come shortly before the imposition of a morality code darken the spirit of writer and director and actor and the first film adaptation of w. somerset maugham of human bondage titillate countless moviegoer . it have no shock value today and just fine act . while the cast be excellent and this be bette davis first great role and one of leslie howard best performance . howard be english wannabe parisian artist philip carey who be gently and firmly tell that he lack any talent and that his dedication be no substitute for true genius . take the lesson to heart he return to london and enrolls in a medical college ( one and by the way and that seem to have no female student at that time there would have be at least a few . perhaps author or physician maugham do not care for distaff medico ) . have tea one day carey be entrance by a waitress and mildred rogers and bette davis in a role a a morally loose and basically wicked farrago . her cockney accent be as sharp a eliza doolittle . his repeated attempt to date her be greet with the less than enthusiastic reply and i do not mind and a sure sign for any man with his head screw on straight that he plumb the depth . maugham mildred supplement her waitress tip with a bit of old fashioned street walking and something not clearly bring out here . carey besotted prostration serf rogers avaricious need for support of the financial kind . he be desperately in love with her she play him a a sunday church organist effortlessly ply her instrument . no sex here . recognize that he be get nowhere and he begin a chaste relationship with norah and a woman who adore him . re enter mildred and replete with a baby and and in her usual need of be take care of . exit heartbroken norah . another separation from mildred and carey begin a long term friendship with sally and abet enthusiastically by her dad who seem to view eventual marriage a both a good thing for the two young people and a chance to be relieve of one of his nine offspring . the movie reasonably but not entirely follow maugham excellent novel . howard carey be naive and vulnerable and for much of the movie his sad eye remind one of a doe face a double barreled shotgun . mildred be unrestrainedly wicked and a user of the bad kind and her sole preoccupation with her own need barely disguise when she try to wheedle carey with a thin patina of affectionate word ( and offer at one point she promise she will do anything [ he ] want and a daring statement for the time and one i be sure audience fully understood . pre code it may be but mildred quick march dissolution would have satisfy the league of catholic decency . the end be conventional sin loses and principled behavior triumph . director john cromwell work excellent performance from his two main star and one well establish and the other establish largely because of this film . the atmosphere be 1930s london and the trip back in time be worth take . available on dvd . positive ( for davis and howard performance ) .