Of Human Bondage (1934)

A medical student (Leslie Howard) becomes infatuated with a tawdry manipulative guttersnipe (Bette Davis). But as cruel as she is to him, he can't help but take her back each time she comes into his life. The actress Gena Rowlands once recalled in an interview, when as a young girl, how astonished she was the first time she saw Davis's performance. That she'd never seen anything so raw and visceral before. One can only imagine the impact of Davis's performance on 1934 audiences used to the ladylike acting of Norma Shearer, Janet Gaynor and Kay Francis. Davis let it all hang out, exposing the very rot of her mean spirited viper. After all the mediocre parts Warners was giving her, it took this loan out to RKO to show them what they were doing wrong though it would take a few more years before Warners wised up. Based on the 1915 W. Somerset Maugham novel (which was filmed again in 1946 and 1964), it also contains one of Howard's better film performances. There are still those who question why he keeps taking her back after her continuous mistreatment but haven't we all seen those inequitable relationships in real life? The film indicates his embarrassment over his club foot and self doubt leave him with a sense of inferiority that perhaps he feels he's not good enough for anyone else. Neatly directed by John Cromwell. With pretty Frances Dee, Kay Johnson and Reginald Denny.