Dark Victory is one of the great set pieces for Bette Davis to show her magnificent acting skill. The film’s story surrounds Judith Traherne (Bette Davis), a socialite who, used to the frivolous, whirlwind life, gets blindsided (no pun intended) when faced with accepting a fatal illness.
Davis is a knockout in pretty much every role she’s in, but in this film, she is particularly gripping. One of her talents is to show a woman who, on the outside, seems frilly and almost silly, but on the inside is a mass of conflicting, complex emotions. She does that expertly in this film.
Humphrey Bogart, Ronald Regan, George Brent, and Geraldine Fitzgerald also star in this movie as stablehand Michael, playboy Alec, Judith’s doctor and eventual husband Frederick Steele, and Judith’s best friend and secretary Ann, respectively.
Even with the tragic ending, this film doesn’t ever get repetitive, nor does it lose it’s enigmatic quality. Repeat viewings will probably reveal new depths of Davis’s acting to the viewer, so this is a must-watch film, for sure.
I have seen this movie three times so far. And I will more.