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Of Human Bondage
USA 1934
produced by Pandro S. Berman for RKO
directed by John Cromwell
starring Leslie Howard, Bette Davis, Frances Dee, Kay Johnson, Reginald Denny, Alan Hale, Reginald Sheffield, Reginald Owen, Desmond Roberts, Adrian Rosley, Tempe Pigott, Harry Allen, Ray Atchley, Frank Baker, Nat Neahan, Al Sullivan, Irene Rich
screenplay by Lester Cohen, dialogue by Ann Coleman, based on the novel by W. Somerset Maugham, music by Max Steiner
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Available on DVD! To buy, click on link(s) below and help keep this site afloat (commissions earned) |
Always make sure of DVD-compatibility!!!
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Having been born with a club foot, Philip (Leslie Howard) is a man to
whom actual happiness has remained elusive, so much so that he has grown
accustomed to accept defeat - so when he lives the life of a painter in
Paris and one well-meaning art expert (Adrian Rosley) tells him he lacks
talent and should do something else, he packs his bags and moves to London
to study medicine. Once there, he falls in love with a fresh waitress,
Mildred (Bette Davis). She keeps him at arm's length, but always lets on
she might be interested and is glad to let him take her out, even
if she makes no secret out of going out with another, older and richer,
guy, Miller (Alan Hale) out on the side. But on the day Philip proposes to
her, Mildred breaks up with him, claiming she has been asked by Miller to
marry her first. Philip is hearbroken - but soon finds solace with Norah
(Kay Johnson), a woman that really cares for him. It could be perfect, if
it wasn't for Mildred, who comes back into Philip's life one day and
claims Miller has divorced her after finding out she's expecting his baby.
Philip breaks up with Norah and lets Mildred back into his life, even
though he finds out she was never actually married to Miller, merely his
mistress. But he pays for an apartment for her, is there at the birth of
her daughter, and tries everything in his power to make her happy. She
repays him by starting an affair with his best friend Griffiths (Reginald
Denny), and when Philip finds out, she breaks up with him to go to Paris
with Griffiths - but Griffiths soon grows wary of her and drops her like a
hot potato. In the meantime, Philip has made friends with one of the
patients of the hospital he's interning at, Athelny (Reginald Owen), and
Athelny has a lovely daughter, Sally (Frances Dee), who's clearly
interested in him, and he too is charmed by her. But then he learns that
Mildred's in dire straits, and he feels compelled to come to her rescue,
and he lets her and the baby move in with him, but refuses to get
emotionally attached to her again (at least on the outside) - which
eventually drives Mildred so furious that she thrashes his apartment,
burns all his stocks and bonds that so far gave him a healthy income, and
leaves with the baby. Without income, Philip can no longer afford to
study, but as a parting gift, his tutor at the university (Desmond
Roberts) performs surgery to cure his club foot and thus remove what
Philip has always considered the biggest impediment to his happiness. But
despite being club-footed no more, Philip finds it near impossible to find
work, and without money he's soon evicted from his apartment as well, and
for a time struggles to make ends meet - until he runs into Sally again,
and she and her dad almost force him to move in with them, and Athelny
also gives Philip a job in his boots store. Once more, Mildred crosses
Philip's path, and by now she seems on her wit's end, with her health
failing and the baby having died a year ago. Philip gives her enough money
to make it through the week, maybe more, but other than that tries to keep
his distance. This is when an inheritance gives him his independence back,
but being his own man again, what will he do? A rather powerful
drama that sure enough shows his age when it comes to directorial choices,
and some of the dialogue seems rather contrived. But that said, Leslie
Howard's anaemic performance, contrasted by Bette Davis at her best going
through all the motions alone is already worth your time, while the
character-driven plot strikes a chord that's timeless, so despite the film
clearly being a product of its time, the story rings true even today.
For
those inclined, also check out the video review of Of Human Bondage
I did with filmmaker Sean Weathers, with the movie in its entirety playing
afterwards.
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