Of the three film versions of Somerset Maugham's semi-autobiographical novel, this should have been the best, but it ended up the worst. Critics blamed Kim Novak and Laurence Harvey, but it was the attempt to 'improve' on Maugham in the script and direction that undermined it; no amount of fine acting by either of the stars could have counteracted that.
Set in England in the late 19th Century, the novel tells the story of Philip Carey, raised by his religious uncle after being born with a clubfoot and orphaned. At 18 he set off to study in Germany before trying his hand at art in Paris. Unsuccessful he returns to England to study medicine.
It is then that he meets a waitress named Mildred Rogers who rejects him in an off-hand manner, setting off an infatuation in Philip that leads to the most painful, one-sided affair in all literature. Among other insights, Maugham's masterwork is also an uncompromising dissection of unrequited love. As Maugham observed, "The love that lasts the longest is the love that is never returned". From this painful experience, Philip becomes more accepting of himself and others, and begins a satisfying relationship with another woman.
Philip's doomed attraction to Mildred only begins halfway through the novel. Filmmakers faced with condensing the whole thing into a two-hour movie, usually cut straight to the affair.
Admittedly in this version, the filmmakers did try for more of a build up before the fateful meeting. However when the meeting between Philip and Mildred does take place in a tearoom, the script tries to one-up Maugham. Kim Novak's Mildred is portrayed as far too knowing; too worldly and too aware of the effect she is having on Laurence Harvey's Philip. It's almost a come-on, the exact opposite of the put-down in the novel - it totally misses the point as to why Philip becomes entangled with Mildred.
The Mildred of Maugham's novel, and the other two film versions, is quite an obtuse person; part of Philip's dilemma is that although he does not consider Mildred his intellectual equal he still can't control his feelings for her. Anyone who had only seen this film and not read the book would have to wonder why Philip was so drawn to Mildred other than the fact that she was pretty; the critical rejection and by-play of the novel are hardly in evidence.
The film well and truly departs from Maugham when Philip goes to bed with Mildred. In the novel, Philip never goes to bed with her - it's a big part of the poor guy's problem - when he gets the chance later, circumstances are such that he no longer wants to. What were the filmmakers thinking? Was a bare Kim Novak just too strong a temptation? It totally changes the dynamic. Although Kim Novak's calm, almost ethereal quality served her well in "Vertigo", Mildred Rogers' changeable moods were probably outside her range. Nonetheless her final scenes are startling and affecting.
The last half of the film follows the book as Philip has other relationships with women including treating Siobhan McKenna's character, Nora, almost as callously as Mildred treated him. Despite his 1960's 'do, Laurence Harvey is quite believable as the overly self-conscious young man whose ego could be battered by Mildred's off-and-on attentions.
Although this version benefits from real locations and looks good, it has to disappoint anyone who has read the novel. For those who haven't, the other two film versions are closer to its spirit, but why not read the book? It may have been published in 1915 but it's still hard to put down once you've started.
Set in England in the late 19th Century, the novel tells the story of Philip Carey, raised by his religious uncle after being born with a clubfoot and orphaned. At 18 he set off to study in Germany before trying his hand at art in Paris. Unsuccessful he returns to England to study medicine.
It is then that he meets a waitress named Mildred Rogers who rejects him in an off-hand manner, setting off an infatuation in Philip that leads to the most painful, one-sided affair in all literature. Among other insights, Maugham's masterwork is also an uncompromising dissection of unrequited love. As Maugham observed, "The love that lasts the longest is the love that is never returned". From this painful experience, Philip becomes more accepting of himself and others, and begins a satisfying relationship with another woman.
Philip's doomed attraction to Mildred only begins halfway through the novel. Filmmakers faced with condensing the whole thing into a two-hour movie, usually cut straight to the affair.
Admittedly in this version, the filmmakers did try for more of a build up before the fateful meeting. However when the meeting between Philip and Mildred does take place in a tearoom, the script tries to one-up Maugham. Kim Novak's Mildred is portrayed as far too knowing; too worldly and too aware of the effect she is having on Laurence Harvey's Philip. It's almost a come-on, the exact opposite of the put-down in the novel - it totally misses the point as to why Philip becomes entangled with Mildred.
The Mildred of Maugham's novel, and the other two film versions, is quite an obtuse person; part of Philip's dilemma is that although he does not consider Mildred his intellectual equal he still can't control his feelings for her. Anyone who had only seen this film and not read the book would have to wonder why Philip was so drawn to Mildred other than the fact that she was pretty; the critical rejection and by-play of the novel are hardly in evidence.
The film well and truly departs from Maugham when Philip goes to bed with Mildred. In the novel, Philip never goes to bed with her - it's a big part of the poor guy's problem - when he gets the chance later, circumstances are such that he no longer wants to. What were the filmmakers thinking? Was a bare Kim Novak just too strong a temptation? It totally changes the dynamic. Although Kim Novak's calm, almost ethereal quality served her well in "Vertigo", Mildred Rogers' changeable moods were probably outside her range. Nonetheless her final scenes are startling and affecting.
The last half of the film follows the book as Philip has other relationships with women including treating Siobhan McKenna's character, Nora, almost as callously as Mildred treated him. Despite his 1960's 'do, Laurence Harvey is quite believable as the overly self-conscious young man whose ego could be battered by Mildred's off-and-on attentions.
Although this version benefits from real locations and looks good, it has to disappoint anyone who has read the novel. For those who haven't, the other two film versions are closer to its spirit, but why not read the book? It may have been published in 1915 but it's still hard to put down once you've started.