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Of Human Bondage (1934)
American pre-Code drama.
A young man finds himself attracted to a cold and unfeeling waitress who may ultimately destroy them both.
Bette Davis wanted the role of Mildred Rodgers because she thought it would be her breakout role after years of starring in films that were getting her nowhere. She begged Warner Brothers studio chief Jack L. Warner to let her out of her contract so she could make the film. He relented because he was sure she would fail; but, when her performance sparked talk of an Oscar, Warner began a spite campaign by encouraging academy members not to vote for her.
At the time, the voting campaigns and the tabulation of the results were handled by the heads of the academy (of which Warner had a membership) and it worked in his favor when Davis was left out of the Best Actress competition. Supporters of Davis, shocked by her omission, petitioned the academy for a write-in vote. She was added to the nominees as a write-in but she lost to Claudette Colbert for her performance in It Happened One Night (1934).
As a result of this incident, write-in votes were henceforth disallowed. Also, as a result of Warner’s coup, the academy decided to change its voting practices and hand over the counting of the results to the independent accounting firm of PriceWaterhouse, who still does the official counting to this day.
Of Human Bondage is widely regarded by critics as the film that made Bette Davis a star.
The screenplay by Lester Cohen is based on the 1915 novel Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham
The opening shot of the film, before the title appears, shows the Eiffel Tower at dusk just as lights come on to spell out the word “CITROEN” in huge letters. The French car company, Citroen, paid to have this nightly advertisement on the tower from 1925 to 1934. It was made of 250,000 lights and was reportedly visible for 20 miles. When Citroen encountered financial difficulties in 1934, the contract was not renewed, and the lights were removed. Modern day audiences are often surprised to learn that the Eiffel Tower was ever used for advertising.
| Directed by | John Cromwell |
|---|---|
| Screenplay by | Lester Cohen |
| Based on | Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham |
| Produced by | Pandro S. Berman |
| Starring | Leslie Howard Bette Davis Frances Dee |
| Cinematography | Henry W. Gerrard |
| Edited by | William Morgan |
| Music by | Max Steiner |
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Production
company |
RKO Radio Pictures
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| Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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83 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $403,000 |
| Box office | $592,000 |
