Early in Of Human Bondage, Philip Carey (Leslie Howard) receives the assessment “You will never be anything but mediocre.” Shortly after, Mildred Rogers is described as “anemic … ill-natured and contemptible.” Neither character does anything to challenge these evaluations. Carey, particularly, seems unable to rise above his failings; he was born with a physical disability—a clubfoot—but his real issue appears to be a…

It’s easy to gauge how involved I am with a movie—I start wanting to physically lash out at someone on screen. Leslie Howard provokes just that reaction in his portrayal of the unfortunate "Philip," who is infatuated with the unpleasant, manipulative "Mildred"—played by Bette Davis (who seems to have had a questionable English representative). Their interactions are surprisingly good. She’s cruel to him, but he repea…