Really Surprised!

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

This "review" is almost as much about the other comments as the movie itself. Had I read the book I reckon I would have rated the film lower. I believe many of the reviewers missed the significance of the term bondage, assigning it a sexual attraction, when it was a matter of being inexplicably smitten. The Mildred character, as portrayed by Davis, makes that hard to understand as does not touching on Philips upbringing.He was lucky to have had two other women attracted to him but due to the entrapment, the bondage, he is unable to reciprocate adequately. It is a disabilitating affliction. The story is intriguing on interweaving the off again on again abuse of the relationship and consequences to the characters. As noted by some other reviewers Philip has some dark sides of his own, allowing the viewer to distance themselves from being sympathetic and even chagrined at the unsatisfactory ending. Given the elegance of Somerset Maughn's short stories I suspect justice has not been done to the novel.

Copyright 5 July 1934 by RKO Radio Pictures. New York opening at the Radio City Music Hall: 28 June 1934. U.S. release: 20 July 1934. U.K. release: 18 March 1935. 83 minutes. SYNOPSIS: Club-footed medical student falls for a sluttish waitress who despises him.NOTES: First of three films based on the Maugham novel. The others were released in 1946 (Eleanor Parker played Mildred) and 1964 (Kim Novak had the role).COMMENT: Although she was not actually nominated for a prestigious Hollywood award, Bette Davis received such a strong write-in vote, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was forced to nominate her for her less inspiring performance in next year's Dangerous (1935) – which she won! Alas, the Alpha DVD is not the greatest, although it is the best available, considering that the original negative and all extant prints were destroyed when RKO sold the rights to Warners in 1946. It says much for the power of the original movie that the drama still comes across so effectively, despite these adverse limitations. Yes, Davis deserved her write-in vote. She is perfect. So is Leslie Howard. The support cast led by Alan Hale's Germanic villain and Reginald Owen's sybaritic misogynist, also shines. Production values are unstinting. The sets look sleezily real, while Max Steiner has composed a haunting and melodiously atmospheric music score. But perhaps the person who deserves the most praise is the director, John Cromwell, who has handled the story with a force, fluidity and pace that effectively disguises some awkward jumps in narrative continuity and above all, makes the central Howard-Davis relationship seem so believably real.

. . . but a Critic's Cabal of a Certain Perspective has Cowed the World into thinking that ANYTHING dashed off on Willie Maugham's note pads during the 1900s must be the Best Thing since Will Shakespeare put down his quill. WRONG!! You needn't be a Maugham Completist to realize that almost ALL of his twisted tales stem from personal grievances involving his unhappy childhood. Anyone exposed to Willie's dozen "best" stories will see that they share a monotonous misogyny and outrageous themes of Sadomasochism. OF HUMAN BONDAGE pretends to offer some deep Goldilocks Theory about Love: Norah's too hot, Mildred's too cold, but Sally's just right. Yet after Mildred croaks with a lit cigarette in her hand (eerily foreshadowing infamous Hollywood Chain Smoker Bette Davis' Real Life Breast Cancer Demise), Teaching Hospital Resident Phil's smirk as he rushes into the Autopsy Theater to dissect his Dead Crush is unmistakable. No, nothing here smacks of Family Values, which is why Kino Lorber includes an 87-minute expose on Willie's sordid personal life to help mainstream people decide whether it's safe to touch BONDAGE without a ten-foot pole.

Much has been said regarding Bette Davis's outbreak performance in "Of Human Bondage" and I would certainly never argue it - her acting is magnificent. As is Leslie Howard's ....the two play off of each other perfectly - Howard as the shy, introverted and self-conscious "lonely man" and Davis as the brash, insensitive and malicious waitress. But it's the message of this movie that is so powerful, Davis and Howard are simply the messengers, albeit great ones."Of Human Bondage" is the story of unrequited love, and hopeless bondage to another. Right from the outset, the relationship Between Philip and Mildred is doomed to failure, as is Howard's to Norah after Mildred leaves him. After all - what can one really offer someone whom they do not love? It really makes no difference whether it's Midred's abusive behavior towards Philip - who is basically obsessed with her, or Philip's cool (yet still very caring) indifference towards Norah, who adores him. The end result is the same. Perhaps this movie can only really speak to those that have been through it - but most of us probably have, as this is one of the great tragic human conditions. Person A loves person B, but they love person C, and so it goes.Forget the somewhat dated dialogue and sound quality, and watch a film that transcends most others with powerful acting and an even stronger message.