Lively, entertaining reviews of, and essays on, old and newer films and everything relating to them, written by professional author William Schoell.

Thursday, February 5, 2015

DARK VICTORY

Bette Davis and George Brent
DARK VICTORY (1939). Director: Edmund Goulding.

"You might fold up and I might fold up, but that horse has the breeding."

An outstanding performance by Bette Davis is the cornerstone of this tearjerker that deals with a dying wealthy woman who falls in love with her doctor. Judith Traherne (Davis) has headaches and vision problems, and is afraid to see anyone about it. Finally her family physician (Henry Travers) arranges for her to be examined by Dr. Fred Steele (George Brent), whose initial diagnosis is glioma [this is not a phony Hollywood word but is actually a general term for any tumor in the brain that arises in the supporting tissue]. Steele performs surgery on Judith, but learns that her illness will reoccur and there is nothing to be done to prevent her eventual death. A happy, unknowing Judith goes on planning her life while her doctors and secretary/best friend Ann (Geraldine Fitzgerald) try to keep the truth from her ... Dark Victory is what's known as a "well-mounted soaper" and it is graced by Davis in one of her best performances, a lovely Fitzgerald, and even Brent delivers with perhaps more sensitivity than usual. Ernest Haller's photography is also excellent. But like most soap operas, Dark Victory is terribly contrived at times, and its look at terminal illness is almost offensively stupid -- like most movies that treated the subject at this time, the sick person looks more beautiful the closer they come to dying, which is completely absurd. (Davis does look beautiful in the movie, however.) One of the stupider moments has Steele, without the slightest prelude, telling a terrified patient, Judith, "We have to operate!" just so the scene can be more dramatic. The whole business of Judith looking and feeling absolutely normal until just before her death is also ludicrous, but it means Davis can wear some striking evening wear throughout the movie. Humphrey Bogart isn't bad as the Traherne's horse trainer, and has one very interesting scene when he comes on to Judith in the stable. Ronald Regan makes virtually no impression as one of Judith's friends, but Dorothy Peterson as the nurse Miss Wainwright, and Virginia Brissac as the maid Martha, are more on the mark. "Give Me Time for Tenderness" is warbled -- and very nicely -- by Vera Van in a nightclub scene (although some sources say it was Mary Currier, who may have acted the part and been dubbed). One must assume Dr. Steele is rich because he seems to spend months doing nothing but attending to Judith (or else he gives her a mighty big bill). Dark Victory is very well directed by Edmund Goulding, who guided Davis to do some of her best work in pictures, The Old Maid being a case in point. Goulding also directed Davis and Brent in The Great Lie. This was remade 26 years later as Stolen Hours aka Summer Flight starring Susan Hayward.

Verdict: Yes, a "well-mounted soaper" with a splendid Davis. ***.

8 comments:

angelman66 said...

Glorious movie, one of Bette's best performances. I love when she's able to play a role that allows her to make the transformation from consummate bitch to a sympathetic heroine...much as I love Davis, some of her performances can be quite one-note...this is a perfect exception. And I remember how handsome young Ronald Reagan was in this one...but a pretty wooden actor...but better than his performance as President decades later!!

William said...

You can say that again! Reagan did give at least one good performance in an adaptation of Voice of the Turtle [whatever it was called] with Eleanor Parker presumably inspiring him. Nancy wasn't a bad actress, but her career really went nowhere.

Yes, this is one of Davis' best performances before she became overly mannered.

Gary R. said...

Yes, the movie version of the play did keep the title "The Voice of the Turtle," though it was later re-titled "One for the Book" (maybe when sold to TV?).

Neil A Russell said...

Funny thing about this picture, if you asked me to name the cast I'd start off with Claude Rains and he's not even in it.
I just associate him with Bette Davis movies, they played very well off one another.

William said...

Gary, you're right, "One for the Book" is the title I saw it under. Thanks.

William said...

Neil, Davis and Rains made a great team, most famously in "Deception" and "Now, Voyager." No wonder you thought Rains was in this one, but they went with Brent instead.

angelman66 said...

Isn't George Brent also her costar in In This Our Life? That's the great one where Bette steals sister Olivia de Havilland's fiancee....

Warner Bros had a very small repertory company, compared to MGM...they were always reteaming their small stable of stars...

William said...

Yes, "In This Our Life" is one of my all-time favorites. Davis is over-acting all over the place but it doesn't ruin the movie. She runs off with Olivia's fiancee, leaves George Brent flat, but Olivia and George get together and it's all very romantic, drenched in a Max Steiner score.