Known for his plays, novels and short stories, including "Of Human Bondage," "The Razor's Edge," and "The Painted Veil," W. Somerset Maugham was immensely popular in his day, drawing the ire of high-brow critics, although today many of his works are considered masterpieces.
In WWI, he worked for the British Secret Services and also pursued a medical career for a time, drawing on his experiences for his literary works, particularly with regard to the workings classes. "I was in contact with what I most wanted, life in the raw". "I saw how men died. I saw how they bore pain. I saw what hope looked like, fear and relief; I saw the dark lines that despair drew on a face."
Recorded before a live audience at the Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles in April of 2010.
Directed by Jeanie Hackett
Kate Burton as Constance Middleton
Rosalind Ayres as Barbara Fawcett
Mark Capri as Bentley/Mortimer Durham
Stephen Collins as Bernard Kersal
John de Lancie as John Middleton, F.R.C.S.
Jen Dede as Marie-Louise Durham
Christina Pickles as Mrs. Culver
Kirsten Potter as Martha Culver
