卿何薄命

[Film Review] Dark Victory (1939)

Another plenary victory in Ms. Davis’ bang-up repertoire, DARK VICTORY, her tear-jerking star-vehicle directed by a nimble-handed Edmund Goulding (commendably downplays the story's stagy vibes), strikes as an elemental force of itself which poignantly probes the doleful subject of howto face death on one’s own terms when there is not much time left.

Davis plays a young, free-spirited New York socialite Judith Traherne, who has been assailed by headaches for months until her vision is also impaired, after the check-up of Dr. Steele (Brent), an operation is exercised to remove the tumor in her brain, but it is the“prognosis negative” result that sounds the death knell to her, merely 23 years old, she has only less than one year to live, before blindness and then quietus catches on with her sequentially.

What the narrative makes great play of is a one-two step of secrecy-keeping decision, starting with Dr. Steele, whose growing affection of Judith convinces him that he should keep a lid on the bad tidings so that a newborn Judith would at least enjoy the most of her precious remaining time, then, as a maladroit liar, he is blindsided by a perceptive Ann (a stalwart Fitzgerald credibly actualizing her dramatic chops), Judith’s bestie-cum-secretary, to whom he lets on the truth and finds himself a partner-in-crime in contiguity with Judith, the latter eventually alights on the hammer blow that cruelly dashes her high-spirited prospect of a new lease on life (including marrying Steele and starting their nuptial life in Vermont), and reverts to her carpe diem intemperance and horse-riding, only to be struck by an epiphany when she frolics with her stable hand Michael O’Leary (Bogart, still paying his dues in subservient roles, but manages to seal a kiss with his leading lady, a boon is not bestowed to Brent, who was in fact engaging an affair with Davis at then), ergo, a right decision takes her on the right track and finally, she finds courage and peace towards her imminent fate, with dignity intact and its fallout minimized to the one she loves, which constitutes the second keeping-mum plot device that amply builds up the climax.

It is one of Davis’ most spellbinding performance which potently attests her sweeping acting mutability, in the beginning, she is a defensive self-denier, more or less congruent with her sharp-tongued, faintly priggish persona, but not exactly descends into an overbearing prima donna, in no time, her defense is thwarted by Dr. Steele’s suave solicitation, yet, what really hits the mark is during those tender moments, where her facet of repentance and earnestness overtakes the screen as we are compelled to invest our empathy to a young woman whose entitlement of living being unfairly cut short, still, she is able to come to terms with it in the most affective fashion that categorically elevates the film above the not so uncharacteristic sugar-the-pill treatment, which the Hollywood assembly line habitually implements on its unsavory subject matter, that is what one calls a legitimately tickets-sellingone-woman-show!

referential films: Goulding’s GRAND HOTEL (1932, 7.0/10), Irving Rapper’s NOW VOYAGER (1942, 8.7/10), William Wyler’s JEZEBEL (1938, 6.9/10).

《黑暗的胜利》又译为《卿何薄命》。

死亡是黑色的，是属于黑暗的，可怖可惧，可偏偏在死亡的黑暗阴影笼罩下，她取得了胜利。

相比《黑暗的胜利》直译的片名，《卿何薄命》的译法似乎更哀婉怅惘一些，前者更直观，后者多了点伤感的诗意。

《卿何薄命》讲述的是社交名媛茱莉发现自己脑部长了一个肿瘤，而在治疗过程中她爱上了主治医生乔治，乔治也同样被她所吸引，然而手术后诊断结果显示她的生命只剩下三个月。好友安和乔治决定瞒着她，但她还是发现了，震惊失落又因被隐瞒而愤怒的她选择放纵自己，最终乔治给了她一个幸福的婚姻，她们度过了一段愉快的时光。

在她意识到自己将要逝世时她支开了身边所有的的人，选择一个人默默躺在床上迎接死神的到来。

那一刻，她的眼神中没有对死亡的恐惧，也没有任何忧虑，她只是静静躺着，在等待着死亡的到来，对她来说，这不是命运的宣判，而只是一个结果，而她，早就接受了。

故事看似只是一个普通的爱情片，但因女主角贝蒂•戴维斯精湛的演技、情节恰到好处的安排、导演精明的处理而显得精妙独特，甚至被列入了“百年百部情感电影”。

影片本是悲剧，却没有陷入令人过分伤感的悲剧氛围，我们看到的是茱莉是独自美丽地宁静祥和地面对死亡。

我想起了那句话——死如秋叶般静美。这样一来，影片的主题就得到了升华，这不再单单是一部爱情片，不再只是一个悲剧，而是在讲完一个美丽的爱情故事后给我们留下思考，关于生与死的思考，影片教会我们面对死亡时也要依旧宁静祥和，依旧美丽，哪怕这份美丽中带着一抹哀愁。

死亡是可怕的，关于死亡的话题总是被列为禁忌，然而，当我们平静地接受它，安静地等待死亡的到来，死亡反而不再可怕，甚至因在死亡面前展现出的超乎常人的平静和勇气而显得动人。

我们从爱情中看到了无奈，从人生中看到了不幸，却也从悲剧中看到了勇气和美丽。

第8届#法罗岛电影节#主竞赛单元第5个放映日为大家带来《黑暗的胜利》，下面为大家带来前线柔弱女性的挣扎痛苦的评价了！

灰色的你：

除了女主，其他很平庸。

果树：

完成度很差，全片只有贝蒂一个看点。而受影片质量带累，连贝蒂都没能真正发光。

我们敏熙：

把最终悬念揭晓得过早，鲍嘉的角色也显得无用，但是有着一个非常凄美动人的结局。

zzy花岗岩：

流畅的节奏和演员的精彩表演使得这样一个有点韩剧风格的故事讲述的那么扣人心弦，质朴伤感但却并不矫情做作，戴维斯将女主人公傲慢、脆弱、任性又矛盾的一系列心理变化富有层次的表现了出来，一切都恰到好处。

法罗岛岛主：

更喜欢另外一个译名《卿何薄命》，贝蒂·戴维斯生动演绎出了朱迪面临死亡时的骄傲倔强与柔软害怕，与身边重要的人诀别后独自赴死，她已经得到了梦寐以求的幸福。打酱油的年轻里根总统还是个奶油小靓仔，从小帅到老啊。

kc512：

每一步都看似会掉向狗血深渊，但最后还是拉回来。例如好友和医生的不正常互动屡次被撞破，以为女主角要因此误会二人有一腿时，女主角却很明白事理；医生察觉到女主角有异样，以为他要誓死留在她身边来个伤感的告别，他却被暪了过去留下女主「孤身上」。因此整片理性在线、主题突出，看得我非常舒服，但也就这样了。

子夜无人：

俗套地说一句，几乎是靠着贝蒂·戴维斯撑起了整部电影（这句话不算贬义），也不是每部电影都一定要以导演的作者性为本位嘛，能有一部片子可以给一个足够有能量的演员、享受着充足的天地去发光发热，我觉得是件挺美好的事情。少女怀春时踱步打量的娇羞情态，倔强骄傲时披着貂皮大衣清冷闪动的步伐，回避抗拒时像只刺猬一样抖落着全身的盔甲防御，脆弱无依时握着他人的手恳求进入自己的梦，病痛缠身但依然光芒四射，千斤压顶但永远不落下风。无法想象能有如此具有icon魅力的女性形象出现，也无法想象能有如此像生命般自然流淌、每一个片刻都无比动人的丰满演绎存在，贝蒂真的是银幕天才！

#FIFF9#DAY5的主竞赛场刊评分稍后会为大家释出，请大家拭目以待了。