Essentially forgotten today, actor Warren William became regarded as the early 1930s “King of Pre-Code” because he played roles that would soon become “forbidden” due to the Production Code. We get an example of this via 1932’s Skyscraper Souls.

Tycoon David Dwight (William) lives on top of the 100-story Dwight Building. A womanizer, he keeps his estranged wife Ella (Hedda Hopper) content via the money he gives to her.

This doesn’t sit well with Dwight’s long-term mistress Sarah Dennet (Verree Teasdale), as she wants him to divorce Ella so they can marry. While Dwight deals with this romantic domain, he also struggles to take full control of the tower that bears his name.

From the vantage point of nearly a century later, I find the delineation between the content of pre-and-post-Code films to seem difficult to discern. I suspect the changes seemed more obvious to audiences back then but given how much more explicit movies became, it becomes tough to tell the difference.

Do some pre-Code offerings seem friskier and more risqué than their successors? Sure, and we get a little of that here, such as shots of women in their underwear that probably wouldn’t have passed muster a few years later.

In any case, anyone who expects William’s performance to seem especially daring will find disappointment. While his style might’ve become verboten under the Code, it still seems tame to modern audiences.

Does this mean folks in 2026 will find it tough to connect with Souls? No, the nature of the movie’s style doesn’t become an issue.

The tedious nature of the story and characters does, unfortunately. Despite many stabs at drama, Souls becomes a dull affair.

Although my synopsis only mentions David Dwight and his issues, we follow the personal entanglements of others as well. We find a particular emphasis on executive assistant Lynn Harding (Maureen O’Sullivan) and her pushy boyfriend Tom Shepherd (Norman Foster), and some other supporting roles pop up as well.

None of this goes anywhere interesting, and the same goes for the antics that involve Dwight and his ladies. Eventually he sets his sights on Lynn, another tedious complication in a film filled with them.

Indeed, Souls spends so much time with the personal drama that it neglects the thread about Dwight’s business dealings. While those pop up occasionally, they become a surprisingly small part of the story.

All of this adds up to a slow and forgettable melodrama. Even for “pre-Code” aficionados, I can’t find much to recommend here.

Skyscraper Souls appears in an aspect ratio of 1.37:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Given the film’s age, this turned into a stellar presentation.

Sharpness looked very good. Softness remained minimal in this largely tight image.

No issues with jagged edges or moiré effects popped up, and I saw no edge haloes. Grain seemed appropriate and print flaws remained absent.

Blacks felt deep and dense while shadows appeared clear. I found a lot to like about this age-defying scan.

As for the film’s DTS-HD MA monaural audio, it also felt appropriate for its era. Speech leaned tinny but the lines remained easily intelligible and they lacked edginess.

Though both effects and music seemed thin, they also didn’t suffer from notable roughness so they felt fine overall. No issues with noise or pops impacted the mix. Expect a perfectly adequate track.

The disc provides three vintage shorts. We find Snow Birds (10:10), Bosko and Bruno (6:52) and Rambling Round Radio Row #7 (9:50).

With Birds, we get a comedic look at winter activities. From a line that would eventually get called A Pete Smith Specialty, it doesn’t seem especially funny but I guess folks in the 1930s liked Smith’s shtick.

Row exists as nothing more than an avenue for some musical performances. Like Birds, it lacks much entertainment value.

Warner’s failed answer to Mickey Mouse – with “Bruno” the name of a pet dog who clearly rips off Pluto - I’ve yet to see a Bosko short that didn’t seem fairly embarrassing and unfunny. Bruno doesn’t change this streak, though the short remains of interest for basic archival purposes.

As a “pre-Code” melodrama, Skyscaper Souls lacks much real charm. It brings soap opera antics with a little more spice than audiences would see a few years later but this doesn’t add up to a lot of entertainment 94 years later. The Blu-ray offers excellent visuals and appropriate audio along with minor supplements. Leave Souls to pre-Code completists.