If you read through the IMDB trivia section on this movie, it has all the marks of an utter disaster. First, the original director walked off the film. Second, the film sat for a long time before finally being released. Third, various folks associated with the movie apparently hated each other. Add to that something not mentioned there, that it's a remake of Bette Davis' most famous role, and you have a recipe for disaster...a film that lost a lot of money and certainly was hated by some of the folks who made it! Perhaps you'd just be better off watching the original 1934 version of the Somerset Maugham story.
Philip (Laurence Harvey) is a medical student whose future looks promising. However, after he meets a very common sort of woman working in a restaurant, he becomes incredibly smitten with Mildred (Kim Novak)...even though, apart from her beauty, she has nothing positive to offer him....and she often berates him and uses him. But Philip is a bit of a putz...and time and again, after she mistreats him and he leaves, he only comes back like a lost and needy puppy.
The original casting for the film back in 1934 was much better. It was more believable to have Leslie Howard play Philip, as Harvey is awfully pretty to behave the way he did. And, while I think Kim Novak is a lovely actress, here she simply isn't a match for Bette Davis...but who is?!
So despite all its deficiencies is the film any good? Well, yes, as the original story is interesting and even a mediocre remake is doing to be watchable. Plus, it was more adult and explicit (keeping closer to the original story) due to the prior film coming out just after the tough Production Code was enacted. Worth seeing...but I still prefer the older version.
Philip (Laurence Harvey) is a medical student whose future looks promising. However, after he meets a very common sort of woman working in a restaurant, he becomes incredibly smitten with Mildred (Kim Novak)...even though, apart from her beauty, she has nothing positive to offer him....and she often berates him and uses him. But Philip is a bit of a putz...and time and again, after she mistreats him and he leaves, he only comes back like a lost and needy puppy.
The original casting for the film back in 1934 was much better. It was more believable to have Leslie Howard play Philip, as Harvey is awfully pretty to behave the way he did. And, while I think Kim Novak is a lovely actress, here she simply isn't a match for Bette Davis...but who is?!
So despite all its deficiencies is the film any good? Well, yes, as the original story is interesting and even a mediocre remake is doing to be watchable. Plus, it was more adult and explicit (keeping closer to the original story) due to the prior film coming out just after the tough Production Code was enacted. Worth seeing...but I still prefer the older version.