Dark Victory

Elizabeth Montgomery was a very talented and engaging actress, as demonstrated by her long run on "Bewitched," and several TV movies, for which she was nominated many times for Emmy awards but, remarkably, failed to win. "Black Widow Murders," "A Case of Rape," and "Lizzie Borden," were among the best. But here, TV decided to remake Bette Davis' "Dark Victory," and Susan Hayward's "Stolen Hours," with a script and direction that was strangely devoid of any emotional impact. Plus, Anthony Hopkins is very miscast here - there is very little chemistry between him and Montgomery, who struggles mightily with the weak material but, ultimately, can't save this from being a disappointing bore. It's a great story and superbly filmed by Davis in the 1930's and Hayward in the 1960's, where the scripts allowed those two great actresses to just shine in virtuoso performances, particularly Hayward in "Stolen Hours." A beautiful and memorable performance that leaves you emotionally fulfilled without being maudlin. Watch that one instead.