Dark Victory

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Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart in Dark Victory

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Dark Victory

film by Goulding [1939]

Written by Lee Pfeiffer

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Article History

Dark Victory, American dramatic film, released in 1939, that was notable for Bette Davis’s performance as a young woman coming to terms with her impending death. Davis portrayed Judith Traherne, a spirited heiress suffering from a malignant brain tumour. Traherne undergoes surgery, but Dr. Frederick Steele (played by George Brent) is unable to completely remove the tumour. Rather than deliver the grim diagnosis, he tells her that the surgery was a success, and the two begin a romantic relationship. When Traherne discovers the truth about her condition, she makes a series of momentous and questionable decisions, including ending her engagement ...(100 of 168 words)

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