Product Description

Studio: Gotham (dba Alpha) Release Date: 05/25/2004

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #59598 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-05-25
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 85 minutes

Amazon.com
Though a bit stodgy, this 1932 film adaptation of a Philip Barry play features the star of the original Broadway production: Leslie Howard. While Barry had later, greater successes with film versions of his plays Holiday and The Philadelphia Story, The Animal Kingdom is something of a blueprint for those better-known comedies. Howard plays book publisher Tom Collier, a bohemian at heart and an enthusiast for great literature and artistic integrity. His lover, Daisy Sage (Ann Harding), is an equally open-minded artist. But while she's off in Paris, Tom considers making a show of respectability, and marries socialite Cee Henry (Myrna Loy), who intends to groom Tom for polite society. Cee's ambition and Tom's conflicts set the stage for one of Barry's comedies of manners, as desire and responsibility square off. Unimaginatively directed by Edward H. Griffith, the production is anchored to its stage-bound origins, but Barry's dialogue and the charming performances make it all worthwhile. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!
In my opinion, a great film adaptation of Philip Barry's Play, with a luminous performance by grand actress, Ann Harding; Myrna Loy is excellent too, as Leslie Howard's alluring, sensual and manipulative wife; Leslie Howard's good as usual, and all of them get fine support from Neil Hamilton, Ilka Chase, Henry Stephenson, and especially, William Gargan, who is hilarious as a joke of a butler! (he's an ex-fighter). Perhaps it may be regarded as kind of talky and stagy by today's standards, but anyway it's pretty adult stuff with great dialogues and subtleties, and a great example of what could be done with a fine script and cast, before the Production Code was fully enforced in 1934.

Back when talkies had dialogue...
Nice one. Leslie Howard is a lot more interesting in this than he ever was as Ashley Wilkes. Perenially sympathetic Myrna Loy is sexy and not so nice. Ann Harding and William Gargan are quite solid. The dialogue is snappy and great. The acting is first rate. The conflict itself doesn't have so much merit. This is rather a shallow and quickly told story about a man choosing depth over surface. But still the movie is a lot more vibrant than some of today's fare, at once a little bit thoughtful and entertaining.

Exceptional Print.
The Alpha Version of this Historic film, the first shown on the opening night of Radio City Music Hall, is exceptional, and the best Alpha print I have ever seen. This is also a smart, intelligent film. More prints like this one and Millie could give Alpha a better reputation than it currently has.