Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Kidskycom It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

Numerootno A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

Frances Chung Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

st-shot Ultra charming megalomaniac David Dwight (played by Warren William at his most dastardly) will stop at nothing to realize his dream of having total control of New York's tallest (it dwarfs the Empire State Building a few clouds down) skyscraper. By way of style and guile he leads investors into a trap in order to solidify his power base. A bit of a lecher as well he manages to seduce a new secretary who happens to be the niece of his executive secretary / mistress. Exuding ultra confidence Dwight triumphs in both arenas but soon finds himself out on a precarious ledge.William plays Dwight with passionate bravado and gentle understanding. He charms everyone, including the audience for the first hour as he turns it on for investors and lovers with devastating results. His drive and ambition however bring out the Mr. Hyde in him as he callously jettisons both to achieve aim. William's, pitch perfect snake is greatly aided by William Daniel's cinematography which captures the strikingly lit futuristic slick and sleek interiors provided by Cedric Gibbons and company creating an ideal stage for Dwight's messianic harangues and seductions.The supporting cast led by Gregory Ratoff, Verree Teasdale and Anita Page down to the minor supporting roles of duped investors are substantive and crucial. The film's biggest misstep is the handling of comic relief through Norman Foster's Harold Llyod like bank teller Romeo. Granted the film is dark but Forster (who would eventually go on to become the most commercially successful film director in history) is little more than obnoxiously abrasive and an annoying distraction.In addition to the fine cast and luridly engrossing story line there is some powerful exterior imagery that makes for a powerhouse climax as well as the surrealistic image of the newly erected, inferior sized Empire that still has the same impact today.Made prior to film censorship, Skyscraper Souls allows the conniving Dwight to vividly display his duplicity with élan and without regret. Released during the bleakest days of The Depression it is an uncompromisingly dark portrait for its time that still resonates eight decades later amid investment house failures and in personages that run from Trump to Madoff.

kidboots Maureen O'Sullivan was MGM's favourite ingenue and she was used quite frequently throughout the 30s. Her most famous role was as the refined Jane to Johnny Weismuller's Tarzan of the Apes but she was usually around as a sweet young thing in such high quality films as "The Thin Man" (1934), "The Barretts of Wimpole Street" (1934), "David Copperfield" (1935) and "Anna Karenina" (1936). "Skyscraper Souls" provides her with a different type of role. In this "Grand Hotel" of the business world she plays the mercenary Lynn who is drawn to Dwight and the luxury he can give her.Tom (Norman Foster), a brash and pretty obnoxious bank teller, tries to pick up pretty Lynn Harding (a ravishing Maureen O'Sullivan) but she doesn't fall for his "charms" - she only has eyes for her boss, the cold and ruthless David Dwight (Warren William). Sarah (Verree Teasdale) is Dwight's secretary and former mistress, who has taken Lynn under her wing. Dwight wants to merge with Seacoast Bank because he stands to lose his entire fortune if he doesn't - it means retrenchment of workers but he doesn't care!!! "The Flat-Iron Building....the Dwight building could put it in it's vest pocket"!! He sees that Sarah is looked after with a trust account of $100,000!!! Lynn works late and finds herself at Dwight's party, where he plies her with champagne until she forgets where she is and falls asleep in Dwight's bed. Sarah gives Tom a tip to put all his money in Seacoast shares - he has been complaining about the fact that he is too poor to tempt Lynn.Dwight, though, is going to sell short - and that sets the film up for a climax as the market fails and lives are ruined. Myra (Helen Coburn) is broke and goes to Slim (Wallace Ford) in desperation. Slim gambles on the stock market and loses everything and in his despair prepares to rob Jake (Jean Hersholt) a jeweller. Slim is accidentally locked in the time lock safe - he is dead when it is opened the next day. Helen Coburn must take the award as the most callous young woman in films. Desperate to get away from her husband Bill (who seems like a nice chap in the couple of scenes he has) she thinks nothing of going off with Bill and saying nothing about Slim, knowing that he is locked in the vault. Another couple, who do make a go of it are Jenny LeGrande (Anita Page) a model/prostitute and Jake, a jeweller. Typical racy dialogue exchange between them - Jake "you shouldn't gamble...I can afford it, I'm in a very old business", Jenny "Yeah?? Well so am I"!!!Sarah confronts Dwight about his involvement with Lynn - they are already planning to go away together with Lynn posing as his "ward". Of course at the end Lynn falls into Tom's arms - she has shown that she is completely mercenary and a gold-digger, so who knows if they will be happy. Warren William is his usual perfect self - he had a habit of playing ruthless, chauvinistic men ("Beauty and the Boss" (1932), "Upperworld" (1934)) but still making you like and admire him. Aside from Warren William, Verree Teasdale gave the best performance in the film as the loyal but cast off mistress.Highly, Highly Recommended.

Michael_Elliott Skyscraper Souls (1932) *** (out of 4) Pre-code drama in the same vein as GRAND HOTEL, which was also produced by MGM. This time out the story centers on an entrepreneur (Warren William) who will stop at nothing to own a 100-story building that he helped create. While William tries to take over the building, he also sets his eyes on a virginal woman (Maureen O'Sullivan) who is also being looked at by a poor bank clerk (Norman Foster). This is a much talked about film because of all the pre-code nature, which includes William trying to sleep with every female in the film and other goodies such as murder and suicide. Quite a bit of bad stuff happens in this film and that certainly makes it stand apart from other movies of the decade but there's no denying a stronger story would have made the movie even better. I think the by the numbers story is the main weak link because while watching the thing you can't help but already know what's going to happen and how it's going to play out. This familiar territory is a weak point but it doesn't take away from the fun. William is devilishly good in his role and you can't help but believe his character who is evil enough to not let anyone stand in his way. O'Sullivan, right off TARZAN THE APE MAN, does a great job as well and really sells the innocence of her character. Foster, Anita Page, Gregory Ratoff and Wallace Ford also turn in nice supporting performances. Fans of this film will also want to catch EMPLOYEE'S ENTRANCE, which features Williams in the same type of role and co-stars Loretta Young and Ford.

MartinHafer This movie is almost like combining a soap opera like the TV show HOTEL and combining it with the 1930s film THE MATCH KING. This is because throughout this modern skyscraper, many stories involving infidelity and financial ruin abound. And, of all the tales, the most pervasive and impressive is the character Warren William plays--a guy who has leveraged his empire to the hilt and stands on the verge of great success or bankruptcy--much like William's true-life character from THE MATCH KING. The story also has a decent amount of sleaze compared to later films since it was made in the early days of the Hay Office that controlled violence and morals in films. In the early days, they weren't as strict and studios didn't take them all that seriously--this is VERY evident in this film as it pulls very few punches in telling this entertaining tale.By the way, almost equally entertaining is another film that apparently is a re-working of this Warren William film. "Manhattan Tower" is a low-budget film with a heck of a lot of entertainment value despite its very low budget. Currently, you can watch or download this film through IMDb and compare it to "Skyscraper Souls". Wow...these two films would sure make a nice double-feature.