Joshua Reviews John Cromwell’s Of Human Bondage [Blu-ray Review]

With a new adaptation of the legendary novel “The Great Gatsby” still playing in theaters around the world, the world has put the spotlight back on various classic novels and their big screen adaptations. Be it the various previous adaptations of Fitzgerald’s breathtaking work or a film like Wuthering Heights (which recently finally got a fantastic Blu-ray release from Oscilloscope), the film and literary worlds have bred some of the greatest pieces of visual narrative ever.

One classic that has seen new life on Blu-ray is John Cromwell’s great adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham’s novel, “Of Human Bondage.” Best known for the fiery lead performance from star Bette Davis, Kino has finally brought the film to Blu-ray in a great new restoration, and it’s an absolute must-own.

Davis stars here as a woman named Mildred, a waitress who catches the eye of a med student named Philip, played here by Leslie Howard. What follows is the deconstruction of a troubled relationship that is as cruel as it is loving, a film that is part drama and part meditation on the disintegration that comes with giving your entire life over to a person you love.

While Davis’ career would sky rocket after this picture, Howard is absolutely fantastic here. Holding within his character the sole sense of dramatic weight, he’s forced to do a great deal of heavy lifting, and it’s all absolutely felt here. He gets to read from a top notch script from Lester Cohen, who was able to carry over to his screenplay much of the novel’s inherent drama, and Howard himself is really able to get into the core of what his character truly is. He is absolutely captivated by this woman, and even in moments where it looks as though he’s being discarded by the woman, there is still a hook in his heart, one that not only will leave him always coming back, but one that, to anyone who has ever truly been in love, knows exists in every deep relationship.

That said, Davis is the film’s real star. She plays a truly vile character with such little judgment that she not only truly embodies this character, but seems to get at what fuels her.  A character that, in the subsequent two adaptations of the novel, has been fodder for some of the most grating and cartoonishly dull performances one could imagine, Davis adds life as well as some much needed empathy to a truly evil woman. The viewer is equal parts turned off and turned on by her, making the relationship with Philip seem real and in many ways vital. An Oscar-snubbed performance, this may very well be Davis’ defining performance, and it’s one hell of a furious performance to be known for.

Director Cromwell also brings a lot to the picture, primarily a dour tone that adds a lot to the emotional core. The film itself weaves a tale of a man so infatuated with a woman that, despite being in other committed relationships, can never shake her even after seeing things like her openly admit to flirting (and ultimately leaving with) his best friend. This intense emotional turmoil is a tough thing to bring to the big screen without leaning over the edge of melodrama, but Cromwell is able to bring not only some occasional aesthetic flourishes, but a sense of tone and mood that is so thrilling, the film becomes a perfectly potent melodrama.

Overall, while the film itself does feel slightly aesthetically dated (for many years, it’s been readily available in various low-fidelity versions thanks to its status as being in public domain), it’s a powerful relationship drama that blends a powerful pair of lead performances that are as equally full of life as the melodramatic narrative.

And as mentioned above, it’s been a public domain picture since the early 60s, so this Blu-ray may very well be the best the film has looked since its debut in 1934. Kino’s Blu-ray looks and sounds absolutely stellar (unlike their new release of the Davis-starring Hell’s House, which finds issues in the source print to be too great to really overcome) and finds new life thanks to this restoration. The film was preserved by the Library Of Congress, and this print comes mastered from that print, and while it has its issues, it’s a rather fantastic restoration. The release also comes with an insightful documentary on the novel’s author, entitled Revealing Mr. Maugham, so fans of the picture will find a bit of context thanks to this really great new Blu-ray release.