Dark Victory (1939) ****

Release Date: April 22, 1939

Running Time: 104 minutes

Cast: Bette Davis, George Brent, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Humphrey Bogart

Director: Edmund Goulding

Watching Dark Victory one would be hard pressed to tell that it was based on a stage play. The film, while not as opened up as an action/adventure film does not have the feel of a filmed play. But it originated as a Broadway production starring the notorious Tallulah Bankhead who originated the role of Judith Traherne before cutting things short after falling sick to a bacterial infection. When it came time to film the movie version Bette Davis admitted she based her performance on Bankhead’s. So enamored was Davis in the stage production that she shopped the idea to every producer on the Warner Brothers lot and succeeded in getting Hal Wallis to buy the rights for her. Early in the filming though she claimed she was too sick to continue and wanted out of her contract in no small part because of a divorce she was going through. Fortunately Hal Wallis saw through this and refused to let her off the hook. The drama in front of and behind the camera was only just beginning.

The film opens with Judith (Bette Davis), a wealthy women and avid horse rider and jumper, arriving at the fields intent on riding one of her horses. As she is racing around the track her vision starts doubling and she fails to make one of the jumps getting thrown in the process. She escapes the incident relatively unscathed but this is just the latest in a series of problems she has been experiencing including frequent and severe headaches. Her best friend Ann King (Geraldine Fitzgerald) insists on Judith seeking medical attention but Judith resists until she has another episode while descending the stairs and falls. The doctor refers her to a specialist, Dr Steele (George Brent), who is planning on leaving his practice behind and leaving the area but after seeing Judith his suspicions of what is happening to her cause him to cancel his plans and take her case on.

A few X-rays later and it is confirmed that Judith will need brain surgery. Judith is terrified of the prospect but Dr. Steele is ably to convince her to go through with it. However, after operating is is determined that while they have stopped the immediate symptoms, what she has is terminal and will eventually lead to blindness and death. Dr. Steele, having started falling in love with the young Judith, elects not to tell her her case is hopeless with the thought that she would be happier not knowing and soon the two are engaged to be married. 

This movie tackles some deep issues that audiences of the time might not have seen much of in their entertainment. There is no doubt it is a somber topic that the film, and the play before it, tackles with delicacy and reverence. Even if we don’t fully understand early on what is exactly wrong with Judith we can still emphasize with her as she tries staunchly to avoid dealing with it because not facing it is easier for her than knowing and living with the certainty of her fate. We see this reaction early on as she refuses to even entertain seeing a doctor after her accident on the horse. It is emphasized even more effectively when she finally sees the specialist and we can see in her every move her fear of what he will have to say. To even greater effect we see the dawning realization in Dr. Steele’s eyes as he recognizes symptoms in her. He says nothing to give it away but we see it in his face that he knows what will be found even before the x-rays can be done.

The film also tackles some moral grounds. The chief of these is whether to tell Judith that her disease is terminal. The Doctor elects to keep this information from her in hopes she will not spend the remainder of her life in disparity and hopelessness. He also has personal reasons for not telling her. He wishes to marry her and fears she will fall further into bad habits should she feel she has no hope of a long life. When she eventually does find out that is exactly what she does for a while, breaking off her engagement with Dr. Steel and getting drunk. What eventually snaps her out of it is a visit from her stable master, Michael (Humphrey Bogart), a man who has loved her for years but has never told her before. When he confronts her about her unruly behavior she breaks down and admits she is dying. Realizing that she is truly unhappy and that she would rather spend her remaining months enjoying her life rather than running from it she apologizes to Steele and they are married. 

Bette Davis was only a year past her Oscar winning performance in Jezebel when she appeared in Dark Victory. There is no doubt one of the draws to this film for her was the chance to gain more Oscar notoriety. It is a meaty roll that required her to be able to express a lot with just her eyes or the tremor of her hands. She nailed it perfectly here and rightfully secured an Oscar nomination for leading actress. Perhaps the only reason she didn’t secure the win was that this film came out in 1939 and there was no doubt Gone With The Wind was going to clean house that year. Vivian Leigh of course took home the prize but when comparing the two performances, Bette’s is more effective and more nuanced. 

Her growing love for Dr. Steele is equally convincing. Perhaps this is due to the romance that was happening off screen. At the time Davis was just ending affairs with William Wyler and Howard Hughes and going through a divorce from her husband Ham Nelson. She almost immediately fell into the arms of George Brent who was recently divorced himself and their affair ran on for well over a year. The very nature of Dark Victory’s story made it practical to film it mostly in order and so as we see Judith falling in love with Dr. Steele it mirrors what was also happening behind the scenes. 

This was never going to be a feel good film. An ending like that would have cheapened the drama and undermined the whole story. Some of the films best scenes are in its final moments. One should not go into the final act expecting some miracle cure to be discovered and there being a happily ever after. We do get treated to just how happy Judith is in her life with Dr. Steele and how happy he is being with her, no matter how brief that time may be. We also get to see her transformation from thinking just for herself to putting her husbands happiness first, not worrying him about her condition even as it inevitably worsens. These final moments are a revelation and also heart breaking and Bette Davis sells us on the whole thing.

This is the type of movie that nearly everyone can relate to. Those who have been fortunate enough to have not gone through a major illness or known someone personally who has can relate to the fear of the possibility of having such a condition. Diseases like what Judith has can effect anyone at anytime and even now days with all the advances in medicine there is little that can be done when it comes to brain disorders. This is as much relevant and powerful today as it was back then and, coupled with spot on performances by all, is a film that definitely needs to be viewed today.