A Free Soul (1931)

I find Clarence Brown is not a terribly remarkable director with many of his films being by the numbers but he does have has a few worthwhile movies under his belt. A Free Soul isn't a great film as the plot is on the ordinary side but it does have enough to elevate the film above this – plus I am a sucker for the MGM product of the 1930's. The common elements of a contemporary, pre code melodrama are here; alcoholism, adultery, gangsters, corruption of authority etc.Norma Shearer's nude silhouette in the first shot sets the tone of A Free Soul; a movie full of lust and sexual desire. One of the biggest stars of the film itself is the slinky silk dress Shearer wears to Grandma's party and Clark Gable's apartment. The dress is sexually suggestive to say the least and shows off a lot of skin. The design of the dress is cut to slide over her body in all the right ways to make her appear naked without actually being so as well as show off her assets. It's clear that costume design was taken very seriously in the days of old Hollywood as well as the art of how to wear clothes. Outfits are one thing though, with Shearer and Gable's scenes together steaming things up, in contrast to her fiancé played by Leslie Howard of whom she shares nowhere near the same level of sexual chemistry with. Gable played a number of gangsters in his career but none as such a player as Ace Wilfong (his gangster's hideout and apartment are to be envied). Likewise there is an unusually intimate relationship between Norma Shearer and her father played by Lionel Barrymore. Their interactions feel more like what you would expect between husband and wife as she refers to him as "darling", "dear" and "sweetheart" while also being extremely affectionate with him such as scene at the very beginning of the film in which she asks him to fetch her undies. I'm astounding at Norma Shearer's ability to burst of the screen with her sheer presence and I do wish I could call myself a bigger fan but her filmography is a bit lackluster in my view. Regardless there are enough melodramatic theatrics to keep A Free Soul interesting including a character's much unexpected death by the last character you would expect and a courtroom finale in which Barrymore tears the scenery (I just have to ask though would questioning your own daughter not be a conflict of interest?). The only scene which really disrupts the tone of the film is the moment in which Barrymore pulls a Buster Keaton by grabbing onto a train as it goes past and disappears out of sight, very odd.

A pre-code classic starring Clark Gable, Norma Shearer, Lionel Barrymore, and Leslie Howard. The first 45 minutes or so (don't blink, it sizzles) and the dialogue are especially great. Directed by Clarence Brown who, along with Shearer, earned an Oscar nomination; Barrymore won (on his ONLY acting nomination!) as Best Actor in a Leading Role.Gable is Ace Wilfong, a mob leader that lawyer Stephen Ashe (Barrymore) successfully defends in a murder case (in a manner strikingly similar to Johnnie Cochran's "if it doesn't fit, you can't convict" defense of O.J. Simpson some 60 years later). After the trial, Ashe's daughter Jan (Shearer) meets Ace and, looking him up and down, is instantly infatuated with him.Later, there's a party at the Ashe family mansion, run by Grandma (Lucy Beaumont) who does not approve of the gangster. But Ace responds to her dressing down saying "a lot of people don't believe that gag about being born equal". Stephen, who's assistant (James Gleason) is always there to provide him with adequate lubrication, shows up drunk and upsets everyone. Jan leaves with Ace who's fast life gives her a thrill.Jan breaks her engagement (to Howard) and begins a secret, dangerous affair with Ace, becoming a loose woman and saying things like "don't talk, be a man of action" and laying back, reaching up to him uttering "put 'em around me" insisting that he "take" her right then and there. However, she is discovered by Stephen, who obviously doesn't approve. Stephen then dresses down Ace saying "the only time I hate democracy is when one of you mongrels forget where you belong ... a few dollars and a clean shirt and you move across the railroad tracks".When Jan realizes she can't handle the situation she's gotten herself into, she makes a deal with her father to go away with him if he'll stop drinking. So it's off to the wilderness where father and daughter, with Gleason in tow, have some quality bonding time. Eventually, however, the temptation is too great for Stephen, and he disappears.Jan returns to find an angry, clueless Ace, who wants her back else he'll ruin her high society reputation. To protect her, Howard kills Ace and turns himself in, refusing to say why he killed him to protect Jan's honor.Stephen is found on skid row but is revived long enough for (Barrymore to earn an Oscar, giving) a speech to the jury in which he says Howard acted when he, a failure as a father, couldn't. And then collapses (dead?). Howard is freed and says (unearned and unwarranted): "the secret of my success is 'never say die'". I mean, the guy just got saved from the gallows because of his own noble silence whence he had clearly given up.

Great performances and a lively plot make this one quite entertaining. The premise is an alcoholic lawyer agrees to give up drinking provided his daughter will stop seeing a gangster she's gotten herself involved with for the thrill of it. Lionel Barrymore is the father and turns in a performance worthy of the Oscar he received, and it's nice to see him in a very different role from old Potter ('It's a Wonderful Life') but hear that same voice. Norma Shearer plays his daughter and was also nominated; she's wonderfully natural in the role of the non-conformist 'free soul', and has a languid sexuality about her in scenes such as the one where she encourages action from her lover instead of talking, and later reclines back and asks for an embrace with "Come on, put 'em around me" before the scene fades to black, and we know what that meant. Clark Gable is the gangster, playing the heavy very well, and Leslie Howard is the 'nice guy'; eight years later, of course, they would appear together as Rhett and Ashley in 'Gone With The Wind'.It's interesting to compare what shocked people who saw this movie in 1931, and compare it to what shocks us today. The fact that Shearer's character is sexually liberated and seeks out a physical relationship, turning down Gable's offer to marry her, was scandalous. As she slinks around in a thin white dress, she purrs "Men of action are better in action. They don't talk well ... Why, I take it on the run right into your arms, don't I, darling? ... Ace, darling, I'm head over heels mad about you, but what's in the future I don't know...".We, on the other hand, are shocked at Gable's arrogance when she meets up with him three months later, after having ended their relationship. He shows his nasty side, manhandling her and making it clear that he'll make it known that they've had sex, therefore 'she's mine, she belongs to me'. His behavior isn't condoned of course and others stick up for her, but the idea that's she's ruined in some way and 'not fit for any other man' was the view in society at the time, and part of Leslie Howard's heroism is to attempt to protect her honor.Worth watching for challenging the morals of the day, and for the star-studded cast, which shine almost a century later.

An alcoholic lawyer's daughter falls for a gambler client, even as her upper-class beau wants to marry her.No wonder Gable's career took off with this film. He's got a presence that's riveting, exuding an animal magnetism that's no exaggeration. No wonder Shearer's winsome Jan Ashe falls for him on first meeting, and pity poor Leslie Howard, always a little short in the allure department, for having to compete. It's a good solid story, well acted, with even the scene- stealing Barrymore mostly under control. And, boy, do I like Shearer's clinging gown sans underwear. Move over Harlowe, and thank you pre-Code for the cheap thrill. Okay, maybe those exterior camping sets don't measure up to MGM's usual big-budget standard, but who cares since it's the story's momentum that carries us through. Then too, I hope there's a place in Hollywood heaven for fine unsung actors like James Gleason (Eddie). He's one of those Hollywood grunts who never gave a bad performance. It's those guys and gals who carry the industry on their collective backs.In my little book, there's one overriding scene. That's where snooty Dad (Barrymore) finds out criminal-class Ace (Gable) wants to marry his well-bred daughter. Offended, Dad calls Ace among other things a "mongrel" for his presumptuousness and lack of upper-class pedigree. It's a startling reversal of their formerly friendly relations, showing that some invisible class line has suddenly been crossed. As Dad, Barrymore really spits out the lines in impressive fashion, but you've got to wonder about his life expectancy from that point on since Ace is one powerful screen presence.Anyhow, the movie may be an antique, but it's certainly one worth collecting, thanks to a good story and fine ensemble acting.