Dark Victory | Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes

Movies / TV

    Celebrity

      No Results Found

      View All
      Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

      Dark Victory

      1939, Drama, 1h 46m

      26 Reviews 5,000+ Ratings

      What to know

      Critics Consensus

      Bette Davis does it her way with a tour de force performance in Dark Victory, a moving melodrama that snatches triumph from the jaws of mortality. Read critic reviews

      You might also like

      See More
      They Drive by Night
      All Through the Night
      The Fountainhead
      Now, Voyager
      Casablanca

      Where to watch Dark Victory

      Rent/buy Rent/buy Rent/buy

      Rent Dark Victory on Vudu, Apple TV, Prime Video, or buy it on Vudu, Apple TV, Prime Video.

      Rate And Review

      User image

      Verified

      • User image

        Super Reviewer

        Rate this movie

        Oof, that was Rotten.

        Meh, it passed the time.

        It’s good – I’d recommend it.

        Awesome!

        So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

        What did you think of the movie? (optional)



      • You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

      • User image

        Super Reviewer

        Step 2 of 2

        How did you buy your ticket?

        Let's get your review verified.

        • Fandango

        • AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew

        • Cinemark Coming Soon

          We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

        • Regal Coming Soon

          We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

        • Theater box office or somewhere else

        You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

      • User image

        Super Reviewer

        Rate this movie

        Oof, that was Rotten.

        Meh, it passed the time.

        It’s good – I’d recommend it.

        Awesome!

        So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

        What did you think of the movie? (optional)

      • How did you buy your ticket?

        • Fandango

        • AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew

        • Cinemark Coming Soon

          We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

        • Regal Coming Soon

          We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

        • Theater box office or somewhere else

      Dark Victory  Photos

      Dark Victory (1939) Dark Victory (1939) Dark Victory (1939) Dark Victory (1939) Dark Victory (1939)

      Movie Info

      Socialite Judith Traherne (Bette Davis) lives a lavish but emotionally empty life. Riding horses is one of her few joys, and her stable master (Humphrey Bogart) is secretly in love with her. Told she has a brain tumor by her doctor, Frederick Steele (George Brent), 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.

      • Genre: Drama

      • Original Language: English

      • Director: Edmund Goulding

      • Writer: George Emerson Brewer Jr., Bertram Bloch, Casey Robinson

      • Release Date (Theaters):  wide

      • Release Date (Streaming):

      • Runtime:

      • Distributor: Paramount Pictures, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., Key Video, Warner Bros.

      • Production Co: Warner Brothers, First National Pictures

      • Sound Mix: Mono

      Cast & Crew

      Bette Davis
      George Brent
      Humphrey Bogart
      Henry Travers
      Virginia Brissac
      Dorothy Peterson
      Leonard Mudie
      Fay Helm
      David Lewis
      Hal B. Wallis
      Max Steiner
      Howard Jackson
      Edmund Goulding
      Elsie Janis
      Ernest Haller
      William Holmes

      Critic Reviews for Dark Victory

      Audience Reviews for Dark Victory

      • Apr 05, 2021

        1939 is considered one of the greatest years in Hollywood filmmaking and this tearjerker is among the best movies of that year. A Bette Davis performance that will leave you stunned with her beauty and acting range.

        Super Reviewer
      • Oct 10, 2013

        A woman discovers that she has a brain tumor and falls in love with her doctor. When viewed vis a vis Ikiru, Akira Kurosawa's brilliant film, Dark Victory has a lot to learn. The film posits that a patient's knowledge of his/her condition is detrimental, but Kurosawa is wiser, and the ruminations on mortality and life's usefulness are more poignant and inspiring. Though its embrasure of love, marriage, and romance feel petty against its betters, Dark Victory is a good film in and of itself, propelled by a great Bette Davis performance and George Brent's soulful gazes. Davis is delightful, and the film is saccharine in all the right places. Overall, you should watch this if you can't get a hold of Ikiru.

        Super Reviewer
      • Jul 23, 2013

        A four hanky tearjerker...well if you are overly sensitive and weep when little children lose their balls down sewer drains. Make no mistake that Bette Davis is great. She always is but the viewer feels too manipulated.

        Super Reviewer
      • Feb 17, 2013

        Its a pretty silly melodrama that even Bette Davis' absurd acting choices can't save. On a side note, this film also features a terrible supporting performance by Ronald Reagan.

        Super Reviewer

      Movie & TV guides

      View All