Of Human Bondage (1934)
Director: John Cromwell
Starring: Bette Davis, Leslie Howard, Frances Dee
Synopsis:
A failed artist starts to study medicine and becomes entangled with a capricious waitress.
Impressions:
I'm clearly missing something. This movie comes fairly highly rated and it's even said to be Bette Davis' star-making role. She even got an Oscar nom (albeit one under complicated circumstances). For me, at least, the 83-minute runtime felt more like a three-hour epic of banality. The movie just didn't click with me. Davis' character is thoroughly unlikeable (part of the point) but not in a particularly entertaining or interesting way. I didn't care in the slightest about the main character, who continues his self-destructive on-again, off-again relationship which is the equivalent of watching someone slam his hand in the door over and over again. Yes, the elements here could in theory be interesting, but I wasn't invested in the characters, so hearing them drone on about their stupid problems was nothing but a drag for me. However, with respect to the high regard other people hold for the film, I'll give it a bit of a bump in the ratings. It didn't work for me, but maybe it'll work for you.
50/50