bette davis eyes

In my book (not the novel, but my never-to-be-written ripoff of The Biographical Dictionary of Film), Dark Victory is the quintessential Bette Davis film. “Quint” because it is the fifth of her famous starring roles (after Of Human Bondage, Dangerous, The Petrified Forest, and Jezebel), and “essential” because I think it is one of her best works, and the work that is most characteristic of her acting style. She was at the height of her career: beginning to wield her power as the most valuable philly in Warner Bros’ stable, yet still young enough to leaven her divatude with some dewey-eyed sentiment.

The film is regularly shunted aside in surveys of Hollywood’s Golden Year of 1939; mentioned, but not loved. Even the DVD commentary is full of back-handed compliments, given by critics who are clearly not enamoured with the effort.

Indeed, it is dated, in that it is a typical 30’s Warner Bros. melodrama. There’s lots of crying and plenty of poor acting. Humphrey Bogart is miserably cast as an Irish stableboy with an on-again-off-again brogue. Geraldine Fitzgerald is wooden at times, while a caricature of grief at others. Both of Davis’ doctors, George Brent and Henry Travers, are about as engaging as cadavers. My favorite supporting performance in the movie is actually Ronald Reagan’s. You might not recognize him at first, but once you’ve heard him say a couple lines, you’ll know him.

This is all just a long way of saying the movie’s a vehicle for Davis. If you like her persona, her headstrong-but-vulnerable attitude, her sexy-but-strange look, her fire, you will love this movie. If she’s too over-the-top for you, there’s not much here to keep your interest.

Well, maybe one thing. It is often mentioned that she was fighting Warner Bros. at the time for better scripts - that she wanted more than anything to play Scarlett O’Hara (and damn, she would’ve rocked that role.) But what never seems to get mentioned is the script is actually quite good. While abstaining from wisecracks, it has some witty lines, and no real groaners. The story structure is taut; a smooth rollercoaster ride for the emotions. When the writer and director show you the doctor performing tests on Davis, they weave in an amusing bit of flirtation, which holds your interest throughout. But most important is the genius of the concept: what better vehicle for Bette Davis than a story about her going blind? I mean, you can’t help but look at her eyes the whole time, and they are the most amazing eyes Hollywood ever had the privilege of filming.