Dialogue continuity by John Meehan Adaptation by Becky Gardiner[1] Uncredited: Philip Dunning Dorothy Farnum John Lynch
Based on
A Free Soul (1927 novel) by Adela Rogers St. Johns A Free Soul (1928 play) by Willard Mack (uncredited)[1]
Produced by
Clarence Brown Irving Thalberg (uncredited)
Starring
Norma Shearer
Cinematography
William Daniels
Edited by
Hugh Wynn
Production company
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Distributed by
Loew's Inc.
Release dates
June 2, 1931 (1931-06-02) (NYC)
June 20, 1931 (1931-06-20) (US)
Running time
91 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$529,000[2]
Box office
$1.4 million [2]
A Free Soul is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film that tells the story of an alcoholic San Francisco defense attorney who must defend his daughter's ex-boyfriend on a charge of murdering the mobster she had started a relationship with, who he had previously gotten an acquittal for on a murder charge. Directed by Clarence Brown it stars Norma Shearer, Leslie Howard, Lionel Barrymore, and Clark Gable.[3][4][5][6][7]
A Free Soul became famous for Barrymore's climactic courtroom monologue that is said to be the main reason he won the Academy Award for Best Actor at the 4th Academy Awards that year.[8] Gable made such an impression in the role of a gangster who pushes Shearer around that he was catapulted from supporting player to leading man, a position he held for the rest of his career.[1]
^ abc"A Free Soul". American Film Institute. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
^ abThe Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
^Norma Shearer, "Free Soul," at Loews (The Reading Eagle, July 3, 1931, p. 10)
^"AMUSEMENTS / Norma Shearer, Loews, Stars in "A Free Soul" (The Reading Eagle, July 4, 1931, p. 10)
^"Norma Shearer in "A Free Soul," Loews (The Reading Eagle, July 5, 1931, p. 10) includes photo of Lionel Barrymore and Norma Shearer
^"Fox California Has Norma Shearer Film" (Berkeley Daily Gazette, July 20, 1931, p. three) includes sketched reproduction of Norma Shearer's face
^""Every Word they told You is True" This is Norma Shearer's Best! / "A FREE SOUL"" (The Florence Times-News, August 10, 1931, p. three) includes photographs of Norma Shearer and other stories about the film and her career
^"A Free Soul". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
AFreeSoul is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film that tells the story of an alcoholic San Francisco defense attorney who must defend his daughter's ex-boyfriend...
the soul is the non-material essence of a person, which includes one's identity, personality, and memories, an immaterial aspect or essence of a living...
The Soul Eater manga and anime series features an extensive cast of fictional characters created by Atsushi Ohkubo. It is set in a fictional universe inhabited...
FreeSoul is the debut studio album by Canadian country music artist Madeline Merlo. It was released on April 29, 2016 via Open Road Recordings. The album...
cases, one of the souls is associated with body functions ("body soul") and the other one can leave the body ("freesoul" or "wandering soul"). Sometimes the...
The FreeSouls Motorcycle Club is an outlaw motorcycle club that was formed in Eugene, Oregon, in 1969. Chapters exist in Oregon, Washington, Germany and...
Free Your Soul...and Save My Mind is the tenth studio album by crossover thrash band Suicidal Tendencies, released in 2000. A music video was made for...
"Free", written by Irving Berlin Free (Anderson book), a 2009 economics book by Chris Anderson Free (Ypi book), a 2021 memoir by Lea Ypi Free (Soul Eater)...
Divorcee, and a series of highly successful pre-Code films followed, including Let Us Be Gay (1930), Strangers May Kiss (1931), AFreeSoul (1931) with...
1990. Cimarron received a then-record seven nominations, and was the first film to win more than two awards; it and AFreeSoul were the first films to...
Soul II Soul are a British musical collective formed in London in 1988. They are best known for their two major hits; 1989's UK number five and US number...
Free had been asked by Hedges to leave the studio after expressing her dislike of the current song. In January 2022, Free released the single "Soul Full"...
Free Flying Soul is the ninth studio release, and eighth full-length album, from alternative rock band the Choir, released in 1996. It earned the band...
9, 1994) is a Canadian country pop singer-songwriter. She signed to Open Road Recordings in 2013 and released her debut album, FreeSoul, three years...
including music albums and a series of manga books in the Soulcalibur series. The first game in the series, Soul Edge (or Soul Blade outside Japan), was...
Mahjong Soul (Chinese: 雀魂麻将; pinyin: Què Hún Májiàng, Japanese: 雀魂, romanized: Jantama) is a browser-based online free-to-play version of tabletop game...
acquired by Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment. On April 23, 2024, its parent Chicken Soup for the Soul announced a $636.6 million loss in 2023, and...
On the Soul (Greek: Περὶ Ψυχῆς, Peri Psychēs; Latin: De Anima) is a major treatise written by Aristotle c. 350 BC. His discussion centres on the kinds...
Look up soul food in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Soul food is a type of cuisine. Soul Food may also refer to: Soul Food (film), a 1997 American comedy-drama...
Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc. is an American self-help, consumer goods and media company based in Cos Cob, Connecticut. It is known for...
The expression "soul food" originated in the mid-1960s, when "soul" was a common word used to describe African-American culture. Soul food uses cooking...
nominated four more times for Academy Award for Best Actress: the 1931 film AFreeSoul, the 1934 film The Barretts of Wimpole Street, the 1936 film Romeo and...
Global Information