Counsellor-at-Law

Counsellor-at-Law
by William Wyler

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• COUNSELLOR AT LAW (DVD MOVIE)

DVD Reviews of Counsellor-at-Law

DVD Review: Barrymore & Wyler Rule in Counsellor-At-Law
Summary: 5 Stars

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!

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