Watch A Free Soul For Free

Very Cool!!!

I wanted to but couldn't!

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

Here's the way I see things..... Norma Shearer's character Jan falls in love with a gangster played by you know who even though she's going out with a nice guy.The gangster is something exciting while the nice guy is quickly forgotten.What girl wouldn't want to be in constant danger of being shot at instead of horseback rides on the beach? Daddy, who's a lawyer & alcoholic, was OK with the gangster (Hey he's bringing in business, right?) until he found out the gangster is going out with his daughter.Now there's a problem & this causes a rift in the once tight bond between father & daughter, her family as well.Eventually the daughter realizes her & the gangster's relationship is going nowhere & he realizes that she's never going to publicly acknowledge their relationship (She always sneaking in the backdoor to see him) She sees what a mistake shes made & that she was actually better off with the nice guy.The gangster let's her know he's never, NEVER going anywhere & in steps the nice guy to save her from the gangster.BOOM.Now they go & find her father who was doing well but slipped & fell off the wagon a little ways back & hopped a train to ??? to bring him back to try & help the nice guy beat the case.THE END.I wasn't into this movie as much I hoped or thought I would be.It was just something to sit back & watch.I think I might have dozed off once or twice & had to rewind it back.Go ahead & give A Free Soul a shot.You'll probably enjoy it more than I did

A Free Soul (1931)This is the movie that made a minor character actor into a romantic superstar. Famous defense attorney (and alcoholic), Stephen Ashe (Lionel Barrymore) is defending a murder suspect and gangster, Ace Wilfong (Clark Gable). An interesting "If the hat doesn't fit, you must acquit" causes Ace to get released. Here is where Ace meets Stephen's free-spirited daughter, Jan (Norma Shearer).Flighty Jan is bored with her nice-guy boyfriend, Dwight Wintrhop (Leslie Howard) and goes for the bad boy, Ace in a big way. The only problem is that Ace has fallen for Jan and when she wants to get out of the fling, Ace objects in a big way. To top that off, her dad, Stephen is hitting bottom with his drinking problem.Although, this isn't a great movie for Gable, his man-handling of Norma Shearer touched a nerve with females audiences that caused MGM to try to duplicate Gable's persona throughout the rest of his career.Unlike the legend that Gable's slapping Norma Shearer's character made him hot for the ladies (he actually only pushes her down on the couch), I think it was him telling her that he loved her and he wasn't going to let her go, that sealed the deal with his new found fans.

There is a Lot of Talk in this Early Pre-Code Talkie, but most of it is Interesting Enough to make this a Good Watch and the Star Power is there to Ogle as Well. Clark Gable does Scorch the Screen with His Dynamo of a Gangster, Norma Shear is Elegant as a Trashy Upper Crust who Likes Slumming and Slumbering with Her Macho-Man, and Lionel Barrymore is Bursting at the Seams for a Drink and More Scene Stealing."The only time I hate Democracy is when you Mongrels don't know your place. A little dirty money and a clean shirt and you cross the railroad tracks." This Famous Quote comes when Gangster Gable tells Stuffy Barrymore that He wants to Marry HIs Daughter. Leslie Howard is also on Hand to Complete the Triangle and makes the Most of a Few Important Encounters with His Rival.There is Much Pre-Code Inclusion of Alcoholism that is Unfettered and Gut-Wrenching. Some Physical Female Abuse and Premarital Sex Laid Bare are Here along with some Slinky See-Through Dresses. The Courtroom Scene at the End is Famous for its One Long Take (holds the record), but is Pure Fiction and its Motivation Severely Dated.

For years Norma Shearer had portrayed "sweet young things" in films such as "Their Own Desire" (1929) - until she rebelled. "The Divorcée" was one of the most sought after roles - everyone wanted to play Jerry but Norma pulled rank (she was married to Irving Thalberg) and not only surprised her critics but won a Best Actress Academy Award!!!. "A Free Soul" was based on a magazine serial Adela Rogers St. John wrote about her attorney father and it was a film with intense performances. Both Lionel Barrymore and Norma Shearer won Academy Award nominations with Barrymore winning because of his shattering performance as an alcoholic lawyer. Gable's performance as an aggressive but sexually exciting gangster was electrifying. The film was extremely popular because, it was said, the female audiences wanted to see Gable push Shearer around (although I, also, saw no slap). Fans could see Gable at his most brutish in "Night Nurse", made the same year, where he actually knocks Barbara Stanwyck out cold.Jan (Norma Shearer) is the beloved daughter of alcoholic attorney, Stephen Ashe (Lionel Barrymore). Because of his drinking and his unreliability his clients represent the dregs of society and he is oblivious to Jan's exposure to the seedier side of life. Jan has also an addiction - to living life as she wants, with no restrictions - a free soul. When accompanying her father to court she meets Ace Wilfong (Clark Gable) a notorious gangster and there is an instant sexual attraction between them. That night, after celebrations, Ace drops Stephen off at his home but when Jan sees how Ace's presence and Stephen's inebriation get the cold shoulder from other guests, she leaves with Ace in disgust. Once they leave, they are involved in a drive by shooting and Jan is exhilarated by the danger and excitement. They begin an affair and Ace wants to marry her. Stephen sobers up enough to tell him that he is from the gutter and will never be good enough for Jan. That night Stephen gets drunk and is bought to Ace's suite. There he encounters Jan and both of them reach a pact - he to keep on the wagon if she will stop seeing Ace. They go to a mountain retreat but Stephen can't stay sober and Jan, disillusioned goes back to Ace. But Ace has changed and reveals his true nature by his brutish behaviour of her. He is more than ever determined to marry her and "show her who's boss" but Jan flees to her apartment and he follows for the showdown.Jan goes looking for her father to defend Dwight (Leslie Howard)(he has gone to Ace's suite and killed him) and she finds him in a seedy doss house. Lionel Barrymore turns in a magnificent performance as the alcoholic Stephen, who is riveting in his final court room appearance. Barrymore more than deserved his Academy Award.Today Gable comes across as sympathetic in his genuine love for Jan. His down to earth portrayal is out of place in a sea of high society brittleness.Highly, Highly Recommended.