movie poster

The Insect Play

1939

90 minutes

MusicDrama

Overview

A tramp falls asleep in the woods. He dreams of observing a range of insects that stand in for various human characteristics in terms of their lifestyle and morality: the flighty, vain butterfly, the obsequious, self-serving dung beetle, the ants, whose increasingly mechanized behavior leads to a militaristic society.

Top Cast

Wilfrid Grantham headshot

Wilfrid Grantham

The Lepidopterist / First Snail

Edmund Willard headshot

Edmund Willard

The Tranp

Pamela Standish headshot

Pamela Standish

The Chrysalis

Frank Birch headshot

Frank Birch

Mr. Beetle / Commander of the Yellows

Maire O'Neill headshot

Maire O'Neill

Mrs. Beetle / Philanthropist

Charles Peters headshot

Charles Peters

Robber Beetle/Journalist

Rupert Bruce Lockhart headshot

Rupert Bruce Lockhart

The Ichneumon Fly / Inventor

Sheila Kay headshot

Sheila Kay

The Larva

Leslie French headshot

Leslie French

Mr. Cricket / Second Snail

Wendy Toye headshot

Wendy Toye

Mrs. Cricket

Wilfred Franks headshot

Wilfred Franks

The Blind Ant Timekeeper

Geoffrey Wincott headshot

Geoffrey Wincott

The Parasite