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Of Human Bondage

Play trailer Poster for Of Human Bondage Released Sep 23, 1964 1h 38m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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50% Tomatometer 6 Reviews 52% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Adapted from W. Somerset Maugham's novel, this saga of unrequited love follows club-footed English art student Philip Carey (Laurence Harvey) in his quest to win the love of slatternly waitress Mildred Rogers (Kim Novak), a vulgar beauty who holds Philip's deformity in contempt. Giving up art for medicine and vowing to shake his unhealthy obsession with Mildred, Philip romances a supportive writer -- but when pregnant and abandoned Mildred appears, Philip's self-destructive feelings return.
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Of Human Bondage

Critics Reviews

View All (6) Critics Reviews
Variety Staff Variety Allowing for the fact that Bryan Forbes’ screenplay is light on humor, Harvey nevertheless plays the role in such a stiff, martyred manner as to forfeit any sympathy or liking in the audience. Mar 26, 2009 Full Review A.H. Weiler New York Times Time has not paled his incisive, brooding and anguished quasi-biography. But the current adaptation merely evolves as a surface, stoic old-fashioned tale...in which lip service substitutes for the truly poignant, self-revelatory story from which it stems. May 9, 2005 Full Review Elizabeth Hardwick Vogue [A] desperate [remake]... Old, vicious Bette Davis and weak, love-enslaved Leslie Howard hover, ghosts on the TV screen. Jun 20, 2023 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Though Kim Novak is not Bette Davis, this third version of Maugham's popular book is more truthful to the literay source, maintaining its realistic tone and sordid ending. Rated: B- Feb 29, 2012 Full Review Steve Crum Video-Reviewmaster.com Remake of Bette Davis classic is OK. Rated: 3/5 Jun 8, 2005 Full Review Brian Webster Apollo Guide Rated: 79/100 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (16) audience reviews
Steve D Probably the weakest version but still ok. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/26/24 Full Review Deke P I saw this on tv set, yars ... decades ago... & I remember I thot it was eggselent. & I was exceedingly smitten by Kim Novak. Hubba hubba. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/13/23 Full Review Audience Member costumes suck this is the worst version of this Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Kim Novak is gorgeous, though miscast, and there is a beautiful score by Ron Goodwin, but the film is wooden and dull. This third film adaptation of the novel is cold and sterile, resulting in the the audience being forced to watch a doomed romance where you don't really care about the characters involved. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member It's worth it for Kim Novak and Laurence Harvey. It really is melodramatic and at times hard to watch due to the content. The performances of the main leads are the best but it's played out without much substance. It isn't all bad and has it's moments but not worth it unless you really are fans of either of the main leads... Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member My e-mail vassilijean@yahoo.fr , my address : Jean KHOURY 7 rue LEON BLUM 67000 STRASBOURG FRANCE I would like to see "OF HUMAN BONDAGE". I saw it, 40 years ago, in Alexandria (EGYPT). I am fond of NOVAK and HARVEY interpretation. Jean Khoury Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Of Human Bondage

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Adapted from W. Somerset Maugham's novel, this saga of unrequited love follows club-footed English art student Philip Carey (Laurence Harvey) in his quest to win the love of slatternly waitress Mildred Rogers (Kim Novak), a vulgar beauty who holds Philip's deformity in contempt. Giving up art for medicine and vowing to shake his unhealthy obsession with Mildred, Philip romances a supportive writer -- but when pregnant and abandoned Mildred appears, Philip's self-destructive feelings return.
Director
Bryan Forbes, Ken Hughes
Producer
James Woolf
Screenwriter
Bryan Forbes
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co
Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 23, 1964, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2009
Runtime
1h 38m
Sound Mix
Mono
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