Dark Victory (Restored and Remastered Edition)

Dark Victory (Restored and Remastered Edition)
by Edmund Goulding

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DVD Cover Information

Actor: Bette Davis, George Brent, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Humphrey Bogart, Ronald Reagan
Director: Edmund Goulding
Brand: Warner Brothers
Cinematographer: Ernest Haller
Editor: William Holmes
Producer: David Lewis
Producer: Hal B. Wallis
Writer: Bertram Bloch
Writer: Casey Robinson
Writer: George Emerson Brewer Jr.
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled)
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 104 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-06-14
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Warner Home Video

Movie Reviews of Dark Victory (Restored and Remastered Edition)

Movie Review: a Bette Davis classic
Summary: 5 Stars

Dark Victory remains one of the greatest films of the entire twentieth century; and people are correct to note that it's not the most typical script from 1939: It does deal with brain cancer and the devastating emotional toll it takes on patients, their loved ones and friends. The acting is very convincing and the plot moves along at an excellent pace. The cinematography is excellent, too.

When the action starts, we quickly meet the spoiled rotten daughter of a late business tycoon; her name is Judith Traherne (Bette Davis). Judith lives for parties, smoking and horse races; and I certainly didn't get the impression that there was any depth whatsoever to her personality. She lives in her late father's mansion on New York's Long Island with her best friend Ann King (Geraldine Fitzgerald) and a few servants including Martha (Virginia Brissac). Judith's typical day is to play bridge and go to the theater--but only when she's in-between throwing parties. She has also recently hired a talented man named Michael O'Leary (Humphrey Bogart) to manage her horses.

Unfortunately, Judith's health is not the best. For quite some while she's been having headaches and her vision is sporadically blurred. Judith resists going to a doctor--she won't even talk to the family doctor, Dr. Parsons (Henry Travers). However, after a few really bad falls she eventually consents to just chat with a brain specialist, Dr. Frederick Steele (George Brent). Dr. Steele decides to operate and this terrifies Judith; but she knows she has no choice except to have the operation. After the operation many doctors consult with Dr. Steele--and they all agree with him: Judith has just several months to live. They cannot cure the brain tumor nor can they remove all of it.

Initially Judith is lead to believe that she will live normally without any problems at all. Her remarkably sweet gratitude to Frederick Steele quickly turns to love; and he feels the same way about her. Judith behaves more warmly toward other people, too. Frederick tells Judith's friend Ann and the others that Judith must not know she's going to die (a strategy that's highly debatable) and for a while things go fairly well although Frederick and Ann are feeling the strain of pretending in front of Judith that all is well.

Will Judith find out that her illness is terminal? If she does, how will she find out and will she and Frederick Steele continue their romance? What about Michael O'Leary, the stable manager--when he declares his own love for Judith, will this complicate things? How do Ann and Frederick manage to pretend in front of Judith that everything is all right? No spoilers here, folks--watch the movie and find out!

The DVD extras include an audio commentary with James Ursini and Paul Clinton; and there is also a "making of" featurette that I enjoyed. We get the original trailer for the film, too. The quality of the print is excellent.

Dark Victory showcases a tour de force performance by Bette Davis; and the other actors really shine in this motion picture. Humphrey Bogart's performance is very good. Indeed, Bogart should get credit for doing a pretty good Irish accent in this film. Look for Ronald Reagan in a relatively small part as a guy who routinely hangs out at Judith's home to party and drink himself silly, too.

I highly recommend this film for fans of classic movies and people who like Bette Davis will definitely want this movie in their collections.

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Summary of Dark Victory (Restored and Remastered Edition)

Bette Davis?s bravura, moving-but-never-morbid performance as Judith Traherne, a dying heiress determined to find happiness in her few remaining months, remains a three-hankie classic. But that success would never have happened if Davis hadn?t pestered studio brass to buy Dark Victory?s story rights. Jack Warner finally did so skeptically. Who wants to see a dame go blind? he asked. Almost everyone: Dark Victory was Davis? biggest box-office hit yet and garnered Academy Award nominations for 1939?s Best Picture, Actress and Original Score (Max Steiner).

Critic Pauline Kael called this shamelessly enjoyable, vintage Bette Davis weepie a "kitsch classic," and time hasn't diminished its ability to give the tear ducts a good flushing. Davis plays a swinging socialite, living the fast life of booze, smokes, and--with the help of Humphrey Bogart as her Irish stableman--raising thoroughbred horses. When a brain tumor starts giving her headaches and eroding her vision, she falls in love with her surgeon (George Brent), who grows more determined than ever to cure her. Davis gives one of her most vibrant performances, and her costars also include Ronald Reagan and Geraldine Fitzgerald. The film received Oscar nominations for best picture, best actress, and for Max Steiner's score. --Jim Emerson

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