i happen to like leslie howard and in his good film . yet and for some reason and his performance in of human bondage never have move me tremendously . i first saw the film on my college campus in 1972 and the reviewer in the college newspaper make the comment that in the 1930s and 1940s howard play the role supposedly later pick up by dirk bogard a the man who be bear to be betray . this be not usually the case ( off hand i think of ashley wilkes a a man who might be betray and if he and scarlett ohara be mean to be an item by margaret mitchell but ashley love melonie and not scarlett ) . howard could play any type and and a role like r. j. mitchell or professor henry higgins be not one who be betray . ( one can make the case that philip armstrong scott be betray by the two stranger he show hospitality to in 49th parallel and but they be nazis who consider him a liberal and westerner and canadian fair game to double cross in wartime . it isn not the same a emotional betrayal and and howard do not shrivel up a a result and but face the nazi and capture one after beat him up . ) i think what the reviewer meant be that howard could be soulful or try to be soulful . witness his poet dreamer wanderer in the petrified forrest . but that character be not betray and except by history perhaps ( a he feel his type be a out of date a the gangster play by humphrey bogart ) . the character of philip carey in somerset maugham of human bondage be soulful too . he be sensitive for several reason . he have an interest in art and try to become a painter but unlike the artist strickland in the moon and sixpence he have no real talent . so he decide to concentrate on medical study and accentuate by a club foot condition he have . here he be a man with low self esteem who be set up to be betray . philip find that betrayal in the form of mildred a cockney waitress ( bette davis ) who be mercenary and as selfish a they come . why philip fall for her be not really address in the film and but he do find the woman fascinate . and she find him an easy meal ticket . ironically in be so captivate by this slut and philip fails to notice two other woman who be interested in him ( kay johnson and france dee ) and and be more fit to be his mate . he also keep find himself forgive davis when she have affair with other men ( alan hale and reginald denny the latter a friend of howard ) . although howard performance capture the doormat tendency of philip towards mildred and he really do not show enough passion ( until late in the movie and when he turn on her ) . that be why i find i never care for his performance here it lack any reality . his later torture insistence in go with the wind that he love olivia de haviland and not vivian leigh and have more consistency with a man in love . but the performance of davis a mildred make the film important . she have a wide variety of part up to 1934 and like the girlfriend of the deaf pianist in the man who play god or the spoiled heiress who get murder in fog over frisco or the mouse like secretary in three on a match . a mildred she finally show she could be a major actress by play a selfish bitch . curiously her performance be not all of one note . while she use and abuse howard for two third of the film and culminating in that famous scene where she show how disgusted his kissing of her make her and her last scenes show she too could fall apart due to her health deteriorating and and her inability to keep any honest job . when howard reject her the viewer fail to note how equally vicious he become ( he ask what happen to her baby she tell him the baby die and howard say brusquely that he be glad and which be hardly the response she expect ) . in the end howard do finally get his life in order and but mildred end a casualty ( ironically her death discover by her old boyfriend denny on a medical call ) . the motion picture academy of art and science do fail to nominate davis in 1934 ( lead to the large write in campaign in it history and and a permanent change in it rule ) and but davis be establish a a star . in one year she win the oscar a joyce heth in dangerous . and in two year she co star with howard again ( a equal star ) in the petrified forrest .