Overview
A poignant exploration of love, loss, and the struggle for self-acceptance in a turbulent world.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- intimate
- brooding
- classic cinema night
- literary adaptation viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly praise the film as an atmospheric and lifelike literary adaptation elevated by Leslie Howard’s sensitive performance and Bette Davis’s forceful portrayal.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Philip repeatedly accepts Mildred back after abandonment, betrayal, and destruction of his finances.
Philip’s club foot and surgery accompany his struggle to overcome the belief that he is destined for mediocrity.
John Cromwell’s tightly controlled direction and lifelike atmosphere foreground Philip’s obsessive attachment rather than spectacle.
The film depicts infidelity, pregnancy, manipulation, and destructive sexual dependency within the pre-code Hollywood tradition.
Films like Of Human Bondage, and why
The Letter
Shared pre-code romantic drama, destructive obsession, and emotionally corrosive unrequited love.
Jezebel
Shared literary melodrama, psychologically complex romantic entanglement, and morally difficult central woman.
The Earrings of Madame de...
Shared period romance, social dependency, and a vulnerable protagonist trapped by one-sided attachment.
Movie Details
- Director
- John Cromwell
- Release Date
- 1934-07-20
- Runtime
- 83 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (143)
Cast
- Leslie Howard
- Bette Davis
- Frances Dee
- Kay Johnson
- Reginald Denny
- Alan Hale
- Reginald Sheffield
- Reginald Owen
- Desmond Roberts
- Harry Allen
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, Brew, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, YouTube TV, MGM Plus, FlixFling, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Troma NOW
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, FlixFling
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, FlixFling
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Of Human Bondage about?
- A sensitive medical student’s consuming devotion to a manipulative waitress turns romantic longing into a portrait of self-destruction.
- What is Of Human Bondage like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Of Human Bondage as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Of Human Bondage violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Of Human Bondage as mild.
- What did critics think of Of Human Bondage?
- Critics broadly praise the film as an atmospheric and lifelike literary adaptation elevated by Leslie Howard’s sensitive performance and Bette Davis’s forceful portrayal.
- Which films are like Of Human Bondage?
- Films with a similar feel include The Letter, Jezebel, and The Earrings of Madame de....
- How long is Of Human Bondage?
- Of Human Bondage runs 83 minutes.
- Where can I watch Of Human Bondage?
- In United States, Of Human Bondage streams on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, Brew, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, YouTube TV, MGM Plus, FlixFling, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Troma NOW.
