Customer Reviews

Counsellor-at-Law

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

At last, one of the major omissions of the video revolution has been rectified with this dvd (and vhs) release of William Wyler's first major directoral effort. And if anybody ever questioned why John Barrymore was so highly regarded in his day, this film will resolve any controversy in Mr. Barrymore's favor. This release restores a true classic to general circulation (The Movie Channel ran it a few times several years ago.)

Universal balked at paying Barrymore's typically huge salary and hired him at the rate of $25,000 per week for a total of two weeks' employment. Despite fast work by Wyler and Barrymore, (all other non-Barrymore scenes were filmed after the star was off the payroll) more time was needed and Barrymore ended up working one more week. These terms were a come-down for Barrymore who had enjoyed multiple-film deals with Warners ($200,000 per film, for five films), MGM and RKO only a short time before.

John Barrymore had been a star in films since 1914 (well before his "Hamlet" in the theater) and was virtually the only film star of his vintage who successfully transitioned to "talkies." But by 1933, years of alcohol abuse were taking their toll on the 51 year old actor and producers began to distrust him.

Ironically, no longer offered long term agreements with major studios, this one-shot deal at Universal and another at Columbia in February 1934, (the screwball comedy, "Twentieth Century") turned out to be the best two films Barrymore ever made. Counsellor At Law shows Barrymore as the finest dramatic actor of his generation and launched Wyler on a remarkable career; Twentieth Century (long available on VHS) shows him as the finest farceur of his era and launched Hollywood's cycle of screwball comedies (it didn't hurt the career of director Howard Hawks either).

Alas, Barrymore himself would not be a beneficiary of either film and would be reduced to supporting roles by the mid 1930s, ending up spoofing himself on radio right up to his death in 1942. But then this is the stuff that legends are made of. The fine KINO VIDEO transfer for the dvd version captures the vividness of the film when it was new and makes 1933 seem as though it wasn't so long ago. Bravo!

I just wanted to share with you folks, my experience and feelings upon watching this GREAT pre-code, thoroughly enjoyable, entertaining, excellently acted, fast paced, non-stop dialogue, ....This film alone shows John Barrymore at his best (as a ruthless lawyer of humble origins), I won't say anything more, in order to not spoil it....but he's top of the tops in this early Universal pictures release....kudos for KINO, for releasing a decent copy (DVD) of this gem. Bebe Daniels is outstanding as his scretary...Isabel Jewell, great as unnerving telephone operator, little known Doris Kenyon, very good as Barrymore's socialite wife... also in it an early performance by reliable Melvyn Douglas and Thelma Todd too...What more can one ask?

William Wyler is definitely one of the best american directors of all time!!!

Frenetic, hard-driving New York lawyer George Simon double charges his wealthy clients,and bails out social mis-casts with his own money. Avoiding boredom, he dabbles in insider trading. Simon has risen to the top, but a former court case suddenly threatens him with scandal and ruin. Simon is paired with a wife who does not love him; and a secretary who does...Elmer Rice's brilliant Broadway play "Counsellor at Law" was purchased for the screen in 1933 by Universal. The studio asked Paul Muni to repeat his leading role. He declined. They nervously signed John Barrymore; they weren't disappointed. Aided by Melvyn Douglas, Thelma Todd, and Bebe Daniels, Barrymore put aside affectation and delivered a gritty, lightening-paced performance. Never seen on television or video before, "Counsellor at Law" has just been released on DVD. Kino Films obtained a sparkling master print, and provided digital restoration. A jump cut in the final reel(hiding possible film damage) is it's only flaw. "Counsellor at Law" boasts a photo gallery with 40 rare stills from the director's estate. The film was a watershed event for both director and star. William Wyler had apprenticed at MGM and Universal since the 20's. His successful direction of "Counsellor at Law" propeled his long career, perhaps peaking with 1959's "Ben Hur". Star Jack Barrymore was moving in a different orbit. With shooting on "Counsellor at Law" completed, he was asked back for some re-takes. But in shot-after-shot, he could not complete the scene. A new rumor swirled around Hollywood back-lots. John Barrymore's memory had finally faltered. Despite a classic effort, this was sadly the last A-Picture in which Barrymore received top billing.

IT's a pity this isn't better known. As others have said, it's not only one of Barymore's finest performances on film (surpassing even Grand Hotel! His character here is not made super-noble or villainous, but simply and believeably human, not an easy thing for an actor to achieve), but a wonderful commentary, on several levels, of the fortunate and not-so-fortunate members of society at the peaking of the Depression. Some of it even holds true today. The scenery is superb down to the last detail, the direction and camerawork are razor-sharp, and the acting is just about perfect in every role, even the bits. So why only 4 stars? The film's only flaw, albeit a tiny one, is that the otherwise super-snappy dialogue gets a little stagy at times. Still, this pales next to the mivoe as a whole. A keeper!

The more theatrical movie acting style of the first half of the 20th century may strike some modern viewers as hopelessly artificial, but for those observers, John Barrymore's performance in "Counsellor-at-Law" may be instructive.

Barrymore wasn't part of the Group Theater/Lee Strasberg school of acting that revolutionized the art by mid-century, but realism isn't always conveyed by the Method.

Watch Barrymore in the scene when he talks to the rebellious son of a old family friend, who has been arrested and beaten for espousing Communism. Listen to his tone of voice as he tries to convince the kid to do things his way. Watch his facial expressions. This is a convincing job of acting, and Barrymore maintains this level of integrity throughout the film.

Bebe Daniels, as his devoted secretary, and Doris Kenyon, as his spoiled wife, are very good, as well. Their portrayals are much more obviously grounded in the conventions of 1930s film acting, yet remain completely effective.

John Barrymore shines in "Counsellor at Law", along with an extremely strong supporting cast in this 1930s-era tale of an ambitious New York lawyer. We meet him in his offices at the Empire State Building, where a procession of clients streams in and out of his extremely busy day. When his sweet immigrant mother appears, we realize his humble roots, so different from "the Mayflower boys" whose professional ranks he has penetrated.

Fast-paced, with witty dialogue, brittle humor, and barbed social commentary, this film transports us back to Great Depression. Barrymore, faced with an ethical dilemma, also finds his marriage is in jeopardy; his wife, a superficial society woman, holds values quite different from his own.

Although in some ways light and frothy, as befitting movies made for 1930s audiences seeking escape, this William Wyler film remains timely with its deeper questions of integrity and what goes into true success and authentic relationships. Barrymore's masterful performance reminds us yet again that as an actor, he was far more than a handsome facial profile. Highly recommended for a step back into another time!

COUNSELLOR AT LAW is a law story without a courtroom scene and precious little in the way of a plot or set changes. CAL is an early-talkie character study of attorney George Simon (John Barrymore), a mercurial man with a trophy wife, a doting (and beautiful) secretary, and sharp memories of his steerage origins. The successful Simon defends the swank and the poor, politicos and revolutionaries. The swank pay for the pro bono stuff, and Congressmen calling in with hot stock tips - lots of telephones in this movie - help to keep the bank account properly inflated.
CAL slices a tumultuous few days in the life of Simon in his plush, modern Empire State Building set of offices filled with the ever present phones, art deco furniture and parqueted doors with gold-embossed shields. A cast of deftly drawn characters carry out the thin gruel of a plot. There's a threat of disbarment and marital issues rear an ugly head, secretary Regina `Rexy' Gordon (Bebe Daniels) sighs and tears up now and then, there's even a class warfare theme that peeks out periodically, but nothing grabs the movie and propels it forward. In lesser hands this would be a fatal problem, but director William Wyler keeps things focused on Barrymore, who's more than up to the task of holding our interest and making us care.
The transfer print is in good, not pristine, condition. It has a number of grainy mites that I didn't find distracting. Also included on the Kino disk is a series of still photographs of William Wyler, usually on the set, stretching from the nineteen-teens to a photo of Wyler with Bette Davis taken at his seventy-fifth birthday party.

An excellent movie, superbly directed by pantheon helmsman William Wyler early in his directorial career. John Barrymore gives one of his finest performances as a Jewish lawyer who works his way to the top of his profession only to have his gentile wife (Doris Kenyon) leave him. At the bustling Manhattan law offices of Simon and Tedesco, highly successful Jewish attorney George Simon, who has risen from the slums of New York, returns to his roots when he bails out Sarah Becker's son Harry, a young Communist who has been brutalised by the police. Simon's socialite wife, Cora, is embarrassed at Simon's notoriety and of his heritage while Simon's secretary Regina "Rexy" (Bebe Daniels, in her final film of any merit) secretly loves him...The dialogue is crisp and snappy additionally aided by Barrymore's spellbinding deliveries. The film was noted to have been made in breakneck speed: Barrymore was letter perfect except he kept flubbing one line which took 52 takes. Paul Muni was originally sought to play the role, but he played the role on stage and didn't want to be typecast a Jew. The film opened to public and critical applause and today, the lightening still crackles through this masterful film.

I've seen this movie several times on TCM. After having spent my life in the legal world (not an attorney), I thought it was just so funny when John Barrymore grabs the draft his secretary is typing from, takes a pencil, puts the draft on the wall and starts marking it up all over again. And, of course, the end when he's ready to give it all up but the phone rings with "new business" and he's off and running. Now I've watched this movie with "civilians" and they just didn't get it but I think it truly reflects what life is like in a law firm although it might be slightly exaggerated.

One of the biographers of John Barrymore says that he felt himself miscast here. But he was the only possible choice, and he makes a direct hit. At a time when Hitler was just coming to power, would a real Jewish actor really be able to elicit as much sympathy from a middle-American audience outside of New York City for a high-powered Jewish lawyer desperately seeking acceptance into Gentile society? Mr. Barrymore seems to bring all parts of himself to the role -- his own neglected street-kid background, his sense of failing in his career, his anxieties, insecurities and deep compassion for others -- in a subtle, nuanced and very modern performance at a time when actors and directors still relied upon silent-movie histrionics and still didn't seem to feel comfortable with the presence of the microphone. For all of us who never got the chance to see him as the greatest Richard III and Hamlet of his era, this film can stand as John Barrymore's monument.