Plot Summary - "One Who Loves, One Who Is Loved" - - Precode soap opera starring Leslie Howard as Philip Carey, a London medical student with a club foot who becomes smitten with a low-class, rather cold young waitress named Mildred (Bette Davis). She treats him quite badly, but he just keeps asking her out, taking her to the theatre, buying her champagne - she doesn't exactly hide her distaste for him and says stuff like "If you don't take me out, someone else will" (she later calls him a "cripple"). Meanwhile cheap little Mildred is busy flirting with a rich, older customer (Alan Hale) at the restaurant where shes works. But obsessed Philip just can't get her out of his head, he fails his midterms, and he's so lovestruck he buys a ring and asks her to marry him - Mildred already has plans to marry the rival man, most likely 'cause he's in the money. Philip tries to forget her and gets himself a new girlfriend, Norah, who truly loves him. But one day Mildred comes crying back to him, pregnant and abandoned by her man, a cad who never did marry her. Believe it or not, Philip leaves Norah as he's still in love with Mildred, a user to the core - she's complete poison to him. Philip starts to become disgusted with her as he sees more and more of her behavior and Mildred's life takes off on a real downward spiral.
Review - This is an excellent film with an interesting and quite melodramatic story, based on the novel by W. Somerset Maugham. The acting is absolutely top-notch in this - Leslie Howard perfection as the sensitive, sappy, infatuated man - and Bette Davis gives a riveting and memorable performance, she really lets her hair down and makes this film a great one. This film includes the famous scene where she says to Howard's character "I wiped my mouth" after he kissed her. Now, I really have to question why any man (or woman) would put up with the sort of treatment that he gets from the woman he is with - but, obviously, that's the point of the whole plot here. I just kept thinking "why oh why doesn't he just give her up and seek to be with someone who cares for him". He's also living on limited funds, but he continues to buys things for her and take care of her - she gives nothing back but abusive disdain. A really good film, don't miss this one. Rating - 10/10 stars
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