FAQ

Clubfooted medical student Philip Carey (Paul Henreid) falls for Cockney waitress Mildred Rogers (Eleanor Parker). Even though she scorns him, makes fun of him, and goes off with his friends, it is he to whom she turns whenever she is in need, and he always helps her out because he's 'a gentleman in every sense of the word'. However, Philip's obsession with Mildred affects his health, his personal relationships, his job, and his ability to tend to his medical studies, to the point where he even considers suicide.

Of Human Bondage is also a 1915 novel by British playwright W. Somerset Maugham [1874-1965]. The novel was adapted for the movie by American screenwriter Catherine Turney. This was the second of three movies based on Maugham's novel, preceded by Of Human Bondage (1934) (1934) and followed by Of Human Bondage (1964) (1964).

Philip survives his bout of pneumonia and, come spring, he is able to pay a visit to the Athelnys but finds Athelny (Edmund Gwenn) acting a bit uncordial. Hearing that Philip has been ill, has dropped out of medical school, and needs a job, Athelny offers to introduce him to the buyer where he works. Philip thanks him and goes back to Harry Griffith's (Patric Knowles) apartment. He takes Harry's medical bag with the intent of killing himself but is stopped when Harry wakes up. Harry surmises that Philip is still obsessed with Mildred, so he takes him to the hospital where Mildred is on her deathbed, her baby having died a month earlier. Philip returns to Athelny's house to find out why he was acting uncordial. Athelny blames it on a family problem...the fact that his eldest daughter Sally (Janis Paige) has for a long time had a crush on Philip, went to his house last Christmas to invite him for dinner, and heard about his wife and baby. Philip assures Athelny that he wasn't married and that the child was not his and asks Athelny to tell that to Sally. In the final scene, for the first time feeling in control of his life, Philip asks Sally to marry him.