Year of Release: 1939Country of Origin: USA
Director: Edmund Goulding
Cast: Bette Davis, George Brent, Humphrey Bogart, Geraldine Fitzgerald
Plot outline: A young socialite is diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour and must decide whether she'll meet her final days with dignity (IMDb).
Based on the unsuccessful 1934 play of the same title by George Brewer and Bertram Bloch, Dark Victory is one of Bette Davis' quintessential romantic dramas. Edmund Goulding gets sensitive work from three central characters who virtually hold the movie together: Bette Davis' Judith Traherne - a young, carefree, hedonistic Long Island socialite/heiress with a passion for horses, fast cars and too much smoking and drinking; George Brent's Dr. Frederick Steele - a caring doctor; and Geraldine Fitzgerald's Ann King - a reliable, trustworthy friend and personal secretary. Davis was at the top of her game when the movie was made. Despite her performance that displays a marvelous gamut of emotions which layer her facial features and body language, I found the movie somewhat too sentimental, too melodramatic. I guess it's a melodrama of a now unfashionable kind. Her performance seems a bit overacted, but maybe because of the style of the times. Her character, had the movie been made today, could be that unsympathetic rich bitch who parties hard, hasn't a care in the world and is a victim of her own whims much like Paris Hilton. Nevertheless, Judith is not without her good points - she's flighty and impulsive but not a mean person. Some of the dialogue sounds corny now, like the caring doctor saying, "Women never meant anything to me before." I found the final death scene too staged, too arranged. If you like romantic dramas with a substantial dose of sentimentality and melodrama, you might like this movie.
My judgement: **1/2 out of 4 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment