Of Human Bondage

Philip Carey is a medical student, lame from birth and carrying it as a shame. He falls in love with Mildred, who works in a tea shop. She does not want him; she is rude, goes off with other men, and comes back when her money runs out. Every time, he takes her back. His studies suffer, his money goes, he fails his examinations, and he is still waiting. John Cromwell directs. Leslie Howard plays Philip and Bette Davis plays Mildred. The source is Somerset Maugham's novel. The film was a turning point in Bette Davis's career. The parts the studio had given her until then were ordinary; she fought a long time to get this one, and it leaves her no sympathy at all. Davis was not nominated for best actress that year, which counts as one of the best known omissions in the history of the Academy; write in votes cast for her were counted even though her name was not on the ballot, and the rules were changed afterwards. The subject is obsession. The film does not present it as a love story; Philip's attachment is shown as an illness and nobody takes his side. Mildred is harsh by the measure of the period; the woman accounts to nobody and the film does not use her to teach a lesson. The novel was heavily cut in the adaptation and most of the book is not in the film. Who it is for: viewers who like Hollywood drama of the thirties and Bette Davis. Who it is not for: both characters are exhausting, the pace is slow, and the narrative repeats.