Dark Victory
1939 · Movie · NR · 104 min · ★ 6.9 · 83% critics
A wealthy socialite drifts through a glamorous but unfulfilling life until troubling symptoms lead to a devastating diagnosis. Facing surgery and an uncertain future, she rethinks what matters, opening herself to love and a more meaningful way of living despite difficult news ahead.
Based on Dark Victory
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Details
- Years
- 1939
- Release date
- 1939-04-20
- Language
- English
- Rated
- NR
- Runtime
- 104 min
- Critic score
- 83/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.9/10 (160 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a classic, tear-jerking romance-drama about facing mortality and finding purpose, with big emotions and relationship focus; Not for you if you avoid illness-centered stories or melodrama like Now, Voyager.
Pros: powerful emotional drama; strong lead performance; engaging romantic tension | Cons: heavy subject matter; melodramatic moments; slow-paced stretches
Themes
- horseback riding
- brain tumor
- female friendship
- based on play or musical
- long island, new york
- socialite
- doctor patient relationship
- blindness
- brain surgery
- depressing
- compassionate
- hopeful
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best Actress · 1940 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Picture · 1940 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Original Score · 1940 · nominated
Cast & crew
Bette Davis
as Judith Traherne
George Brent
as Dr. Frederick Steele
Humphrey Bogart
as Michael O'Leary
Geraldine Fitzgerald
as Ann King
Ronald Reagan
as Alec
Henry Travers
as Dr. Parsons
Cora Witherspoon
as Carrie
Dorothy Peterson
as Miss Wainwright
Virginia Brissac
as Martha
Charles Richman
as Colonel Mantle
Directed by Edmund Goulding