The Lion and the Lamb: A dated, dusty relic

Is it worth your time?

Honestly? Probably not, unless you have a strange itch for early thirties talkies that feel like they were filmed inside a cardboard box. If you’re a completionist for this era, you’ll find a certain charm in how stiff everyone is. If you want something that actually moves, steer clear.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of The Lion and the Lamb (1931) through its definitive frames.

The whole thing feels like the actors are waiting for a train that already left. There’s a lot of standing around in drawing rooms, looking worried at each other, and speaking with that mid-Atlantic accent that feels like it’s trying to swallow the microphone.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of The Lion and the Lamb (1931) through its definitive frames.

Charles Wildish is in it, and he does that thing where he holds his posture like he’s trying to keep a book balanced on his head. It’s hard to tell if he’s acting or just hoping the scene ends quickly. Maybe both. 🤷‍♂️

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of The Lion and the Lamb (1931) through its definitive frames.

The vibe is... very static.

There’s a robbery plot buried in here somewhere, but it gets lost under all the polite chatter. The film reminded me a bit of the pacing issues I saw in The W Plan, where the momentum just sort of evaporates halfway through the second act.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of The Lion and the Lamb (1931) through its definitive frames.

I found myself staring at the wallpaper in the background during one particularly long dialogue scene. It was surprisingly busy. That’s probably the most exciting thing that happened for about ten minutes.

The transition to sound was clearly still a headache for everyone involved. Sometimes the audio dips so low you have to lean in, then suddenly someone shouts and it’s like they’re screaming directly into your ear. Classic.

• The lighting is mostly just 'bright' and 'brighter'.
• Nobody ever seems to sit down properly.
• The dialogue feels like it was written by someone who had only heard about crime through telegrams.

If you put this next to something like Sunny Side Up, you really see how different filmmakers were struggling to figure out what to do with a microphone. Some just let the actors project until they turned blue.

There’s this one moment where a character walks across the room and you can hear their footsteps sound like heavy claps. It’s a tiny, dumb detail, but I laughed out loud. It’s those little moments of unintentional comedy that keep me watching these old things, I guess.

Anyway, don’t go in expecting a thriller. It’s more of a polite suggestion of a thriller. 🎞️