A Free Soul (1931) | |
| Director(s) | Clarence Brown |
| Producer(s) | Clarence Brown, Irving Thalberg (executive uncredited) |
| Top Genres | Crime, Drama, Romance |
| Top Topics | Alcohol, Based on Play, Book-Based, Gambling, Pre-Code Cinema, Romance (Drama) |
Featured Cast:
A Free Soul Overview:
A Free Soul (1931) was a Crime - Drama Film directed by Clarence Brown and produced by Clarence Brown and Irving Thalberg.
The film was based on the novel of the same name and also Stage Play written by Adela Rogers St. Johns published in 1927 (novel); Jan 12, 1928 - Apr 1928 (play performed at Playhouse Theatre, NY).
Academy Awards 1930/31 --- Ceremony Number 4 (source: AMPAS)
| Award | Recipient | Result |
| Best Actor | Lionel Barrymore | Won |
| Best Actress | Norma Shearer | Nominated |
| Best Director | Clarence Brown | Nominated |
BlogHub Articles:
Uma Alma Livre / A Free Soul (1931)
By L? on Aug 16, 2017 From Critica RetroUma Alma Livre / A Free Soul (1931) ? San Francisco, a cidade do pecado! Um homem (Lionel Barrymore) est? lendo um jornal quando a sombra de uma mulher se projeta na parede do banheiro. A mulher est? nua e pede para ele trazer a lingerie at? ela. Ele faz isso, e podemos ver um belo suti? send... Read full article
A Free Soul
By Amanda Garrett on Jun 11, 2016 From Old Hollywood FilmsToday, I'm reviewing the classic legal melodrama A Free Soul (1931), starring Lionel Barrymore and Norma Shearer. This article is part of Order in the Court! The Classic Courtroom Movies Blogathon hosted by Second Sight Cinema and CineMaven's Essays From the Couch. There are a lot of great cou... Read full article
A Free Soul (1931, Clarence Brown)
By Andrew Wickliffe on Oct 3, 2015 From The Stop ButtonThe first hour of A Free Soul is this extremely engaging, if occasionally melodramatic, story about Norma Shearer and Lionel Barrymore. They’re rebellious blue bloods–Barrymore’s Shearer’s father and he’s raised her to be an independent woman. He’s a defense attor... Read full article
Pre-Code vs Post-Code: "A Free Soul" and "The Girl Who Had Everything"
By David on Dec 26, 2014 From The Man on the Flying TrapezeAdela Rogers St. Johns's novel "A Free Soul" was filmed twice -- once in 1931, under its original title, and again in 1953 as "The Girl Who Had Everything." In both cases the female leads were played by MGM royalty -- Norma Shearer and Elizabeth Taylor, respectively. The character they play is the ... Read full article
Pre-Code vs Post-Code: "A Free Soul" and "The Girl Who Had Everything"
By David on Dec 26, 2014 From The Man on the Flying TrapezeAdela Rogers St. Johns's novel "A Free Soul" was filmed twice -- once in 1931, under its original title, and again in 1953 as "The Girl Who Had Everything." In both cases the female leads were played by MGM royalty -- Norma Shearer and Elizabeth Taylor, respectively. The character they play is the ... Read full article
See all A Free Soul articles
Quotes from
Ace Wilfong, Gangster Defendant: Well, I want to marry your daughter.
Stephen Ashe, Defense Attorney: What?
Ace Wilfong, Gangster Defendant: What's wrong with that?
Stephen Ashe, Defense Attorney: The only time I hate democracy is when one of you mongrels forget where you belong... a few illegal dollars and a clean shirt and you move across the railroad tracks. Tell your boy to bring me some libations, and don't insult the guests!
[after Ace and Jan are shot at, he takes her to his hideaway]
Ace Wilfong, Gangster Defendant: Slouch, tell her why the Hardy mob tried to fix me up. Tell her the facts, Slouch.
Slouch: Well, the mug that was rubbed out, Miss, was a snooper of the chief's running with the Hardy mob, slipping us the lowdown. Hardy gets hep to it and he puts the rat on the spot. They nab the boss's "kelly" and plants it. Your old man jaws him out and the Hardy mob grabs the typewriters and the ukeleles.
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Facts about
In the outdoor location sequence where the donkey chases James Gleason, the actor, not a stuntman, is clearly knocked down by the animal, a scene which clearly wasn't planned as Norma Shearer's reaction attests.
When the final version of the movie went before Hollywood censors, they demanded that MGM cut the scene where Norma Shearer lays on the bed and suggestively asks Clark Gable to put his arms around her. The studio ignored the demand and released the film uncut.
read more facts about A Free Soul...
