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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 1254

For the Defense

193085 minUnited States

Video edition: Wikimedia Commons
Original language: English
This copy runs: 63:02
Subtitles: No subtitle track in this language

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · John Cromwell · Public domain

This copy runs shorter than the reference runtime. Editing and playback speed can differ between editions.

Synopsis

Attorney William Foster is renowned for finding ways around a prosecution's case. When the actress he loves asks him to defend another man after a fatal road accident, her concealed involvement complicates the request. The lawyer's confidence in his own methods collides with a case he cannot treat impersonally.

Cast

William Powell

Kay Francis

DirectorsJohn Cromwell

Historical context

William Powell's courtroom performer inhabits a pre-Code crime drama where legal ingenuity and private loyalty pull in different directions. The suspense depends on who knows the truth about the accident and when they choose to reveal it.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Wikipedia — film reference Wikidata — film identity and credits

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The public-domain references concern the original films in the United States. Rights can differ for other countries, editions, restorations, music or translations. Sources are listed on each film page.

Availability checked on September 15, 2026.

Photograph credit

Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.

William Powell — George Hurrell for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer · Public domain
Kay Francis — Elmer Fryer (1898-1944) · Public domain

Audience rating

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