***The Girl With The Bette Davis Eyes-Bette Davis’ Dark Victory

DVD Review

From The Pen Of Frank Jackman

Dark Victory, starring Bette Davis, George Brent, Humphrey Bogart, 1939

Early on, probably before the “talkies ” way back in the silent movie days before the late 1920s Hollywood bet that providing film fare with heart-breaking stories would fill the seats, would have mothers weeping into handkerchiefs, father trying to control that lump forming in their throats, and have children squirming in their seats as well not quite sure what response they should be sending about how that scene affected them. Yes, I am sure Hollywood made that bet early on and needed no test audience, needed no pollster to help them figure that out although when you think about it that drawing tissues and the like would have been harder to do in the silent era since all you would have had were actors emoting like crazy, maybe over-emoting and causing some confusion about whether to laugh or cry from the few that I have seen, and those silly placards cluing you into what you were supposed to feel.

Hollywood is still making them so that that money in the bank heart-breaking story still plays well today, although the storyline has to have a feel good sense that people can relate to. And that notion was true back in the 1930s when the film under review, Dark Victory, was being shown in theaters. The film stars a young Bette Davis, emoting like crazy although we have her words to guide us as to why she was doing so, a solid man of the world George Brent who falls in love with her as he tries to save her, and a young Humphrey Bogart, who had teamed with Ms. Davis before as Duke Mantee , a career criminal and very nasty guy to cross before they finally took him down, to her wanderlust Western wayward girl, Gabby, in The Petrified Forest , and plays an uncharacteristic love-smitten with Bette role as a horse trainer in Bette’s employ and that a part of the film that seemed misplaced as against the main drama) worked up the hankie brigade in overdrive.    

Bette Davis, the girl with the Bette Davis eyes, naturally, those doe-like eyes that command “pretty please” to every passing male, played a young well-to-do Long Island socialite and huntswoman (is that the way to say it), Judy, with time on her hands and worlds to conquer who kept getting severe headaches for unknown reasons. Being young and spirited she tried to shuffle it off as nothing but they persisted. Finally she was forced marched to the doctor, a handsome brain specialist played by George Brent (who was built for these helpful doctor/lawyer/professional roles) who finds that she has a brain tumor which he at first believed could be operated on successfully but in the end provide inoperable. Such things happen in life although when they happen to the young, act against the natural order of things where everybody should get old before there time is up, they are particularly poignant and hence under that sign the drama unfolds here.

Of course we are talking about a spirited young woman (I am being kind) and so she had a problem dealing with the whole thing. The problem was, well two problems, really, no, three problems, first the doctor insisted that Judy not be told that she has a terminal condition (which when she did find out by accident sent her into a drunken rage), second, Judy, grateful Judy, Judy who knew a good catch when she saw one, in fell in love with the doctor (and he her, although we will not get into the ethics of the situation or the natural bond between patient and doctor which can produce such social complications), and third, when she found out that she was going to die (after she got over her rage) she denied reality for a long as she could. Tried to live that socialite-huntswoman (I hope that’s right) to the hilt to defy the gods. But like all things Hollywood our Judy as time got short bucked up at the end, marries her doctor love and for as long as she was able made him a proper wife. And in the end, a bit drawn out cinematically even for a heart-rending story if you ask me, she summoned up the courage to die with dignity… No wonder the handkerchiefs were out in force for this melodrama.