Like many other Depression-era movie gems, the The Animal Kingdom deals with the problems of rich people. Adapted from a stage play it’s, well, stagey and drags in parts, but it’s also an honest and nuanced portrayal of human weaknesses and adult relationships.
Ann Harding has top billing. Her performance is more assured than Myrna Loy’s, while the character she plays is more interesting and complex. Loy’s star would later eclipse Ann’s relatively brief fame. And, yes, that’s Neil Hamilton, who played Commissioner Gordon on the Batman TV series 35 years later.