A Free Soul (1931)
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Stephen Ashe (Lionel Barrymore), an upper class alcoholic defense attorney, successfully defends local mobster Ace Wilfong (Clark Gable) in a murder case. After his daughter Jan Ashe (Norma Shearer) breaks her engagement to polo player Dwight Winthrop (Leslie Howard) and starts an affair with Wilfong, she finds that the liason is not easily severed when she wants out. Winthrop earns Miss Ashe's true affections by killing Wilfong to break his grip on her. Now the question is, can Stephen Ashe save Winthrop with an impassioned defense speech to the jury?
- Actors:
- Norma Shearer, Leslie Howard, Lionel Barrymore, James Gleason, Clark Gable, Lucy Beaumont
- Directors:
- Clarence Brown
- Writers:
- Adela Rogers St. Johns, John Meehan
- Aka:
- Free Souls
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama, Romance
- Collections:
- Oscar Nominations Competition 2023
- Awards:
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Reviews (2) of A Free Soul
tosspot? - A Free Soul review by rm
does the synopsis mean to call him a tosspot? does it mean hotshot? surely this needs rewriting....................................?????????????
High Society. - A Free Soul review by Steve
This offers an insight into the lives of rich sophisticates in thirties America; a celebrated and entitled -but alcoholic- lawyer (Lionel Barrymore) and his reckless, free spirited daughter (Norma Shearer). It is interesting that with fascism gaining influence in America and Europe, MGM gave us heroes who see themselves as above the law and normal standards of behaviour.
Barrymore successfully defends a prohibition gangster (Clark Gable) from a murder rap and Shearer falls in love with him and his expensive lifestyle. And if that's starting to look like an impressive cast, there's Leslie Howard second billed as a well heeled polo star in love with Norma. They stand around expensive apartments in swanky clothes drinking cocktails as their laissez faire decadence reaps a whirlwind.
Barrymore won the best actor Oscar and Shearer was nominated, which is a bit of a stretch. They give stilted, mannered performances. Much of the problem is in the direction of Clarence Brown who abandons his stars to lengthy long or medium shots, like actors on a stage. Brown's work got nominated too and he became a star director of soaps at MGM.
The main interest in A Free Soul today is to see Norma Shearer, a huge star of the early talkies, and the frivolous precode hedonism. The film opens with a discussion on Norma's scanty lingerie. The writing is unpolished, the sound is poor and it has a flat, uninteresting look. But it's fascinating to hear what Hollywood was talking about before the censors took over. And to see the costume design, by Adrian.