Tonight's Movie: Counsellor at Law (1933) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

One of my favorite pre-Code dramas, COUNSELLOR AT LAW (1933), is being released on Blu-ray this week by Kino Lorber.

I've seen this film multiple times, including my first viewing in 2010 and a memorable nitrate screening in 2018, and the highest compliment I can give the movie is that it only gets better on each viewing.

This 82-minute film unfolds at a breakneck pace and never lets up, demanding viewer attention start to finish.

John Barrymore plays George Simon, a prominent New York attorney. He and his partner (Onslow Stevens) have an impressive practice in the Empire State Building -- the film is worth watching for the Art Deco decor alone -- but the elegant setting initially masks that George comes from a poor immigrant background.

George now has it made, or so he thinks, with a lovely wife, Cora (Doris Kenyon) and two stepchildren (Richard Quine and Barbara Perry), but the children won't give him the time of day, and it very slowly dawns on George that Cora isn't very interested in him either. Kenyon's delicate sigh to herself after he kisses her and says she smells good is one of the most brilliantly played moments in a movie that's full of them.

Meanwhile George's loyal, highly efficient secretary Rexy (Bebe Daniels) quietly pines after him, while George himself handles a barrage of clients, a bit of insider trading, and the prospect of disbarment. That latter problem is a bridge too far for Cora, who's more concerned about what her friends will think than how her husband is bearing up under the stress.

William Wyler briskly directs from a screenplay by Elmer Rice, based on Rice's own Broadway play, which opened in 1931 starring Paul Muni. (A few of the supporting actors in the film repeat their Broadway parts.) While the movie's action is confined to the law firm set, Wyler manages to avoid making it feel too obviously like a filmed stage play. The movie was beautifully shot by Norbert Brodine.

While the film gives the later HIS GIRL FRIDAY (1940) a run for its money in terms of the fast pace and rapid-fire dialogue, Wyler and the cast also provide beautifully nuanced and memorable small bits of business. The previously mentioned moment with Doris Kenyon is one scene; I also particularly noted things like Rexy immediately putting her head down and busying herself with work when she notices the arrival of Mr. Baird (Elmer Brown), who insistently presses her for a date.

Melvyn Douglas pops in for a couple of entertaining scenes as Roy Darwin, who proves to be nervy enough to tap George for a substantial loan at the same time he's courting his wife behind his back. Also of note are Isabel Jewell as the fast-talking, sing-song-voiced telephone operator and John Hammond Dailey as George's personal private detective.

For additional thoughts on this film I refer readers to my 2010 review. All in all, this is a highly entertaining movie which I very much recommend.

Kino Lorber's Blu-ray is from a brand-new 2K master. There are occasional lines and scratches, particularly in some later scenes, but on the whole the film looks and sounds great, particularly when one realizes the film's 90th anniversary is this year.

Extras consist of a gallery of four trailers for other William Wyler films available from Kino Lorber and a commentary track by Daniel Kremer and the director's daughter, Catherine Wyler.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray.

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