The 1946 version of Of Human Bondage is extremely sanitized, so if you're a fan of the book or the seedy story you've learned about from the other versions, you won't like this one. I stuck with it to appreciate Eleanor Parker's acting. It took guts to try and fill Bette Davis's shoes, and while Eleanor was far too beautiful, sweet, and classy for the role, she did her best. This was early on in her career, and she tried all sorts of roles and accents to show Hollywood what she could do.
Paul Henreid took on Leslie Howard's role, again taking a risk since Leslie's death was probably still fresh in audiences's minds. While he didn't really do anything wrong, the script didn't give him enough to do. When you watch this version, you're very aware that everyone is walking on eggshells, trying not to upset the Production Code. His character is just a regular guy who has a few romances, rather than a tormented artist who enjoys being tortured by a cruel prostitute. Alexis Smith and Janis Paige are the other women in his life, and once again, everything feels very sanitized. There's no depth to the screenplay - but in 1946 it's understandable. At that time, no one had any idea when the Production Code would be dismantled (if ever) and so it wasn't practical to shelve the remake for another time. However, instead of doing a remake, why didn't Hollywood just make a movie about a mild-mannered fellow with three women in his life? You can check this version out if you want to, and you'll see Edmund Gwenn, Patric Knowles, Henry Stephenson, and Una O'Connor, but it's really nothing like the book.
Paul Henreid took on Leslie Howard's role, again taking a risk since Leslie's death was probably still fresh in audiences's minds. While he didn't really do anything wrong, the script didn't give him enough to do. When you watch this version, you're very aware that everyone is walking on eggshells, trying not to upset the Production Code. His character is just a regular guy who has a few romances, rather than a tormented artist who enjoys being tortured by a cruel prostitute. Alexis Smith and Janis Paige are the other women in his life, and once again, everything feels very sanitized. There's no depth to the screenplay - but in 1946 it's understandable. At that time, no one had any idea when the Production Code would be dismantled (if ever) and so it wasn't practical to shelve the remake for another time. However, instead of doing a remake, why didn't Hollywood just make a movie about a mild-mannered fellow with three women in his life? You can check this version out if you want to, and you'll see Edmund Gwenn, Patric Knowles, Henry Stephenson, and Una O'Connor, but it's really nothing like the book.