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IMDbPro

Of Human Bondage

  • 19461946
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 45m
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
682
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
73,211
15,771
Paul Henreid, Eleanor Parker, and Alexis Smith in Of Human Bondage (1946)
A medical student with a club foot falls for a beautiful but ambitious waitress. She soon leaves him, but gets pregnant and comes back to him for help.
Play trailer2:35
1 Video
11 Photos
Drama
A medical student with a club foot falls for a beautiful but ambitious waitress. She soon leaves him, but gets pregnant and comes back to him for help.A medical student with a club foot falls for a beautiful but ambitious waitress. She soon leaves him, but gets pregnant and comes back to him for help.A medical student with a club foot falls for a beautiful but ambitious waitress. She soon leaves him, but gets pregnant and comes back to him for help.
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
682
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
73,211
15,771
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Edmund Goulding
    • Writers
      • W. Somerset Maugham(novel)
      • Catherine Turney
    • Stars
      • Paul Henreid
      • Eleanor Parker
      • Alexis Smith
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Edmund Goulding
    • Writers
      • W. Somerset Maugham(novel)
      • Catherine Turney
    • Stars
      • Paul Henreid
      • Eleanor Parker
      • Alexis Smith
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 22User reviews
    • 3Critic reviews

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:35
    Trailer

    Photos11

    Paul Henreid and Eleanor Parker in Of Human Bondage (1946)
    Edmund Gwenn and Janis Paige in Of Human Bondage (1946)
    Edmund Gwenn and Janis Paige in Of Human Bondage (1946)
    Paul Henreid and Eleanor Parker in Of Human Bondage (1946)
    Paul Henreid and Eleanor Parker in Of Human Bondage (1946)
    Paul Henreid and Alexis Smith in Of Human Bondage (1946)
    Bette Davis and Leslie Howard in Of Human Bondage (1934)
    Paul Henreid, Eleanor Parker, and Alexis Smith in Of Human Bondage (1946)
    Paul Henreid, Eleanor Parker, and Alexis Smith in Of Human Bondage (1946)
    Paul Henreid and Eleanor Parker in Of Human Bondage (1946)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Paul Henreid
    Paul Henreid
    • Philip Carey
    Eleanor Parker
    Eleanor Parker
    • Mildred Rogers
    Alexis Smith
    Alexis Smith
    • Nora Nesbitt
    Edmund Gwenn
    Edmund Gwenn
    • Athelny
    Patric Knowles
    Patric Knowles
    • Harry Griffiths
    Janis Paige
    Janis Paige
    • Sally Athelny
    Henry Stephenson
    Henry Stephenson
    • Dr. Tyrell
    Marten Lamont
    • Dunsford
    Isobel Elsom
    Isobel Elsom
    • Mrs. Betty Athelny
    Una O'Connor
    Una O'Connor
    • Mrs. Foreman
    Eva Moore
    Eva Moore
    • Mrs. Gray
    Richard Aherne
    • Emil Miller
    • (as Richard Nugent)
    Doris Lloyd
    Doris Lloyd
    • Landlady
    Bill Kennedy
    Bill Kennedy
    • Flanagan
    Phyllis Adair
    • Older Sister
    • (uncredited)
    John Alban
    • Waiter
    • (uncredited)
    Charles Andre
    • Artist
    • (uncredited)
    Sylvia Andrew
    • Wife
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Edmund Goulding
    • Writers
      • W. Somerset Maugham(novel)
      • Catherine Turney
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In an exchange which had Warner Bros. loaning to RKO the services of Joan Leslie for The Sky's the Limit (1943) and John Garfield for The Fallen Sparrow (1943), Warners acquired the production rights to W. Somerset Maugham's classic novel, which RKO already had adapted to the screen in 1934, featuring memorable performances by Bette Davis and Leslie Howard.
    • Connections
      Featured in Okay for Sound (1946)

    User reviews22

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Bound by the critics
    Of the three film versions of "Of Human Bondage" this is probably the least known. Critics at the time found it dull and compared it unfavourably with the 1934 version starring Bette Davis and Leslie Howard. On the contrary, I think that this version is more complex, more interesting and ultimately more satisfying than that earlier film.

    All versions chart the course of the destructive, one-sided relationship between medical student Philip Carey, played here by Paul Henreid, and working class waitress Mildred Rogers played by Eleanor Parker. But after his self-esteem reaches its lowest ebb, two far more caring women enter his life, one he rejects almost as cruelly as he himself was rejected, while the other provides him with the happiness he has searched for.

    For anyone who has read Somerset Maugham's novel, the film versions all share the same drawback; they only concentrate on one aspect of the novel - the unrequited and obsessive love of Philip Carey for Mildred Rogers. This is the most fascinating part of the novel to be sure, but it doesn't take place until about half way through the book. By the time it happens, we know a lot about Philip Carey - we have followed him from childhood, understand the sensitivity about his clubfoot, and identify with him totally. When he encounters Mildred Rogers and is rejected by her, we are as shocked as he is at the effect it has on his sense of self-worth and his life from that point on. No one has ever described the anguish that such a one-sided affair can unleash better than Maugham in this extraordinary novel - Sigmund Freud couldn't have done a more insightful job.

    And therein lies the challenge for the filmmakers because they all want to leap straight into the Philip and Mildred affair; there is no real build up, we are only vaguely aware of the vulnerabilities, and even the vanities that have been nurtured in Philip that could lead him into so destructive a relationship.

    With that said, after a slow start, this version of the story does become quite compelling. However it could have done without the narration, which doesn't even start until after Philip meets Mildred. The filmmakers should have worked a little harder to explain things without resorting to narration, which both the 1934 and 1964 versions managed to do.

    Paul Henreid was too old for the part - it's almost as though he was going through mid-life crisis - and his accent needed explaining. Fortunately, he had a strong enough screen presence to carry it off.

    Critics considered Eleanor Parker's performance weak when compared to Bette Davis's showier one in the 1934 version, but she handles it pretty well on the whole. She is possibly a little too strident, and like Davis struggled to deliver a decent Cockney accent. For anyone who has seen the 1964 version, it's interesting to compare her with Kim Novak who gave a very subdued performance, which didn't seem right at all. Possibly the forced, slightly neurotic quality in Parker's performance actually caught the spirit of Mildred Rogers all too well.

    Although not without fault, this version of Maugham's great novel is better than the critics would allow, and is certainly a film that rewards at least one viewing.
    helpful•18
    0
    • tomsview
    • Jun 12, 2013

    FAQ3

    • What is 'Of Human Bondage' about?
    • Is 'Of Human Bondage' based on a book?
    • How does the movie end?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 20, 1946 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Ljudski okovi
    • Filming locations
      • Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Warner Bros.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 45 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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    Paul Henreid, Eleanor Parker, and Alexis Smith in Of Human Bondage (1946)
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