Turned it around: Leslie Howard

When I was about 14, I saw Gone With the Wind for the first time.  I remembering my mom telling my that my beloved Grandma Diane just adored Leslie Howard.  And all I could think was "Ashley Wilkes?!".  I did not understand how my grandmother could like Leslie Howard, he was such a milquetoast in that movie. Then I made the mistake of seeing Intermezzo with Leslie Howard and Ingrid Bergman.  And he made me so angry in that movie, with his character being spineless, selfish, and thoughtless (I have seen it billed as Intermezzo: A Love Story, and the only love I have for this movie is that it was Ingrid Bergman's first Hollywood movie).  But then, one movie completely turned me around on Leslie Howard and I understood what my Grandma Diane might have liked about him.  And that movie was the amazing A Free Soul starring Norma Shearer, Lionel Barrymore, Leslie Howard, and Clark Gable (Rhett and Ashley in a pre-Gone With the Wind pairing).  This movie was so amazing that Norma Shearer was nominated for an Oscar, Lionel Barrymore won an Oscar (almost solely due to a beautifully crafted and delivered monologue in a 14-minute extended scene at the end of the movie, shot in a single take), and made Clark Gable a star.  And finally, I saw a Leslie Howard that had strong resolve, a loving and forgiving nature, and willingness to act in a selfless manner. There is a scene that I adore between Leslie Howard and Norma Shearer where the staging only shows their eyes and so you can see all the emotions each is feeling but only expressed in their eyes.  Norma Shearer is brilliant in this movie.  I heard gossip (possibly from Robert Osbourne) that Joan Crawford was unkind to Norma Shearer on the set of The Women because Joan thought that Norma's career was due to Norma's marriage to Irving Thalburg which makes me kind of mad because Norma Shearer was a fantastic actress with a great range and ability (which I can't really say about Joan Crawford, I like some of her movies but I never feel like she was completely taken over by the character she was playing).  It also had a modern view of women and their sexuality.  This was a pre-Code film so while it is not shown that Norma Shearer's character has a sexual relationship with Clark Gable, it is generally accepted by all the characters in the film.  There is a interesting side-plot about the father's (played by Lionel Barrymore) alcoholism and the nature of addiction. He loves his daughter (and is proud of her independence) but that cannot overcome his addiction.   I can go on and on about how much a I love A Free Soul, but one of the best things it did for me was make me reconsider Leslie Howard.