; Regan may actually be okay here since he's just playing a drunk playboy, but even at that he's not terribly convincing; there are some scenes here and there in the first half where it could use a little tightening, and it's really halfway through where the writing gets tighter still. But there's a lot to like about Dark Victory, as it understands what movie it's got to be and manages to get a lot out of the audience.At the heart of it is Davis and Judith, that woman who will look on at this as a 'victory against the dark.' It's almost inspirational, if one can see something like that out of a situation as grim as a dying with dignity, or if that's what it even is. 8.5/10
JohnHowardReid
The stage play seems to be the equivalent of a pulp magazine romance – and this movie is very, very much a filmed stage play. Unfortunately, it's overloaded with uninteresting characters and tedious dialogue. The best we can say of Edmund Goulding's direction, is that it's boringly routine. The acting is none too good either. Miss Davis runs through the full gamut of her mannerisms. Brent is stiff as a poker. And Humphrey Bogart remembers halfway through the film that he's supposed to be Irish – not that it matters much, as his role is disappointingly small anyway. Davis admirers please take note that she is neither costumed nor photographed to her advantage. Finally, to throw a bit more icing off the cake, Max Steiner's music score is one of his least memorable.
Marcin Kukuczka
This adaptation of George Emerson Brewer's play stands out not only as a typical tearjerker of Hollywood's golden age but also as a terrific depiction of truly brilliant performances from the cast. Edmund Goulding's direction proves exceptional vitality and dynamism in his rapport with great stars of the type, namely Bette Davis in the lead. Her portrayal of the character leaves no one disappointed. Even the most pretentious viewers find something for themselves in her magnetic depiction of contrasts throughout. The first contrast appears in the title where something negative goes with something positive. We discover that contradiction in her character where sorrow blends with rejoicing, gay youthfulness with reflective decline. We get to know her as a young, lively lady who seems to experience life in its fullness. Mind you her scenes in which she occurs to involve all the people around her within the frame of her attention, within her world. It is surely not the moment when she is to hear about tenderness and peace that can be found within oneself. She is the embodiment of passions. And when the sorrow and fear caused by the illness appear in her life, immediately a man appears in her life, a man who treats her, a man she comes to love... Paradoxically, they gain that victory over the dark thanks to love that illumines even the darkest aspects of human life. This love also wins over other substitutes, represented namely here by Michael (played by Humphrey Bogart).Bette Davis and George Brent are simply excellent in their scenes. You notice memorable chemistry between them and the overall feeling of pity combined with never ending hope for the better. While she is a sort of person that does not seem to submit easily and appears to keep on fighting till the very end, he is a calm companion of her troubled soul. Turmoil is ever present but it is slowly overcome by peace of mind leading, finally, to one of the most touching death scenes on screen. The scene manages to grasp the glimpse of mystery not resorting to sheer sentimentality and shallowness. Hyacynthe, the flower, represents hope. Among the supporting cast, a mention must be made of Geraldine Fitzgerald who beautifully portrays a true friend. There is also Ronald Reagan who plays one Alec (a role not necessarily ambitious, yet influencing the 'rejoicing' moments of the movie). The artistic splendor of the movie is also beautifully manifested in haunting cinematography and some elaborate interiors. DARK VICTORY is one of the movies I come back to with ever greater pleasure and sentiment. Not for its sentimentalism, though, but for its profoundly illumining truths about human life. I think that even nowadays, when viewers of digital generation used to incredible inventions of modern technology come across this movie, it may appear thought provoking to them if there is truly something that really has the power of victory over our unconquered fears...
