I’ve no idea if Mildred Rogers, the tragic character created by W. Somerset Maugham in his 1915 novel, was a reflection of a woman he knew or observed first-hand or a type of person he’d heard or read about.  Either way I know this is the kind of tale that would never be re-made today. The 1964 film version (i.e., the only one of the three adaptations I’ve seen) is a drag to sit through. Kim Novak‘s Mildred is so relentlessly self destructive, and so weirdly incomprehensible. This is one depressing, downish, nihilistic film. But even if someone re-made it, not even the most clueless marketing exec would approve copy like you see on this poster. The culture of ’64 was just sexist and crusty enough to use this, which of course was a reflection of male attitudes about femme fatales. I was just..I don’t know, taken aback when I saw it.