A Free Soul (1931)

An alcoholic lawyer who successfully defended a notorious gambler on a murder charge objects when his free-spirited daughter becomes romantically involved with him.

Director:

Clarence Brown

Writers:

Adela Rogers St. Johns (book), John Meehan (dialogue continuity),

Stars:

Norma Shearer, Leslie Howard, Lionel Barrymore

Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Norma Shearer	...	Jan Ashe
Leslie Howard	...	Dwight Winthrop
Lionel Barrymore	...	Stephen Ashe
James Gleason	...	Eddie
Clark Gable	...	Ace Wilfong
Lucy Beaumont	...	Grandma Ashe

Storyline

Stephen Ashe, an upper class alcoholic defense attourney, successfully defends local mobster Ace Wilfong in a murder case. After his daughter Jan Ashe breaks her engagement to polo player Dwight Winthrop 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?

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Plot Keywords:

murder | alcoholic | engagement | lawyer | polo player | 

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Taglines:

A Free Woman With A Free Soul

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 June 1931 (USA)

Also Known As:

Free Souls

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min 93 min (Turner library print)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film ranked as ninth best picture in 1935 by the annual Film Daily poll of critics.

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Goofs

In the emotional scene when Shearer promises to give up Gable, Barrymore's hair changes between close-ups and medium shots.

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Quotes

Stephen Ashe, Defense Attorney: [to Jan] I've had to drink as I've had to breathe, and you know it!

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Connections

Featured in Some of the Best (1943)

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Soundtracks

"By the River Sainte Marie"
(1931) (uncredited)
Music by Harry Warren
Played as background music during the restaurant scene

User Reviews

Lionel Barrymore Gives An Oscar Winning Acting Lesson

They are alike, this father & daughter. Liberal, passionate, willful - they live life on their own terms, disdaining their narrow-minded relations. Few regrets & even fewer apologies cloud either conscious - yet each harbors a character trait that threatens to destroy them. Hers is emotional instability; his, acute alcoholism. Although both will make bad choices that will haunt them, each will continue to see their reflection in the other, unique & individual, A FREE SOUL.

Based on a book by Adela Rogers St. Johns, Norma Shearer gets top billing in this aged but enjoyable soap opera, and she is very good, turning on the histrionics most effectively. But it is Lionel Barrymore who gets full honors - and a Best Actor Oscar - for his portrayal of her brilliant, tragic, lawyer father. Masterfully, he dominates his every scene. His final appearance, a tempestuous summation to a murder trial jury, is considered a classic.

Playing the two very different men in Shearer's life are Clark Gable & Leslie Howard. Gable is excellent, oozing the virility that was about to make him a huge star. Howard deftly underplays his less flashy role and becomes the film's calm center. James Gleason as Barrymore's factotum, and Lucy Beaumont as Barrymore's patrician mother, both give memorable performances. Film mavens will spot Edward Brophy as one of Gable's henchmen & master stutterer Roscoe Ates as the man in the washroom window.