DARK VICTORY

US, 1975,150 minutes, Colour.
Elizabeth Montgomery, Anthony Hopkins, Michele Lee.
Directed by Jules Irving.

Dark Victory was originally a Bette Davis vehicle of the late '30s. It became a classic romantic sentimental drama. It was remade in the '60s as a vehicle for Susan Hayward - with an English setting. The film was not as popular as the original. The film was remade (at rather great length) as a telemovie in the '70s. Elizabeth Montgomery gives an attractive performance in the central role. Anthony Hopkins is both tender and strong as the doctor. There is excellent support from Michele Lee in the Geraldine Fitzgerald role. The film has the glossy atmosphere of Universal telemovies of the '70s and is set in affluent advertising world. The gloss of the production highlights the basic soap opera ingredients and style of the story.

1. Entertainment, impact? A cinema classic transferred to television? The memories of the classic? The effectiveness of the updating?

2. The style of the updating? Comparisons with the original? The world of television, business executives? Busy feminist American style of the '70s? Work, wealth? Friends and society? Los Angeles? Colour photography and the lush style, the beach, the house? The visual impact of affluent homes etc.? The romantic score - especially for relationships, crises, death?

3. The length of the telemovie: the padding of the original? The drawing out of the story for mood? The impact for home audiences -attention and feeling?

4. The strength of Elizabeth Montgomery in the central role? Her television popularity? Her sustaining of the star role? vivacity, credibility? The experience of death?

5. The character of Katie: establishing in her work. toughness, attention to detail, the early indications of her illness, the cinematic device of blurring of vision (and audience sharing her experience), the puzzle. her hard style, the party and her harsh behaviour, the fall, the hospital, the tests. the staff reaction? The treatment and her reaction e.g. to her hair?

6. The operation and its detail, the feel for the hospital, surgery? Its success? The focus on the surgery, expertise? Temporary success? The anguish of wondering whether the operation was ultimately a success?

7. Katie as a new person: her confidence, appearance, going out, joy, falling in love, the house, her work? Her discovery of the truth?

8. Her reaction to the truth? Her damning others? The drink, self-pity? Jeremy? Her criticism of Dolores? The growing crises?

9. Her marriage, coming alive, accepting her illness? New hopes, the party, jealousy, her fighting Michael, the importance of fighting back, work, home? Her phone call at the time of her death: the walk, the smile? Her ability to experience and handle her dying?

10. Anthony Hopkins as Michael? His place at the party. professional opinion, decisions? The surgery? The outings and his care for her? Concern. love? The decision not to tell her the truth? The effect of her discovery? The reuniting? Marriage, jealousy, tears? His support at the end?

11. Dolores and the sketch of a friend. helping and sharing. the truth. her being condemned as a sneak? Her love for Katie and helping her?

12. The sketch of Jeremy and the background of the television studios, her work? A sounding board?

13. The world of television? The TV crews, the staff? Crises in Katie's performance?

14. Audience interest in hospitals? The film's attention to detail: wards, surgery, recuperation?

15. The possibility for audiences to identify with characters in an affluent society? The affluence giving the tone of sentiment and soap opera? Larger than life?

16. The exploration in romantic drama of the reality of illness and death? The business world, the brittleness of relationships, the need for tenderness, crises and the possibilities of changing? The work of Elizabeth Kubler- Ross and the stages of reaction to death from anger to acceptance? The importance of happiness in this life - as seen in the context of death? The justice and injustice of terminal illness? The impact on the dying person? Her effect on those she loved and who loved her?