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A couple of posts ago I said, “As with most every Powell/Pressburger production, aka The Archers, it’s fantastic and strange, with striking visual designs.”

Looking at the previous post, with Vera Lynn and the aircraft behind her, it reminded me of something, then Turner Classic Movies happened to show what it was. A Matter of Life and Death, from 1946.

I wrote about this movie here over ten years ago. Back then just getting a few minutes of it captured and posted as a Flash Video was a big pain, but now YouTube has a complete copy. As with most every Powell/Pressburger production, aka The Archers, it’s fantastic and strange, with striking visual designs.

Richard Attenborough, looking unbelievably young, appears early on. There’s a motorcycle ride starting at 38:45 into the video that was quite obviously borrowed by David Lean for the opening of Lawrence of Arabia.

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.

Brad Pitt can make anything look cool, even wearing a mask.

Be like Officer Jim Reed and wear a mask!

From 1962, here is an independently produced horror movie that I doubt Svengoolie will ever show. It’s Carnival of Souls, and I haven’t watched it yet myself, but it has a reputation as a cult favorite.