Advogado de Defesa

There's a great script here, fine players and some dynamite camera work by Ted Tetzlaff in this story about District Attorney Edmund Lowe. He sends the wrong man to the electric chair, quits to go into defense work and make amends, and winds up on trial for the murder of Evelyn Brent. However, there is something severely lacking that stops this script from Jo Swerling, who did great scripts for great directors like Capra and Hitchcock, from being great. Perhaps it's the way that every time you expect things to burst loose, the shot changes from a pacing moving camera into a tight two-shot. Perhaps it's the lack of overt action -- although given that Swerling wrote the screenplay for Hitchcock's claustrophobic LIFEBOAT, that answer doesn't feel right. Maybe it's the way that everyone wears their clothes, as if they've just come from a fresh pressing at the tailor shop.

Whatever is wrong with this movie, it winds up being too talky. Given that the director is Irving Cummings, who started directing in 1921, and that stars Lowe and Evelyn Brent were seasoned silent performers, it should work brilliantly, But it just works very well instead. Ah, well.

Obviously a short programmer for the bottom half of a double feature bill, ATTORNEY FOR THE DEFENSE is a good melodrama from Columbia starring EDMUND LOWE. He's a lawyer who lets himself be accused of a crime so he can play his own defense lawyer to prove who is really guilty of the murder.

His charming secretary is played by CONSTANCE CUMMINGS, an attractive blonde who encourages him to solve the murder by playing the defense lawyer for a change.

DWIGHT FRYE has a melodramatic courtroom moment at the film's start, as an innocent man unable to prove his innocence in a court of law. EVELYN BRENT and DOUGLAS HAIG are good in strong supporting roles.

Trivia note: The first radio broadcast of a trial is mentioned in this film from '32, as is the word "television" several times. An early indication of things to come.

The first half of this movie is a fine example of a fast-paced pre-code drama raising moral issues (i. E., how far should an attorney go in prosecuting a doubtful case) with crisp dialogue, surprising plot twists, and a cynical attitude. About midway it slows down and resolves in a tepid courtroom scene with the climax pulled out of a hat as in a lesser Perry Mason episode. Too bad. Worth a watch for pre-code buffs and those who enjoy any courtroom scene as long as the good guy wins.

PC alert: Talented black actor Clarence Muse, who seldom got meaningful roles in that era, plays a key witness. He isn't treated disrespectfully but Muse was made to act the role in the stereotypical eye-rolling childish manner and cornball dialect then seemingly required.

"Attorney for the Defense" is a good film about a district attorney, William J. Burton, who turns from prosecuting accused criminals to defending them. His conversion happens after the real killer confesses to a murder for which an innocent man has already been convicted and executed. It was Burton's prosecution that convinced the jury to give him the electric chair. But Burton's change of heart doesn't mean life will be a bed of roses for him from then on.

Burton's past acquaintances with a two-timing gal, Val Lorraine, and his new career and dedication to helping Mrs. Wallace and her son Paul, will lead to problems in the future. His devoted secretary and legal assistant, Ruth Barry, is his last hope when Burton himself stands trial for murder.

There are a couple of good twists in this Columbia Pictures mystery drama. The production quality isn't very good - Columbia was a second tier studio at the time and wasn't able to as quickly adopt the changes and innovations that the major studios of the day made. The screenplay is just fair, but the plot is a good one.

And this is a good film in which to see an actor who isn't much remembered in the 21st century like many of the movie icons of the mid-20th century. Edmund Lowe finished his last decade in TV series in the 1950s, but had a career with more than 100 films. Many of those were in leading roles during the silent film era. He transitioned well with sound, but was already 40 years old in 1930. He still got lead roles, mostly in mysteries with some comedies and dramas through the mid-1930s. But after that, when the new young stars begam making names for themselves, Lowe's roles were most often supporting. He made movies for different studios, including some B studios by the end of his film career.

Constance Cummings is very good as Ruth Barry. Nat Pendleton is the most recognizable of the supporting cast. Most of the rest of the cast wouldn't be recognized except by die-hard movie buffs and aficionados.

Here's a favorite line from this film.

Val Lorraine (played by Evelyn Brent), "Anyway, it'd ruin my chances to marry the man from Dubuque." William Burton, "Grand Rapids."

This is the weakest of all those 1932 lawyer films inspired by real life celebrity prosecutor turned defender, Gene Fowler. It's weaker in terms of story, direction and especially its star, Edmund Lowe. This role relies on the charisma of the lead but unfortunately Edmund Lowe just doesn't have it. He's not a bad actor, he simply doesn't sparkle. Compared with his counterparts in the other 1932 lawyer films he doesn't have either: the sleazy charm of Warren William in MOUTHPIECE, the over-the-top extravagance of John Barrymore in STATE'S ATTORNEY or the warmth of William Powell in LAWYER MAN. He's just an actor reading his lines - you don't feel as though you want to know anything about him.

Of all these similar movies, the story in this one is possibly the most interesting and unexpected but because of the pedestrian direction and the one dimensional characters you never fully engage with it. On paper this probably sounded really exciting and handled differently it could have been but it looks like Columbia picked their B team for this and it shows.