starring Bette Davis, George Brent, Geraldine Fitzgerald
directed by Edmund Goulding
104 minutes
Judith Trahern (Bette Davis) finds her life turned upside down when she learns that she has a brain tumor. Ann King (Geraldine Fitzgerald), Judith's best friend, and Frederick Steele (George Brent), Judith's doctor, try to keep her in the dark about the seriousness of the tumor but by chance she finds out the truth. She lashes out against them at first but eventually mellows.
Judith begins a romance with Frederick which she ends when she finds out about the seriousness of her condition. She re-ignites her relationship with Frederick once she gets over the emotional pain she felt. They get married and move to Vermont and enjoy what time they have left together. The tables get turned towards the end of the movie once Judith realizes that the end is very near and decides not to share that information with Frederick.
This movie was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards but lost out to Gone with the Wind. Bette Davis was nominated for Best Actress but lost out to Vivien Leigh for her performance in Gone with the Wind. The music was nominated for best original score but lost out to the music for The Wizard of Oz.
The only other movie or television program that Geraldine Fitzgerald appeared in that I have seen is Easy Money (1983).
Ronald Reagan and Humphrey Bogart are also in this movie but their roles aren't especially big ones. They are both better known for playing different kinds of roles than they played in this movie.
This is the eighth of eleven movies that Bette Davis appeared in with George Brent.
I was moved by this movie even though I thought it started out a bit slowly. I went in not completely blind but not knowing much about it or how it would turn out. Judith and Frederick's relationship is the thing that I find to be the most troublesome. This movie probably isn't made for everyone.
Bette Davis' performance in this movie is quite good, certainly worth of an Academy Award nomination. She does an excellent job of navigating the emotional route that Judith endures over the course of the movie.
I saw this movie at the AFI Silver Theater. It was part of the American Film Institute's celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Warner Bros. See also AFI - Warner Bros Centennial for more films that I saw as part of this program.
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