John Cromwell's For The Defense

John Cromwell's For the Defense is further evidence of how innovative good directors were in the early sound era, moving the camera in spite of the difficulties of recording sound at the same time.  For the Defense starts out with the camera following a man on trial walking through jail doors and corridors until he gets to the courtroom where he is on trial, defended by William Fallon, played by William Powell.  The film ends with Powell himself convicted -- of jury bribery -- and going in the reverse direction, before arriving at Sing Sing in the rain and the doors closing on him. 

This film was something of a high point for director John Cromwell and actors Kay Francis and William Powell, though they all made quite a number of films in the sound era.  Kay Francis is best remembered for her elegant and amusing role in Lubitsch's Trouble in Paradise (1932) but unfortunately usually seemed more interested in who designed her clothes than who her director was.  William Powell is most remembered for his role in The Thin Man movies, which veered far away from the Dashiell Hammett novel, where he played a smug dipsomaniac.  But before he became identified with that role he played complex and conflicted characters in For the Defense and other films, especially Von Sternberg's beautiful The Last Command (1928).  Cromwell became primarily known for his intelligent direction of females, including Barbara Stanwyck in Banjo on My Knee (1936) and Eleanor Parker in Caged (1950).

The cinematography on For the Defense is by Charles Lang, a master of light and shadow; the film is a good example of what it means when one says "black-and-white is more beautiful than color."  Lang and Cromwell use close-ups sparingly, usually giving us a wide view before moving in closely.  Cromwell is especially effective in his use of sound, often having the conversations take place off-screen while the camera is on another part of the scene.

The plot of Cromwell's film may be somewhat old-fashioned -- a lawyer bribes a juror "to save a woman's honor" -- but the style and emotion are as relevant as ever.