Saturday, 24 July 2021

ALL-TIME CLASSIC MOVIE FAVOURITES – DARK VICTORY (1939)

“Dark Victory” is a romantic drama, based on the play by George Emerson Brewer Jr. and Bertram Bloch, and Directed by Edmund Goulding.

It’s the story of Judith Traherne (Bette Davis) a wealthy Long Island society girl given to a dizzy lifestyle.

She is a confident and self-assured young woman able to command the attention of any man in her sphere.

One of whom is an Irish horse trainer, Michael O'Leary (Humphrey Bogart) who witnessed her falling from her horse after badly misjudging a jump.

It becomes apparent in the aftermath that it was caused by a problem with her vision, so her best friend, Ann King (Geraldine Fitzgerald), her secretary Martha (Virginia Brissac), and handsome young friend Alex Hamm (Ronald Reagan), all urge her to consult Dr. Parsons (Henry Travers) who in turn directs her toward brain specialist Dr. Frederick Steele (George Brent).

Steele diagnoses a brain tumour which will end her life within a year if left to run its course so he recommends an operation and afterwards as she recovers from the surgery she falls in love with him and him with her and he proposes.

Unfortunately, she discovers that the prognosis is that the tumour will come back and eventually kill her, learning this, she becomes manic and depressive and goes off the rails and breaks the engagement.

After a brief wobble she accepts her fate and decides to enjoy the time she has left with her true love, Frederick, and she shows the underlying bravery and courage as she faces this physical suffering and demonstrates the woman of substance that she was as she stoically awaits the end.

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