1930-31 – Lionel Barrymore
A Free Soul
This was the first year that more than one actor was nominated for the same movie. Lionel Barrymore took home the Oscar for his performance in the film, though Norma Shearer, who was nominated for Best Actress did not. Incidentally, I think they both deserved their nominations.
I’ve seen Lionel Barrymore in two other films that come to mind. Grand Hotel, and You Can’t Take It With You, both of which took home the Oscars for Outstanding Picture in their respective years. On the one hand, he seemed to almost be playing himself in each of those films, as well as A Free Soul. There was that core personality that was so natural to his acting and the characters he created. He seemed like a loveable old grandfatherly figure. It was him, plain and simple. But I also recall another role for which he is famous that did not fall into the same pattern. He played the mean and crotchety Mr. Potter in It’s a Wonderful Life.
But despite the similar characters he played in the two Oscar winning films, each character he created offered something different. In this film, he played Stephen Ashe, a hopeless alcoholic. He was used to drinking until he could barely stand, the kind of addict that had no will to resist the drink, no ability to choose sobriety. But at the same time, he was functional despite his constant inebriation. He was intelligent, and honest, and he clearly loved both his daughter and his mother. In other words, he was a real person, obviously good natured, but deeply flawed.
I imagine playing a convincing drunk must be difficult. Too over the top, and you create a caricature, a parody of a drinker, like Regis Toomey’s character in 1929’s Alibi. Not enough, and it comes off as lackluster and uninspired. Barrymore had that balance, and a good grasp of the realism of Stephen Ashe, and he played it perfectly. One scene in particular stood out as outstanding. It was when his beloved daughter takes him away from the city on a three month camping trip. When he began to detox, Barrymore really gave us a convincing performance with his restless movements, his constant irritation, It was a short scene, but his mannerisms and vocal inflections really sold it. Well done, Lionel!