If I Were Free

Two desperately unhappy people, both trapped in loveless marriages, meet one night by chance in Paris...

IF I WERE FREE is a fine example of what could be done with a soap opera plot when given the advantages of excellent acting & good production values. In less expert hands the film could have easily become awkward & mawkish; instead, the viewer is given slightly over an hour of solid entertainment.

Irene Dunne & Clive Brook are first rate as the sensible lovers who enter a relationship with their eyes wide open. Some clever scenes with sophisticated dialogue - going through her childhood books, visiting his favorite old church - makes their interaction a delight.

Considerable contributions are also given by the supporting performers: Henry Stephenson as Brook's jolly legal friend and Vivian Tobin as his pixilated wife are very amusing. Laura Hope Crews as Brook's free spirited mother & Tempe Pigott as Dunne's Cockney housekeeper add their own style of drollery to the proceedings.

Silent film star Nils Asther scores in the small role of Dunne's caddish husband. His celebrity had considerably dimmed with the arrival of talking pictures, but given a decent role this actor could still deliver the goods.

Movie mavens will recognize an uncredited Halliwell Hobbes as Brook's butler.