For the Love of Bette
One of the things often focused upon when discussing "Of Human Bondage", the 1934 adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham's novel is Bette Davis. You will hear mention that after playing gangster's molls she campaigned for the role of Mildred in this movie and that many feel she deserved an Oscar for her break out performance. In fact many times all you will hear about is Bette Davis when "Of Human Bondage" is discussed rather than the movie which looks at love when a young man falls for a woman who uses him. It is a great story and considering the age of "Of Human Bondage" it is still a familiar theme of a man being used by a manipulative woman.
Having been told he will never make it as an artist club-footed Philip (Leslie Howard) decides to become a doctor and it is whilst studying that he meets waitress Mildred (Bette Davis - Hell's House), a feisty beauty who bewitches him to the point that he starts to fail his course. When Philip decides to ask Mildred to marry him he is left shocked when she tells him she is leaving with a wealthy salesman and after sometime Philip tries to move on with new love Norah (Kay Johnson). But when Mildred returns in a sorry state having ended up pregnant and dumped Philip goes to her rescue again only for history to repeat itself when having used Philip she swans off with a hospital colleague leaving Philip to try and pick up the pieces again.
"Of Human Bondage" serves up a familiar story of a man who finds himself so in love with a woman that his common sense leaves him and can't see that she is using him. It's a familiar storyline as we watch Mildred realise that Philip is basically cuckoo over her and uses him, going back to him when ever life doesn't work out the way she wants because she feels he will always be there. And for Philip whilst Mildred is around he will never truly be free of her, never truly able to move on not only because of his feelings for her but because he knows that she will seek him out in times of trouble.
Now that doesn't sound much except where as the initial focus is on Philip as he comes under Mildred's spell it then switches to Mildred when suddenly Philip stands up to her, fighting his feelings to tell her that he has had enough of her using him. It is an explosive scene with Bette Davis delivering her all as Mildred as she realises that no longer can she control Philip in the way she had. That is not the only good thing about Davis's performance and throughout delivering a brilliant performance of a manipulative woman, seductive but also a cow. And when you see how Mildred ends up it is startling in contrast to the beginning of the movie which is another reason why so many believe that Davis should have won an Oscar.
Because Bette Davis's performance as Mildred is so eye catching that Leslie Howard as Philip all too often ends up playing second fiddle to her. You almost wonder if Howard purposefully turned down his performance because it seems almost ordinary in comparison although still enjoyable.
What this all boils down to is that "Of Human Bondage" is very much Bette Davis's movie, for both her performance and for the fact that she should have deserved an Oscar. But it is also a good, timeless storyline of love and manipulation.
