Dark Victory

"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!"

1939 1h 44m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 165

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Socialite Judith Traherne lives a lavish but emotionally empty life. Riding horses is one of her few joys, and her stable master is secretly in love with her. Told she has a brain tumor by her doctor, Frederick Steele, Judith becomes distraught. After she decides to have surgery to remove the tumor, Judith realizes she is in love with Dr. Steele, but more troubling medical news may sabotage her new relationship, and her second chance at life.

“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!”

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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

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Edmund Goulding
Writers: Casey Robinson
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

87 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Edmund Goulding, shot by Ernest Haller. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Max Steiner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor William Holmes shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Bette Davis and George Brent and Humphrey Bogart carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing 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!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0031210 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Edmund Goulding directs. Ernest Haller behind the camera. Max Steiner scores. William Holmes cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

187 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Edmund Goulding, shot by Ernest Haller. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Max Steiner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor William Holmes shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Bette Davis and George Brent and Humphrey Bogart carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing 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!".
7IMDB entry: tt0031210 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 12 themes, including "horseback riding", "brain tumor", "female friendship", "based on play or musical".
9Released under 22 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Ernest Haller
Original score: Max Steiner
Editing: William Holmes
Costume design: Orry-Kelly
Runtime: 104 min · 1h 44m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Dark Victory (1939)

Also by

Edmund Goulding

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-03-22
★ 7/10
Bette Davis always did know how to play the spoilt little rich girl character well, and my but she does it with aplomb here. She is "Judy", a young woman full of a privileged joie-de-vivre who starts to suffer from headaches and dizzy spells. Her family doctor recommends the specialist "Dr. Steele" (George Brent) who tells her that she has a brain tumour. An operation ensues, she is ostensibly cured and gradually she and "Steele" fall in love. The thing is, though, that her best friend "Ann" (Geraldine Fitzgerald) and her beau know that her prognosis isn't actually that hot - news that rocks the woman to the core when she finds out. A memorable scene around a dinner table demonstrates that skilfully and forcefully! It's hardly a surprise that "Judy" now goes off the rails a bit - plenty of booze and gentlemen friends to distract her from the inevitable, but maybe her friends can rally around and remind her that there might be a better way to live what's left of her life? This is a characterful drama loaded with emotion and chemistry between an on-form Davis and the understated but effective Brent. The writing provides for some strong dialogue and Edmund Goulding creates a working template for both actors to own the film from start to finish. It's not often you can say that Humphrey Bogart made little impact on a film, but here he is very much the oil to their wheels - and his enamoured "Michael" character is played well too. Max Steiner is at his most dramatic with the score and all-in-all this is a compellingly put together story well worth a watch.

Production companies