Philip lives at his uncle's vicarage. Aunt Louisa tries to be a mother to Philip, but his uncle is cold towards him. Philip's uncle has a vast collection of books, and Philip enjoys reading to escape his mundane existence. After less than a year, Philip is sent to a boarding school. His uncle and aunt plan for him to attend Oxford. Philip's disability and sensitive nature make it difficult for him to befriend other students. Philip learns that he could earn a scholarship for Oxford, which both his uncle and school headmaster view as wise, but Philip insists on going to Germany. Davis designed her own make-up for the scenes depicting the final stages of Mildred's illness, changed from syphilis to tuberculosis to satisfy the demands of the Hays Code, [9] which, under Joseph Breen, was beginning to expand and rigidly enforce an all-encompassing Production Code. On July 1, 1934, three days after the film was released, the upgraded system of censorship was formally announced. Mildred pierces I remember W Somerset Maugham’s “Of Human Bondage” as the first “grown-up” novel I read and while it was a real door-stop of a book to wade through, I’ll always be grateful for it leading me into my love for classic literature. I must admit however, I was surprised to see it condensed here to a sub-90 minute feature but with Leslie Howard and Bette Davis in the lead parts I was intrigued enough to watch it. A medical student falls prey to a sluttish waitress. Starring Leslie Howard and Bette Davis. Screenplay by Lester Cohen. Based on the novel by W. Somerset Maugham. Directed by John Cromwell. Produced and distributed by RKO. One reaction RKO executives never expected to hear at the preview was laughter. After watching the film several times, they felt the Max Steiner score was to blame, and the composer wrote a new one that included a motif for each of the principal characters. [3]

The rest, as they say, is history, and Davis' career would soon soar to enviable and dizzying heights. Were it not for the watershed role of Mildred, however, who knows what the Davis legacy would be. Though dated and a bit stylized, 'Of Human Bondage' defines the Davis persona - a ballsy broad unafraid of risk, passionate about her craft, intolerant of incompetence, and fiercely, unashamedly driven. It may not be a great film, but it allows us to witness the birth of a great actress, and for that reason alone, it will never be obsolete.Through Philip, Maugham broaches the question of his own loss of religious faith. Young Philip hears that if one prays fervently enough, all one’s prayers will be answered. When he puts this guarantee to the test by praying as fervently as he can that his club foot will be made whole, his prayers are not answered. This disappointment unleashes a doubt that finally causes Philip to reject the religion in which he has been reared. In Paris, Philip attends art classes and makes new friends, including Fanny Price, a poor and determined but talentless art student and a loner. Fanny Price falls in love with Philip, but he does not know and has no such feelings for her. She subsequently commits suicide. The book begins with the death of Helen Carey, the beloved mother of nine-year-old Philip Carey. Philip has a club foot and his father had died a few months earlier. Now orphaned, he is sent to live with his aunt and uncle, Louisa and William Carey.

Brown, Gene (1995). Movie Time: A Chronology of Hollywood and the Movie Industry from Its Beginnings to the Present (1sted.). New York City: Wiley. p. 119. ISBN 0-02-860429-6. Maugham brings a lot of issues in his novel concerning every single aspect of human lives. Among these are the dangerous games people are playing, the place of cruelty and compassion, and how people create their own bondages in and their tries to become free. In this novel Maugham shows himself more than a writer; we see how deeply he reaches the psychological and philosophical aspects of human nature. a b c d e f g Stine, Whitney, and Davis, Bette, Mother Goddam: The Story of the Career of Bette Davis. New York: Hawthorn Books 1974; ISBN 0-8015-5184-6, pp. 41–42, 50–51, 57–63, 68Reflecting on her performance in later years, Davis said, "My understanding of Mildred's vileness – not compassion but empathy – gave me pause ... I was still an innocent. And yet Mildred's machinations I miraculously understood when it came to playing her. I was often ashamed of this ... I suppose no amount of rationalization can change the fact that we are all made up of good and evil." [7] [10] To explain the non-English accent of Philip Carey, portrayed by Paul Henreid, reference was made to his Austrian mother. Henreid was actually too old for the role and was fitted with a blond wig to disguise his age. Of Human Bondageis one of the most famous and intimate novels of Somerset Maugham, and tells us about the main character’s path of life filled with difficult trials. Early in childhood having become an orphan, he was deprived of parents’ care and kindness. His dream to become a painter never came true and love for a narrow-minded and wanton woman brought only sufferings and disappointments. But Philip endured everything that fate had in store for him with fortitude, and managed to find his own place in life. Henreid wrote in his memoirs that he felt the original script "was very well written" but that Goulding rewrote it throughout the shoot. He did not get along with Goulding, disagreeing as to how scenes should be played and taking too many long takes. [4]

When Philip’s old Parisian friend, Cronshaw, dies, Philip recalls Cronshaw’s comment that the meaning of life can be found in a Persian rug. He muses that life has no inherent pattern, that it is up to each individual to find a pattern and impose it upon life. Of Human Bondage 1946". Turner Classic Movies. Atlanta: Turner Broadcasting System ( Time Warner) . Retrieved 15 August 2016. The first of three Hollywood adaptations of Maugham’s renowned novel of unrequited carnal obsession, 1934’s Of Human Bondage has gone down in cinematic history as the film that made Bette Davis a star, transforming her from a Warner Brothers contract player relegated to mediocre parts in decidedly B-pictures to a well-respected actress whose name alone was capable of driving moviegoers to the movies. Of course, that transformation didn’t happen overnight — Warners still treated her shabbily, even after the release of this critically-acclaimed film and the “consolation prize” Academy Award she won the next year for Dangerous— and it wasn’t until she took the studio to court in search of better parts (the result of which netted her another Oscar-winning role in 1938’s Jezebel) that her true commercial value became clear and capitalized upon readily by the Powers That Be… But the seeds of her worth were sown and first legitimized here, via a surprisingly straightforward, unglamorous performance that would come to typify her idea of acting — an outward-in method that pulled no figurative emotional punches and relished in expressive, external “tells” of a character’s inner workings. It was a revelation at the time and it remains so to this day — not because it’s as novel or realistic as it once seemed; on the contrary, some might even find it histrionic or hammy — but because it’s the metaphorical birth of an indelible screen persona. A star, here she is.

Philip provides a flat for her, arranges to take care of her financially, and breaks off his relationship with Norah. Norah and Philip admit how interpersonal relationships may amount to bondage (Philip was bound to Mildred, as Norah was to Philip, and as Mildred was to Emil). As time progresses, a letter is sent to Philip which informs him that his uncle has died, leaving a small inheritance. With the inheritance money, Philip is able to return to medical school and pass his examinations to become a physician. This is the second film version of Somerset Maugham's classic novel. The first was the 1934 film adaptation, starring Leslie Howard and Bette Davis, [2] [3] and the third was the 1964 film adaptation, starring Laurence Harvey and Kim Novak.

In his review in The New York Times, Bosley Crowther described the remake as "a pale and pedestrian repeat ... so manufactured and dramatically inert that even those who did not see the original will likely find it disappointingly dull ... the role of Philip Carey is performed by Paul Henreid in a highly self-conscious and completely unconvincing style ... a girl named Eleanor Parker wiggles and whines so elaborately in the role of the licentious waitress that her manner seems almost in jest ... Edmund Goulding, the director, must share a part of the blame for the stuffed and mechanical performance of these two characters ... although the screen-writer, Catherine Turney, didn't help matters any here ... Of Human Bondage, in this version, is pretty much of a thorough-going bore." [7]Grebey, James. "The Book Zendaya Reads in New 'Spider-Man' Trailer Is an Easter Egg". Inverse . Retrieved 14 August 2022. Only one true supplement adorns this release, but it's an exceptionally good one and should not be missed. Of Human Bondage is a 1946 American drama film directed by Edmund Goulding and starring Paul Henreid, Eleanor Parker and Alexis Smith. [1] The second screen adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham's 1915 novel, this Warner Bros. sanitized version was written by Catherine Turney. The central characters are Philip Carey, a clubfooted medical student, and Mildred Rogers, a low-class waitress with whom he becomes obsessed. a b c d e Davis, Bette, A Lonely Life. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons 1962. ISBN 0-425-12350-2, pp. 173–76, 179–80 Of Human Bondage is a 1934 American drama film directed by John Cromwell and regarded by critics as the film that made Bette Davis a star. [1] The screenplay by Lester Cohen is based on the 1915 novel Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham.