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Of Human Bondage (1946)
I feel this 1946 remake is just as unforgettable as the incomparable 1934 masterpiece with Bette Davis.
The only negative I can find was casting Paul Henreid as Philip Carey. A very fine actor without doubt, but it just didn't seem to me that he was Philip Carey. But as for Mildred Rogers, I honestly don't think ANYONE could have handled the part better than Eleanor Parker - including Ms. Davis!
In fairness to the original classic (1934), one has to realize that there had been no precedent to build it on, nor the enhanced movie technology, equipment, and expertise that 12 subsequent years could bring to fruition. To not keep this is mind is simply unfair.
In very brief summary, I honestly would vote both the original of 1934 and Eleanor Parker's remake of 1946 equally remarkable and unforgettable.
We all love Nora, Thorpe Athelny and Sally for their kindness, benevolence and inherent virtues, yet - after it's all over and the curtain has dropped, "Mildred Lives."
The Creature Walks Among Us (1956)
A treasure from a classic time capsule
Uniquely unlike the first two Creature films, this one is set apart in its own gloom. While it seemed to have been the lowest graded version of the three, I find it in some ways the best. As the second and final "remake," it had to branch out somewhat, and I believe it did so with merit and credibility.
Shadowed with the gloomy backdrop of Dr. Barton's troubled marriage, his paranoia about his wife's flirtation with the deck-hand while our scary title character stalks around unhappily as the post-op air-breathing humanoid, this final effort includes a psychological / philosophical leaning that sets it apart
Beyond this, the plastic surgery component of the screenplay further differentiates it, as it morphs into a more modern-day Frankenstein take. Noteworthy as an ending is the death of Barton at the hands of his morphed creature, followed by "Blackie's" own suicide.
Perhaps lost now without much notice, the film is still a gem. When you have forgotten hundreds of movies you saw after 1956, while remembering ones like this, perhaps that says something.
Of Human Bondage (1934)
A timeless and haunting masterpiece
This movie is as fascinating as it is timeless. The movie itself motivated me to buy and read W. Somerset Maugham's novel from beginning to end.
Both this 1934 original and the 1946 remake with Eleanor Parker are treasures, and while the remake was essentially a reproduction of the earlier version, that makes it no less intriguing for me.
While this original (and the 1946 remake) primarily encapsulate Philip's eventful and traumatic encounter with Mildred Rogers, this episode only comprises about 40 percent of the pages of Maugham's 1915 masterpiece. The episode, however, effects Philip to the very end.
The screenplay was adopted from the book with some modifications for a happier ending, while being very faithful to the essence of Maugham's dynamic characters, taking many of Mildred's cockney'd lines ("I don't mind") verbatim. In the movie versions Philip's clubfoot is healed through surgery, but in Maugham's novel he seems to bear the handicap to the end, although an operation to correct it was attempted without apparent success.
You can't leave this movie (or the book) unchanged, and I am grateful to have experienced it. As for Mildred, we have in life met her, all of us. And perhaps - in one way or another - we are all Philip.
The Mummy (1959)
One of the best Hammer classics ever made. The best of the "Mummys"
This was the best of all the "Mummy" movies ever made. It was crafted with the finesse so lacking today. Regrettably, it the sort of film most likely to be dismissed, because it wasn't made in the 1930's or recent times.
Lee's Kharis was incredible, and very scary, esp. with his first appearance.
Great movie. All the characters were very well cast and directed. This had the same quality as the previous two Hammer remakes, on Frankenstein, and Dracula.
Unfortunately, what would follow in the years to come would not have the same quality.