From Warner Bros
Directed by Edmund Goulding
Starring
Bette Davis
George Brent
Humphrey Bogart
Geraldine Fitzgerald
Ronald Reagan
Henry Travers
Virginia Brissac
If a young person today wanted to become acquainted with 30s movies in general or Bette Davis movies in particular, this would be a good place to start. All the right ingredients were assembled for this film and would acquaint the neophyte with the tools necessary to understand the expression they sure don't make 'em like they used to.
Davis plays a socialite who owns a horse farm and has been suffering from paralyzing headaches, dizziness, balance issues and has fallen numerous times. Even though a few of those in her orbit have noticed a few things and questioned her, she denies everything to everyone. But one day her doctor shames her into seeing a specialist, played by George Brent.
He runs tests and discovers that she has an illness that may end her life but he is able to convince her to have surgery. When he receives the results of the surgery he becomes aware that she will die from her condition. He realizes, too, that the surgery will make her feel quite good for awhile, perhaps a year or more. He then makes a decision to not tell her anything but uplifting news, sparing her from the fact that her condition will return with quick vengeance and she will die peacefully, without any pain.
.
Unexpected is the issue that they have fallen in love. Things go along smoothly until Davis learns the truth on her own. During this segment she flies into rages, is vindictive and things get messy. Ultimately Brent calms her down and for much of the film we see one of the sweetest Bette Davises one is ever likely to see.
It seems apparent that her good friend and secretary, Geraldine Fitzgerald, may be in love with the doctor as well and as Davis' blindness sets in, she swears Fitzgerald to keep her secret and to promise to look after the doctor. Davis allows Brent to go off to a conference knowing she will not be alive when he returns.
While the film may have its weepy moments for some, it managed
to not trail off into soap opera as it could have mainly because of Davis' virtuoso performance. It is so sincere and except for one brief scene completely devoid of her usual forays into bits of hammy, overreaching.
There were times over the years that Davis would one way or the other be connected to Tallulah Bankhead (much to the dismay of both since there was no love lost). There was a certain physicality and temperament that they shared. Bankhead had played this role on Broadway. Although the play wasn't very successful, WB bought it for Miriam Hopkins, a mortal Davis enemy, and when she declined it the role was offered to Kay Francis and Merle Oberon, both of whom took a pass as well.
Davis, who had been coveting the part for some time and made it known, of course, finally got a firm offer and she was ecstatic. She had hoped Spencer Tracy would get the doctor role but was not unhappy that it went to Brent, with whom she would work an astonishing 15 times. She always said he was her all-time favorite costar. Later in her life I saw her in an interview where she said this was her favorite role (not necessarily to be confused with being her favorite movie).
While making it, she had a nervous breakdown. Though married to Harmon Nelson, they were going through a nasty divorce. At the same time she had been carrying on with director William Wyler. She was in love with him but they tangled a great deal because he was as temperamental as she was.
The story goes that he sent her a note which said that if she didn't agree to marry him sometime in the near future, he would marry another woman on the upcoming Wednesday. Unfortunately-- and she said it was the worst mistake of her life--- she didn't open the note until late that Wednesday but after she heard on the radio that he had gotten married. It sent her into a downward spiral.
What it also did was send her into the arms of Brent and their affair lasted throughout the remainder of the shoot and for about a year afterwards. Brent was never a great actor but he was believable in roles of authority. His deep, reassuring voice and confident, gentlemanly manner were apparently a great comfort to most of the actresses at WB. (Well, so it seems...).
Despite winning two Oscars by this time, Davis had not become a superstar until she won the second one, for Jezebel, just a year earlier (also with Brent). What Dark Victory did was cement that newly-minted acclaim forever more.
The only other notable acting was done by Fitzgerald. Most all of her scenes were with Davis and I suppose one is simply on her toes in such circumstances. It was a good year for her creatively because she also shone as Isabella in Wuthering Heights.
Humphrey Bogart was still a few films and two years away from hitting his own bigtime (in High Sierra) and he seemed a bit out of his league with his fade in-fade out Irish accent as the head trainer of Davis' horses, who also happens to love her.
Davis never had very nice things to say about Ronald Reagan, either as an actor or a president. I felt about him as an actor much as I did about Brent (and a number of male actors at WB... serviceable, even occasionally good but not great) but this was not one of his better roles. As still another man enamored of Davis, and a cheery drunk, it was a part completely unnecessary to the forward movement of the plot and could easily have been cut.
Davis is helped immensely by the fact that the film's adaptation was written by Casey Robinson who was known for writing good women's roles. Their collaborations would go on to include The Old Maid, All This and Heaven Too, Now Voyager and The Corn Is Green. When he wrote a script, she at least wanted to read it.
Director Goulding was much in demand from actresses as well. Though married he was a gay man whose films resonated charm, elegance and culture. He certainly infused Dark Victory with those traits.
The general story has been done many times over the years although rarely this well. It was remade with Susan Hayward
in 1963 and called Stolen Hours and later done as a television movie with Elizabeth Montgomery.
Dark Victory would secure for Davis one of five Oscar nominations in a row, a remarkable accomplishment. This actress was known for fighting tooth and nail for good scripts and there's little doubt that it paid off.
The film, too, was nominated for two other Oscars. One was for Max Steiner's sweeping score, truly gorgeous, and the other was its nomination for best picture, in an unusually large field of films made in 1939.
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Kicked Out of the Movies
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