OF HUMAN BONDAGE
US, 1934, 83 minutes, Black and white.
Leslie Howard, Bette Davis, Frances Dee, Kay Johnson, Reginald Denny, Alan Hale, Reginald Owen.
Directed by John Cromwell.
Of Human Bondage is based on a novel by W. Somerset Maugham. According to the Internet Movie Data Base, one hundred and twenty films have been based on novels and plays by Maugham. They include Sadie Thompson in several versions of the novel Rain, The Letter, with Bette Davis in 1942 and a remake with Lee Remick, The Painted Veil, Too Many Husbands, The Razor’s Edge in two versions.
Maugham spent a great deal of his life in Asia and that provides the background for some of these stories. However, with its English setting, Of Human Bondage takes up themes very dear to Maugham: strong women and their domination of men, their use of men, the men coming back to the woman who destroyed them, their human bondage.
In this story, Mildred Rogers is a waitress who attracts a medical student, Philip Carey. He is sensitive and has a club foot. As a medical student, he is committed to his work, but is eventually destroyed by his infatuation for Mildred. She moves away, takes up with others, becomes pregnant, relies on Philip for caring. Ultimately, she dies.
The first film version starred Bette Davis early in her career (and she did not receive the Oscar, but won the Oscar the next year for Dangerous). Leslie Howard was a strong British actor appearing in many Hollywood films and embodies Philip Carey. He was to appear in such classics as The Petrified Forest, Pygmalion and Gone With The Wind. He directed a number of films for the war effort, The Forty-Ninth? Parallel, The First of the Few before dying in a plane crash during the war. The film was directed by John Cromwell, a classic director of the 30s and 40s.
Edmund Goulding (Grand Hotel, The Razor’s Edge) directed a 1946 version with a tour-de-force performance by Eleanor Parker with Paul Henried as the student.
The film was updated and remade in 1964 by Ken Hughes (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Sextet) with Kim Novak as Mildred and Laurence Harvey as the student.
Response to the films critically seems to depend on the affection for a particular period, with the common opinion being that the 1964 version is the weakest of the three. However, in looking back at the 1930s version, it was early film-making in the sound era and is rather creaky. However, it is interesting that there are three versions for audiences to compare the impact of Maugham’s story.
1. The quality of Somerset Maugham’s story? The popularity of the story with three major film versions? The status of this version as an early sound classic?
2. The production values of filmmaking in the thirties? Photography black and white, the re-creation of London in Hollywood? Sound techniques, styles of acting? The status of the stars?
3. The significance of the title and its reference to the main characters? Indication of themes worked out throughout the plot? Men and their bondage, women and their bondage? The importance of the human? The importance of human freedom?
4. The screen play's focus on Philip Carey as a person, as a man and artist in Paris? The importance of the explanation of his mediocrity? His ability to accept this? His linking it with his clubbed foot and sense of failure? The motivation for his studying medicine, his skill in study? Capacity for success, experience of failure? His self-
acceptance. Bitterness, relating with people the experience of love? Why did he love Mildred? As another example of lack of self-acceptance and pathos for a lame human being? How convincing was Leslie Howard and his style in this role?
5. Mildred as a credible person in herself? Her dress, manner, work, way of speaking. values and lack of values? Cheap? As visually portrayed, Bette Davis’s style? As seen by the audience, as seen by the other interns, as seen by Philip? The importance of his glamorising her in his dream? What were the bonds between the two? what attracted them to each other, what made it a bondage? Mildred and her ability to flaunt her ignorance, sexuality? The importance of their outings. passion, kissing or not kissing? Mildred and her teasing and
tantalising? The effect on Philip? How much love on the part of both of them?
6. The world of the hospital, Philip's friends and Mildred fitting into this? The failure with Mildred turning against Philip and revealing her despising of him? How much did this hurt him, hurt herself? Mildred's motivation for this kind of behaviour?
7. Philip's experience of the family, the father and his bravado attitudes and friendliness? Sally as a contrast with Mildred? Sally's taking Mildred's place? Philip shoring himself up against hurt by devotion to Sally? How well did the film portray the personality of Sally?
8. The importance of Philip’s proposal to Mildred and her rejecting of him? The effect on each? Mildred and her decline in work, love, destitution? The child and her treatment of it? The death of the child, the illness and the nature of her suffering and death? As inevitable and for this kind of woman at this time?
9. The accident of Philip discovering Mildred as she was dying? The importance of her death to him, his ability to help or not help? The depth of his lameness? How well signified by the portrayal of his club foot - as examined by the doctors, the experience of the boy with the clubbed foot, his inability to walk properly, cure, healed?
10. The optimistic ending and the hope for the future with Philip and Sally? How credible was this in terms of the plot? In terms of the characters portrayed?
11. How valuable is this kind of film to explore themes of good and evil, society, individuals and their weaknesses, the bonds between man and woman, possessiveness, the human ability to hurt others?
