A Free Soul
1931 · Movie · NR · 93 min · ★ 6.1 · 62% critics
A brilliant lawyer battling alcoholism is forced to confront his own ideals when his independent daughter falls for a dangerous man he once helped in court. Their bond is tested by romance, class tensions, and destructive habits that neither can easily escape.
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Details
- Years
- 1931
- Release date
- 1931-06-02
- Language
- English
- Rated
- NR
- Runtime
- 93 min
- Critic score
- 62/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.1/10 (48 votes)
About
You may like this if you enjoy emotionally charged early Hollywood dramas with romance, danger, and family conflict, especially if Midnight Mary or Possessed appeal to you; Not for you if you dislike talky, heightened melodrama.
Pros: strong lead performances; gripping melodrama; stylish pre-Code edge | Cons: talky at times; overheated courtroom drama; forced plot turns
Themes
- gangster
- murder
- alcoholic
- pre-code
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best Actor · 1931
- Academy Award — Best Director · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Actress · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Actor · nominated
Cast & crew
Norma Shearer
as Jan Ashe
Leslie Howard
as Dwight Winthrop
Lionel Barrymore
as Stephen Ashe
Clark Gable
as Ace Wilfong
James Gleason
as Eddie
Lucy Beaumont
as Grandma Ashe
Roscoe Ates
as Man Shot at in Men's Room (uncredited)
Ann Brody
as Hamburger Saleslady (uncredited)
Edward Brophy
as Slouch (uncredited)
James Donlan
as Reporter (uncredited)
Directed by Clarence Brown