The Girl Who Had Everything (1953)

Botched on all levels, this remake of A FREE SOUL from 1931 takes the basic plot of that searing classic and turns it into a bland love story.Elizabeth Taylor has the Norma Shearer part. Here she's a snotty young woman who tosses daddy and beau aside to run after a gangster. There's no chemistry between Taylor and Fernando Lamas (the Clark Gable role) so it's impossible to buy her reckless actions.William Powell has the Lionel Barrymore role that won him an Oscar. Here, Powell is sidelined into an empty role that gives him nothing to do. In the original film, Shearer fights to save Barrymore (who in turn comes to the rescue in the finale). Here, Powell just disappears into the woodwork. Gig Young plays the Leslie Howard role. As with Powell, Young disappears as well.So 20 years after A FREE SOUL was a critical and popular hit, the story has been gutted and remade for no reason at all but to present the young Taylor in an adult role. At 69 minutes, they also turned it into a B movie.

Steve Latimer (William Powell) is a hotshot defense attorney. However, problems develop when his daughter, Jean (Elizabeth Taylor), becomes fascinated with a scum-bag gangster that her father is defending. Steve advises her to keep away--he knows that Victor (Fernando Lamas) is bad news. But Jean is either really stupid or has some really bad personality defects and soon is chasing after this charming creep. Regardless why, she seems willing to give up on her nice-guy boyfriend, Vance (Gig Young), and live life on the wild side. Her permissive father is alarmed...but also not about to demand she call off this relationship. What's next?While the idea of a seemingly nice girl hanging with a scummy gangster might seem ridiculous, there are folks like this. I used to work with prisoners as well as do counseling and saw many seemingly normal ladies being swept off their feet by evil men. I don't get it, but it isn't really that unrealistic and I can't fault the movie for this plot line. It's very possible that Jean has a Borderline Personality--and folks like this crave excitement even if it is very harmful and stupid! So is it any good? Well, the acting is lovely---and I love William Powell's seemingly effortless performance. He's the best thing about the film. Sadly, this film is William Powell's last film with MGM and he'd only go on to make two more films before retiring. Apparently he had some cognitive slippage and was having more and more trouble remembering his lines. It's a shame, as he was a heck of an actor and always made it look so effortless. But at least he knew when to call it a day.Overall, I'd recommend this one. It's slickly made, well written and offers little to complain about...and I usually LIKE to complain! It was tough and enjoyable throughout...especially the ending. An excellent film.

First off, I love this movie. My favorite movie of all time is National Velvet (also starring Madame Taylor) and I tend to like all her movies. I think what I really love about the movie though is the fashion in it. One thing I have been trying to find for quite some time now is a picture of her in the white gown when they go out on a Saturday night. That gown, (if I ever find a picture of it) is what my wedding dress will be made to resemble. It is absolutely enchanting. If you know where a picture is, please let me know :) I still try all the time to find one. It is truly a wonderful movie though, and it has those cheesy kisses that would hurt in real life ;)

Although The Girl Who Had Everything is taken somewhat from MGM's earlier classic, A Free Soul, it has a few important differences in keeping with the decade it was done in.William Powell is in the Lionel Barrymore part of the high priced criminal lawyer, but he's not representing his client in a murder trial. In keeping with the times Powell is at a Senate Rackets Committee hearing with Fernando Lamas who tells them nothing and a few Senators get some headlines and photo ops from the hearing.As the hearing concludes daughter Elizabeth Taylor meets up with her dad and his client and they're both taken with each other. This does not sit well with Powell, who's perfectly willing to take their money, but not to let them in his life and family.Fernando Lamas is in the gangster role, the same part that Clark Gable got his first real notice. Whereas Gable exuded some real menace and had no intention of leaving the rackets, Lamas actually wants to quit and settle down.Of course the racism in The Girl Who Had Everything just bubbles over. Lamas apparently really does want to leave, but Powell is a snob and he's ready to violate lawyer/client privilege and testify himself before the Senate hearing as to Lamas's criminal enterprises. This would in fact get him disbarred in any state in the Union and the District of Columbia, a fact the film doesn't mention.As for Lamas's associates, they take the attitude of once in, never out and deal with it accordingly. Wrongly in my opinion, but that's the fault of a very confused script.This rehash of A Free Soul is only 69 minutes long, my guess the shortest feature film Elizabeth Taylor was ever in. She tries, but does not come close to what Norma Shearer did in the original version.And Gig Young as her society boyfriend repeating the role that Leslie Howard had, has very little to do but look concerned and issue grave warnings about getting mixed up with those kind of people.Dore Schary was unloading all of MGM's big stars from its golden era and The Girl Who Had Everything was the kiss off to William Powell. He looks plain bored with the whole thing and who could blame him. He had two more films in him as a free lance star, How to Marry a Millionaire and Mr. Roberts both infinitely better than this.