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Dark Victory (1939)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
22 April 1939 (USA)
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Tagline:
"I've Crammed EVERY MINUTE SO FULL of waste. And now there's so little time. I don't know what to do. I'm afraid!"
Plot:
A young socialite is diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour, and must decide whether she'll meet her final days with dignity. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Doctor
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Brain Tumor
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Secretary
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Horse
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Horse Trainer
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Awards:
Nominated for 3 Oscars.
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NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
Oscar Nominees To Number 10 Next Year
(From Studio Briefing - Film News. 25 June 2009, 1:12 PM, PDT)
Former President Ronald Reagan Dies at 93
(From IMDb News. 6 June 2004)
(From Studio Briefing - Film News. 25 June 2009, 1:12 PM, PDT)
Former President Ronald Reagan Dies at 93
(From IMDb News. 6 June 2004)
User Comments:
still gets me after all these years
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US TV Schedule:
Cast
(Complete credited cast)| Bette Davis | ... | Judith Traherne | |
| George Brent | ... | Dr. Frederick Steele | |
| Humphrey Bogart | ... | Michael O'Leary | |
| Geraldine Fitzgerald | ... | Ann King | |
| Ronald Reagan | ... | Alec | |
| Henry Travers | ... | Dr. Parsons | |
| Cora Witherspoon | ... | Carrie | |
| Dorothy Peterson | ... | Miss Wainwright | |
| Virginia Brissac | ... | Martha | |
| Charles Richman | ... | Colonel Mantle | |
| Herbert Rawlinson | ... | Dr. Carter | |
| Leonard Mudie | ... | Dr. Driscoll | |
| Fay Helm | ... | Miss Dodd | |
| Lottie Williams | ... | Lucy |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
104 min
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Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Filming Locations:
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Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Bette Davis pestered Warner Brothers to buy the rights to the story, thinking it a great vehicle for her. WB studio chief Jack L. Warner fought against it, arguing that no one wanted to see someone go blind. Of course, the film went on to become one of the studio's biggest successes of that year.
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Goofs:
Continuity: When Judith invades her doctor husband's garage lab, she runs out with a breakfast tray containing a metal dish cover and a porcelain teapot. As she crosses the yard, the tray now contains a different arrangement of ceramic dishes. Upon entering the kitchen, the tray reverts back, but is rotated 180 degrees, with the metal lid near her tummy.
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Quotes:
[first lines]
Michael O'Leary: [on the phone] Hello, there. Is this the house? I've been trying to get you.
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Michael O'Leary: [on the phone] Hello, there. Is this the house? I've been trying to get you.
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Movie Connections:
Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Cheers: America's Most Inspiring Movies (2006) (TV)
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Soundtrack:
Vienna Blood
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FAQ
Is "Dark Victory" based on a novel?A Note Regarding Spoilers
Whatever became of Judy's horse?
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I was probably 12 years old when I first saw this film on TV. It was shown in two parts and I didn't get to see the second part, so my mother had to tell me what happened. Forty years later, I still cry every time I see "Dark Victory." It remains one of my favorite films for sheer use of Kleenex and my favorite Bette Davis movie, "All About Eve" being right up there with it. I even saw it on the big screen in a revival house when I was in college. Yes, some of the dialogue sounds corny now, like the good doctor saying, "Women never meant anything to me before". But the interesting thing is, when I did see it with an audience, though they laughed as some inappropriate spots, by the end you could hear the sobs on the next block.
There have been comments that Humphrey Bogart seems miscast in a somewhat minor role. I frankly thought he was just fine. He certainly was short enough to be a jockey and he pulled off the brogue. I'm sure it's confusing for some to see him in such a small role in 1939 when only a few years later, he was a total superstar. But he was under contract to Warners and kicked around for years before "High Sierra" and "Casablanca". He obviously wasn't working when "Dark Victory" was cast, so why let him sit around taking a salary and do nothing?
And of course we have Ronald Reagan as a playboy. I actually find him delightful in this film. It called for charm and he had it.
In today's fast-paced world, there's nothing stronger than a message about time and our use of it. "Oh, give me time for tenderness...just give me time." Like Bette's character, I want to hear that song again too, in many more viewings of "Dark Victory."