} Crítica Retrô: Uma Alma Livre / A Free Soul (1931)

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Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Uma Alma Livre / A Free Soul (1931)

É San Francisco, a cidade do pecado! Um homem (Lionel Barrymore) está lendo um jornal quando a sombra de uma mulher se projeta na parede do banheiro. A mulher está nua e pede para ele trazer a lingerie até ela. Ele faz isso, e podemos ver um belo sutiã sendo exibido. A garota (Norma Shearer) sai do banheiro e toma o café da manhã mais rápido da história enquanto fala que ambos “não são respeitáveis”. Nós descobrimos que eles são Stephen e Jan Ashe, pai e filha, e felizmente não outra coisa, como imaginamos.

It's San Francisco, the Sin City! A man (Lionel Barrymore) is reading the newspaper when a woman's shadow appears in the bathroom walls. The woman is naked and asks him to bring her undergarments. He does that, and we can see a bra being exhibited. The girl (Norma Shearer) goes out of the bathroom and has the quickest breakfast in history while saying that they both “are not respectable”. We learn that they are Stephen and Jan Ashe, father and daughter, and thankfully not something else as we were lead to believe.
Stephen é um advogado brilhante. Infelizmente, ele também é alcoólatra – algo para que todos ao seu redor literalmente viram as costas. O cliente a defender naquele dia é o jogador Ace Wilfong (Clark Gable sem bigode), um homem cuja vida depende de um chapéu como evidência. Jan e Ace se interessam um pelo outro quando trocam o primeiro olhar.

Stephen is a brilliant lawyer. Unfortunately, he is also a hevay drinker – something everybody around him literally turn their backs to. His client of the day is gambler and bootlegger Ace Wilfong (Clark Gable sans moustache), a man whose life depends on a hat as an evidence. Jan and Ace get interested in each other in the moment their eyes meet.
Mas Jan recentemente ficou noiva de Dwight Winthrop (Leslie Howard), um homem insistente que é aprovado por todos da esnobe família dela, incluindo o pai dela. Mas ela não quer aprovação: ela quer amor e prazer. Quando seu pai demonstra que não está feliz com o relacionamento, ela propõe uma troca: Jan vai parar de se encontrar com Ace se Stephen parar de beber.

But Jan has recently got engaged to Dwight Winthrop (Leslie Howard), an insistent man who her whole snob family, including her father, approves. But she doesn't want approval: she wants love and pleasure. When her father shows he isn't happy with her relationship, she sets a deal: Jan will stop seeing Ace if Stephen stops drinking.
Jan é dona de si. Ele é adorável, charmosa, provocante. Ela veste lindas roupas – desenhadas por Adrian! - e ama seu pai mais que tudo no mundo. Norma Shearer e Lionel Barrymore estão ótimos juntos. Eu adorei a cena em que Stephen vê pela primeira vez Jan e Ace juntos: em completo silêncio, nós podemos perceber a vergonha e frustração nos olhos deles.

Jan is a free woman. She is adorable, charming, provocative. She has wonderful clothes – designed by Adrian! - and loves her father more than anything in the world. Norma Shearer and Lionel Barrymore are great together. I loved the scene in which Stephen first saw Jan with Ace: it's completely silent, but we can see the shame and disappointment in their eyes.
Lionel Barrymore é o primeiro de uma lista de atores que ganharam o Oscar interpretando bêbados. Ele também é um dos atores que ganharam o Oscar interpretando um advogado – veja o diagrama de Venn abaixo. Suas cenas durante a crise de abstinência são poderosas, mas não tanto quanto as de Ray Milland em “Farrapo Humano” (1945). Seu grande final no tribunal é cheio de honra e culpa ultrapassadas, mas é ali que ele mostra a que veio.

Lionel Barrymore is the first in a list of actors who won the Oscar playing drunk characters. He is also one of the actors who won the Oscar playing a lawyer – see the Venn diagram below. His scenes during abstinence are powerful, but not as powerful as Ray Milland in “The Lost Weekend” (1945). His grand finale in the courtroom is filled with outdated honor and guilt, but it is here that he nails it.
P.S.: Click to enlarge
O filme é cheio de elementos dos pre-Codes e toques eróticos. Ele certamente deu dor de cabeça para a censura. Se você gosta de dramas com surpresas e toques ousados, “Uma Alma Livre” é um filme que você não pode perder.

The film is full with pre-Code elements and erotic touches. It was certainly a headache for the censors. If you like dramas with plot twists and naughty touches, “A Free Soul” is definetely a film not to be missed.

This is my contribution to the Third Annual Barrymore Trilogy Blogathon, hosted by Crystal at In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood.

5 comments:

Caftan Woman said...

I would have given Lionel many Oscars, but for different roles: Captain Disko in Down to the Sea in Ships, Kringelein in Grand Hotel, and Dr. Holderlin in Broken Lullaby. However, that Oscar season I think they should have given the trophy to Jackie Cooper in Skippy, and not just because he cried, because he was perfect.

Nonetheless, you reminded me just what an overall excellent movie this is, and I thank you.

thestoryenthusiast said...

I love this movie. And I completely agree with you about Barrymore's courtroom scene. What a stunner!

Virginie Pronovost said...

Ah! Adrian! :) I had never heard of this film, but you certainly made it sound appealing with your great review! Plus I haven't seen many Norma Sharear movies (hum...ONE) so this one could be the next one! :)

Anonymous said...

Hey Le. Thanks so much for participating in the blogathon with another great entry. I watched this film again not that long ago, and even though I've seen it about ten times before, I never get tired of seeing it.

I also invite you to check out my article for the blogathon. The link is below.

https://crystalkalyana.wordpress.com/2017/08/21/ethel-barrymore-in-night-song-1947/

Tam May, Author said...

Nice discussion of this film. I'll admit, I am not a huge fan of Norma Shearer, but I like your analysis of Lionel Barrymore's character here and the diagram. I think, sadly, alcoholism was something he was very familiar with, as he struggled with it all his life (as did his brother John).

I also didn't realize Clark Gable and Leslie Howard had been in any films together prior to Gone With The Wind. Interesting.

Tam
The Dream Book Blog
http://thedreambook.wordpress.com/

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