Directed by the illustrious William Wyler (The Good Fairy, Detective Story, The Big Country, Ben-Hur), the briskly paced Counsellor at Law is often cited as the best film to ever tackle the intricacies and pitfalls of the legal profession. George Simon (Hollywood legend John Barrymore, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) is a successful attorney, climbing from a Jewish ghetto to elegant Art Deco offices in the Empire State Building. After allowing one of his former clients to commit perjury to win a case, George realizes he could be disbarred. The scandal convinces his wife to run away to Europe with another man, leaving George shattered and desperate to find out who his true friends really are. Flavored with social commentary and wry humor, Counsellor at Law is an exceptional example of the hard-boiled dramas that defined the Pre-Code cinema of the early 1930s. Co-starring Melvyn Douglas (Angel).\.

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Video Quality

Counsellor at Law makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Kino Classics with a brand new 1080p transfer from a 2K master. Overall, this is a pretty enjoyable presentation for a film of this vintage. The black-and-white photography shot by Nobert Brodine sparkles in high definition with natural grain intact. That being said, this is not a perfect presentation as a pretty fine layer of minor nicks and scratches remain, but there is evidence this has been cleaned up immensely. With this new transfer, you get a pleasing amount of depth and enhanced detail within the film’s composition. Detail is strong with nice textures on the clothing and within the production design. The contrast is firmly defined, but a small amount of flicker and density fluctuation remains in the print. This presentation shows off fairly solid black levels with no overwhelming occurrence of crush or compression artifacts. Kino Classics has provided a good release for this one.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a decent DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that serves this movie well enough despite a few limitations. It is apparent that this track has some minor age related wear and tear along with some hissing and crackles. That also applies to the quality of the music which can sound a bit thin or brash, which likely dates back to the source elements. The dialogue comes through clearly and without issue while maintaining harmony with all competing elements including the active environmental sounds around the office. Kino Classics has done their best to provide a stable experience for the audience. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Film Historian/Filmmaker Daniel Kremer and Catherine Wyler, daughter of director William Wyler, deliver a really informative commentary track in which they talk about how this film fits into the legacy of William Wyler, the careers of the talent involved, the technical prowess of this film, how this narrative handles class disparity, personal anecdotes about Wyler, hallmarks of Wyler which he utilizes here and more. This is a thoughtful track that is worth checking out.

Trailers: There are trailers provided for The Good Fairy, Detective Story, The Big Country and The Children’s Hour.

Final Thoughts

Counsellor at Law is an engaging drama which may take place in a legal setting, but it is one which brings normal human drama to the forefront. John Barrymore provides a stellar performance in the lead role, and he is supported by a very capable ensemble. There are certain elements regarding the women in this movie that do not hold up as well, but overall this is a really solid effort. Kino Classics has delivered a Blu-Ray release that sports a good A/V presentation and a very informative commentary track. If you are a William Wyler fan, this is a great addition to your collection. Recommended

Counsellor at Law is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.