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Of Human Bondage: Kino Classics

Remastered Edition

Leslie Howard (Actor), Bette Davis (Actor), John Cromwell (Director) Rated:
NR
Format: Blu-ray
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 352 ratings
IMDb7.0/10.0
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June 18, 2013
Remastered Edition
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Product Description

Philip Carey (Leslie Howard) is a sensitive but unsuccessful artist living in Paris who abandons his fanciful ambitions and enrolls in a London medical school. Despite a slight physical deformity he overcomes his awkwardness and falls in love with a low-class, money-hungry waitress, Mildred Rogers (Bette Davis). Philip is obsessed with the callous woman, but when he discovers Mildred has been dating other men, he finally realizes the relationship is over and finds a new love. Although Mildred runs off with another medical student, Philip takes her back when she returns with news that she is pregnant. Mildred continues to treat him badly, and Philip's devotion to her threatens his career and his chance for future happiness.

Product details

  • MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 5.92 ounces
  • Item model number ‏ : ‎ 1149
  • Director ‏ : ‎ John Cromwell
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ Multiple Formats, Original recording remastered, Blu-ray, NTSC
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 23 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ June 18, 2013
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Leslie Howard, Bette Davis, Frances Dee, Kay Johnson, Reginald Denny
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ Kino Lorber films
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00BUSYUNO
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 352 ratings

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
352 global ratings
Very good movie, terrible bluray
3 Stars
Very good movie, terrible bluray
Very good movie, terrible bluray. It is all grainy, the sound is mediocre, there are no subtitles. This is how a restoration looks like when it’s done by amateurs. Usually Kino does not do this kind of stuff.
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Top reviews from the United States

Billie Mann
5.0 out of 5 stars Still raises goosebumps on my neck!
Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2004
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Bette Davis became a star with her role in this first and best film adaptation of the Somerset Maughan novel of the same name (well worth a read). This was her first nomination for an Academy Award, for her portrayal of Mildred Rogers; a tawdry, sluttish, cockney waitress who bewitches hapless Philip Carey (Leslie Howard, best known for his role as Ashley Wilkes in "Gone With the Wind"). She lost the award, receiving it for her role the following year for "Dangerous", which is generally viewed as a consolation prize.

The supporting cast includes Reginald Denny, Alan Hale Sr. (father of Alan Hale Jr., who was the skipper on the TV series "Giligan's Isle"), and a breathtakingly beautiful Frances Dee.

The film starts out with Philip, a failed art student with a clubfoot of which he is highly sensitive, turning to the study of medicine after facing the fact that he has no artistic talent. Shortly thereafter he meets and quickly becomes obsessed with Mildred, despite her sneering and obvious disdain for him because of his deformity. Her standard response to his affectionate overtures is a chilly "I don't mind." In his dreams Mildred is sweet and kind to him; during real time she uses him, well aware of his affection for her, leaving him for other men and returning when she is down on her luck, ruining his chance for having a career or a normal life with another woman; he seems to continually finds himself inexorably drawn to her, even after his love for her has waned, until the day she finally pushes him too far, and he says, "You disgust me."

With those words, the camera fully turns to Mildred as her facial expression shifts from suppliance to surprise to full-on b**ch in a matter of seconds, and she reacts to Philip's statement with a barrage of blood-curdling insults. Bette Davis as Mildred never fails to raise the hair on the back of my neck and arms with her performance in this particular scene. Below is a link to hear a very small clip from it; of course to get the full effect you really have to see and hear the film, and this scene especially, in its entirety. This is the role that made Davis a star. It's also one of my all-time favorite Davis films, along with such others as "The Little Foxes", "The Letter", and "All About Eve".
15 people found this helpful
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Daniel Salyer
5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely a love hate relationship with this movie
Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2021
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After watching Whatever happened to Baby Jane? I wanted to go back and see Bette Davis at her start. Davis was a phenomenal actress over her long career but younger generations may not have seen her early work. With streaming all the old classics and golden age greats can be rediscovered.

Davis's role really makes the film. I have to admit I have only seen Leslie Howard in Gone with the Wind and in this film his character is fairly pathetic. Davis shines as an aggressive, cold, beauty rough around the edges with a spot on cockney accent. I found myself irritated as the film progressed, shouting at the monitor wanting Howard's character to wake up and feeling disgust for Davis's character.

In the end the movie kept my interest, perhaps not for the subject, but for the emersion into 30s cinema and to witness the start of one of Hollywood's great actresses.
2 people found this helpful
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Ala916
5.0 out of 5 stars leslie howard
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2020
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to be honest i don't know much about the history of this movie nor the actors that played in it. but i have to say that the story line was very interesting especially for how old this movie is. but man i am infatuated with leslie howard. in this movie he is so sexy to me. i cant get over it lol. and i guess in a way his character was very appealing. i also like bette davis in this movie. like i said i don't know much about the actors but i really loved the acting and wasn't bored at all. i was actually very stuck in the movie. I'm telling you I'm going to definitely watch another movie with leslie howard in it hes so fine. definitely recommend this movie to watch.
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dorothy
5.0 out of 5 stars Really GREAT!!!
Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2014
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What a Wonderful movie... So Happy I own this DVD.. Bette is SOOOOOOOO Good/Great

She Mesmerizes you thru the Whole movie . Leslie Howard is the Best actor of all of them--playing this part..

It is a great combination. Can watch this over and over and over--- Its that good..

If you love and appreciate great acting you are sure to Love this. , also if you are a Bette fan, this is a MUST!!

Bette was NOT nominated for a Best actress that yr.. Her Many fans were so upset by this that they Demanded she be.

The Academy Awards then made Bette a Write In Nominee. Bette did-not win , but she was well on her way to becoming

the Great star she became.. I cant tell you enough just how Great her acting and that of Howard is. You must see for yourselves..

When you receive this DVD, sit down and just enjoy what Real acting is. Thank You
4 people found this helpful
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Anthony Crnkovich
4.0 out of 5 stars EVEN WITH ITS ISSUES, KINO'S OF HUMAN BONDAGE IS A BIG IMPROVEMENT
Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2013
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Most who have seen it will agree that RKO's 1934 release of Somerset Maugham's OF HUMAN BONDAGE is the definitive film version of the novel. Well directed by John Cromwell, it stars Leslie Howard as a young medical student who is hopelessly infatuated with a coarse waitress, played by Bette Davis in her breakthrough performance.

Ever since the advent of home video, this movie - which was allowed to lapse into public domain decades ago - has been available only in duped, murky quality. Apparently the original camera negative is long gone, and even the best surviving 35mm prints aren't perfect. That said, Kino Lorber's Blu-ray of OF HUMAN BONDAGE, which was transferred to HD from 35mm elements held by the Library of Congress, easily beats out all previous DVD editions. There's a major improvement in sharpness and gray-range stability. As a result, details not noticeable before because of burned out whites and muddy blacks, really jump out. The downside of this transfer is that the print shows a lot of wear; white specks and scratches run through the film, and the audio, while clear, still contains some background hiss. Nevertheless, I feel the overall nice contrast level and detail clarity more than make up for any imperfections.

The extra features include an excellent documentary on Somerset Maugham and trailers for a few other films from Kino Lorber.

This is classic, vintage Davis and I, for one, am glad I upgraded on OF HUMAN BONDAGE. Highly recommended, albeit with the reservations I cited.
29 people found this helpful
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Feli-Mar Barbero
5.0 out of 5 stars arrived as expected
Reviewed in Canada on September 16, 2019
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nice movie to watchh
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Patty Watson
5.0 out of 5 stars Perceptive drama about human attachment
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 14, 2017
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Philip Carey (Leslie Howard), a man with club foot, embarks on medical school, having been told he has no aptitude for artistry. One day, when out with friends, he meets a coarse waitress named Mildred (Bette Davis). Despite her unattractive personality, her unusual but not altogether becoming looks, and her barely-disguised contempt for his physical condition, Philip falls hopefully in love with her, an attachment which she flagrantly abuses.

The 1934 film, adapted from W. Somerset Maugham’s semi-autobiographical novel, essentially plays out as a thesis on the ‘treat them mean, keep them keen’ adage. After having been burnt by Mildred once, Philip finds solace in the arms of an intelligent and kind penny romance writer Norah. However, it’s not long before Mildred comes crawling back, leading Philip’s feelings for Norah to evaporate.

Poignantly, and with the poeticism that only a writer could conjure, she reflects how it is coolness of emotion that draws on person to another, and she is bound to Philip like he is to Mildred.

Watching Philip, a character blighted by an inferiority complex due to his physical disability, repeatedly allow himself to get played by the shrewish Mildred, makes for uncomfortably viewing, something that is accentuated by Leslie Howard’s performance, adopting a lost puppy-like gaze whenever he regards Bette Davis.

For her part, Davis’ performance sadly hasn’t aged too well – it is devoid of the nuance that is favoured in modern performances (such as Amy Adams in Arrival), but kudos to for her bravery in taking such a dislikeable role. Mildred would set the standard for characters Bette Davis would go on to portray on screen, the majority being difficult women who couldn’t be tamed. And even with the differences between classic and contemporary acting styles, she still has one very effective scene, where she goes from imploring Philip to morphing into a callous harpy in the space of 10 seconds.

As someone who finds great consolation in films where the protagonist gets put through the wringer, with an eventual redemptive payoff, Of Human Bondage resonated with me. Whilst Philip’s fixation with someone who treats him so badly is infuriating to the viewer (particularly when it affects his performance at Med School), this counter-intuitive behaviour will ring true with most people.

As such, despite being released 83 years ago, Of Human Bondage contains far more emotional frankness than the wishy-washy, downright dishonest romantic films of today (I’m looking at you, Silver Linings Playbook). By the time I had finished watching, I felt I had been on a journey with our hapless protagonist. And despite the bumps, it was a journey worth making.
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Julio Reinoso
1.0 out of 5 stars Eviten comprarlo
Reviewed in Spain on January 17, 2014
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Compre este DVD por ser la primera de tres versiones y actuada magistralmente por Bette Davis. Sin embargo la calidad de la imagen es realmente mala y pobrisima. No vale la pena tratar de seguir la película en inglés en tan pobres condiciones.
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m j garfield
5.0 out of 5 stars Of Human Bomdage
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 16, 2023
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I Rated This Film Highly As Compared To Most Of My Peers.
Both Performed Their Respective Parts Admirably, With Bette Davis Winning The Harpy Award And Lets Not Forget Leslie Howard The Chump.
Damn Fine B And White Film.
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Amazon Kunde
3.0 out of 5 stars Bette Davies in Höchstform
Reviewed in Germany on May 7, 2018
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Ich habe mir den Film nur wegen Bette Davies zugelegt und wurde nicht enttäuscht. Es ist tatsächlich eine ihrer besten Rollen und sie spielt wirklich außergewöhnlich stark und vielseitig.
Das wars dann aber auch wieder. Die Geschichte ist recht langweilig und ziemlich frauenfeindlich, aber das passt zum Zeitgeist der 40er. Jede Szene ohne Bette Davies macht wenig Spaß, dafür freut man sich umso mehr, sobald sie wieder auftritt.
Qualität ist gut, es rauscht oder knackt sehr wenig und die Bilder sind ziemlich scharf.
Fazit:
Wer Bette Davies mag, gerne eine Zeitreise in die Köpfe der Menschen vor 90 Jahren macht oder alte Klassiker sammelt kann hier zugreifen. Sonst sollte man doch lieber sich andere Filme aussuchen.
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