Customer Reviews

The Cat and the Canary

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The 1922 play THE CAT AND THE CANARY was so popular that it made the fortune of author John Willard, who lived to see it filmed no fewer than three times before his death in 1942. Even today the story remains a classic of its kind, inspiring a host of films that mix comedy, mystery, and horror--not to mention still more that focus on suspicious doings in old, dark houses. When questioned by author Gavin Lambert, director James Whale very specifically indicated that the 1927 film version, along with the 1928 THE LAST WARNING, influenced his own work in such films as FRANKENSTEIN and THE OLD DARK HOUSE.

Both THE CAT AND THE CANARY and THE LAST WARNING were created for Universal by director Paul Leni. But while THE LAST WARNING is not presently available to the home market, THE CAT AND THE CANARY most certainly is, and even some eighty years later is possible to see what all the fuss was about. In term of cinematography, CAT is a remarkably imaginative film, using a series of over-lapping images, close-ups, and dissolves to astonishing effect. In a visual sense it is easily one of the most stylish films of the silent era.

The plot is a classic of its kind. Like the original Willard play, the film's story mixes a host of already-cliched ideas with several then-new ones. Today, of course, it can be a bit difficult to them apart! But even so it remains a fair amount of fun. An eccentric millionaire has been hounded to death by his greedy relatives--and when he dies he leaves behind a will that imposes a twenty year waiting period between his death and delivery of his estate to his heir. But who will the heir be? The candidates assemble to hear the will at midnight... and no sooner is the heir named than strange doings are afoot.

The characters are archetypes: the nice girl (Laura La Plante), the mild-mannered boy (Creighton Hale), the fashion princess (Gertrude Astor), the battle ax matron (Flora Finch), and so on. Perhaps most memorable is the housekeeper (Martha Mattox), an exceedingly dour woman most ironically named Mammy Pleasant! Add in an exasperated lawyer, a creepy doctor, secret passages, hairy hands with needle-like finger nails, stolen diamonds, and as many dashes of comedy as you can get away with, mix well, and you have the inspiration for a seemingly endless list of classic films.

Although they may seem overly broad by modern standards, the cast plays at the level of what was considered comic-realistic in the late silent era, the production values are first rate, and the plot is quirky enough in a silly sort of way to make the whole thing fun. But it is really the direction and the look of the thing that scores; in its best moments, THE CAT AND THE CANARY is plenty good indeed.

The film is available in several DVD releases. You should avoid the Alpha release; although the picture is passable, the score is so dire that it completely undermines the film. Although it clearly needs further restoration, the Image release is superior and offers your choice of scores, both of which work with the film rather than against it. Recommended for silent fans and those interested in the development of the classic horror film!

GFT, Amazon Reviewer
In Memory of Bob Zeidler, Amazon Reviewer
Greatly Missed and Not Forgotten

The close of 2007 is an exciting time for silent film enthusiasts. A number of restorations of big name silent titles are still scheduled for release by year's end including BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN, NOSFERATU, THE IRON HORSE, and THE JAZZ SINGER (which despite its reputation is more silent than talkie). So far PANDORA'S BOX, TRUE HEART SUSIE, THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, and THE CAT AND THE CANARY have appeared with the last named being the winner in the restoration sweepstakes so far.

Considering previous versions of the film, this is the best looking one I've seen since METROPOLIS in 2003. The picture quality is outstanding (thanks to 35mm nitrate source materials), the film is complete (even the original Universal biplane opening is there), and the new score by Neil Brand fits the visuals perfectly (something which has not been the case in a few recent releases). Britain's Photoplay Productions remains the premiere restoration outfit in the business today not only because of the knowledge of people like co-founder Kevin Brownlow and the cooperation between various archive sources but also because of the additional funds they seem to have available to do the job right. We'll see how the others look once they're released but they'll be hard pressed to beat this one.

For those who have never seen it, THE CAT AND THE CANARY is the prototype old dark house film mixing murder, mirth, and mayhem with outstanding visuals and wonderful performances from all concerned. This new version allows you to see the film as audiences in 1927 must have seen it and gives you the opportunity of experiencing a silent film first hand. The print isn't perfect but it's darn close and as I mentioned earlier Neil Brand's score is an absolute delight.

If you've never seen a silent film before then this is a good place to start. If you're an old hand like me then you'll rejoice at just how good the restoration is. It's a pity all silent releases can't be like this one but then when it comes to any of the arts in this country, most of the money available goes somewhere else and no project is better than it's bottom line. Too bad.

Okay, so this is one of those ancient SILENT flicks, made back in that prehistoric year of l927. But I can promise you, anyone watching The Cat and the Canary today will not be bored. You see the amazing dexterity of the camera (Gilbert Warrenton was the camera man), the inspired direction and production (Paul Leni), the wonderful cast of long-gone Hollywood stars (Laura La Plante, the Sandra Bullock of her day)and Creighton Hale and gorgeous Gertrude Astor (she was considered the best-dressed star of the Roaring Twenties). This movie is so old that it now fascinates. You see the delightful and creative use of titles (some of them streaming down from the top of the screen to the bottom like a ghost)and wish that EVERY silent movie had been preserved and available today for movie addicts. "The Cat and the Canary" was considered one of the great lost masterpieces until someone actually discovered it in a salt mine in Montana (there must be something about salt mines, Parisian attics, Soviet vaults, since so many of our lost movie treasures are usually found in such esoteric locales). This wonderfully fun, zany and sometimes chilling masterpiece is head and shoulders over yet another long-lost masterpiece, the primitive talkie "The Bat Whispers" (1930), also discovered in some warehouse in Russia. The photography on this chiller was also spell-binding but the story is so dated and badly conceived that only the most die-hard early talkie junkie can endure it (I survived it but talk about being dissapointed). Watch "The Cat and the Canary" (1927) and be whirled back more than 65 years in Hollywood's Jazz Age to see what magic was pouring out of the studios. IN many ways, they were a vast improvement over l999's idea of hits: Armageddon, Godzilla (please God, let them sink into oblivion).

If you want to purchase The Cat and the Canary, and can't figure out which version to get, this is definatly the one I would recommend. It is one of the best restorations I have seen yet.
Thoughtfully revised, it gives the viewer two choices in audio sound, the old fixed up original soundtrack, and a beautifull new soundtrack that takes the movie to a much higher level. At last, the music fits with the story and the actions. A silent film is heavily dependent on it's music as well as facial espressions for setting the mood and telling the story. In the past versions I've seen I found the music to be a distraction. Bravo and thankyou to Franklyn Stover for finally setting it straight!
This version is also artisticly color tinted, adding mood and drama to intensify the scenes.
This is a must see classic! Funny and thrilling, artistic and thoughtful. Very creative camera work pulls you in and takes you on a fun ride. Packed with mystery, suspense and humor. A film you are sure to enjoy watching over and over.

This silent film may rank high among those that are written about far more often than anybody ever sees them. THE CAT AND THE CANARY is well worth the wait - in my case, it's been about 40 years between first reading a glowing account of the film and finally viewing it. And I wasn't disappointed. Of course, it requires a certain suspension of disbelief and I wondered why it was necessary to explain away everything as having a natural, and not supernatural, origin. Still, the film is great fun - sort of like going to a Halloween party.

Paul Leni's expressionistic directing does wonders with the story although its stage origins are apparent. Had Leni not died in 1929, I wonder what he might have done with DRACULA as early Universal publicity claimed he would direct it.

The DVD contains a great bonus of an early Harold Lloyd short, HAUNTED SPOOKS, from 1920. Consistently inventive, this film is chilling on its own terms because Lloyd lost the thumb and index finger of his right hand during the filming. He was posing for publicity photos and was holding a lighted but supposedly dud bomb. It went off. Despite his hospitalization and the obvious trauma he suffered, Lloyd was back at work on HAUNTED SPOOKS within a few weeks, wearing a flesh-colored glove on his right hand with a prosthetic thumb and finger. It's interesting to compare footage that is clearly "before and after" based on how he uses his right hand. This tragedy didn't stop Lloyd from making this film into a top comedy or from going on to be a star of feature films, enjoying a popularity that was second only to Charlie Chaplin. Now that's REAL determination!

If you have a sense of humor, like a good fright and are unsure whether or not you can tolerate the old silent films, this is one to start out with. It's clever, scary, eerie and funny. One critic said it looked like Hollywood gothic. The director, Paul Leni, came over from Germany and brought a whole bag of German film tricks with him...weird shadows on staircases, images superimposed on other images and billowing drapes. One character looks like a first cousin to Dr. Caligari. Another has fingernails that would make a manicurist retch.

An eccentric, rich old man died in his huge, grotesque mansion. His relatives had circled around him "like cats around a canary." He stipulated that his will was only to be opened twenty years after his death, at midnight; that the person inheriting had to be examined and declared sane by the end of the night; and that if the person is judged insane then another person, named in a second sealed envelope, will inherit. And so, on a dark and stormy night, the relatives gather. The will is read and the inheritor is a young woman, Annabelle West (Laura La Plante), who was the most distant relative. But what of the others...the lawyer who reads the will, the tall, enigmatic man and his more forthright cousin, who appear to dislike each other intensely; the young, feckless man who seems more fearful than brave; and the rather vapid young woman and her sour aunt. Hovering in the background is Mammy Pleasant, the dour housekeeper who has lived by herself in the mansion for 20 years. She has a glare that can freeze your toes. If that isn't enough, the group learns that a madman has escaped from a nearby asylum and is hiding on the grounds or in the mansion.

This movie has everything...sliding doors, hidden passages, clutching hands, lost diamonds, jealousy and murder. It also has two winning performances by Laura La Plante and Creighton Hale (as the timid young man). Most of all, it has style and humor mixed in with the scares. The movie is a lot of fun. The restored DVD picture looks very good, especially when considering the movie is nearly 80 years old; it's easy to watch. There are two background scores that come with the movie. I played the one by Eric Beheim and enjoyed it almost as much as I did the movie.

This movie was amazing! I was transfixed and loved it. The artistry of this film with its remarkable directing and editing was outstanding. I loved the story with its mix of humor and thrills, and found the soundtrack to be a positive aspect. With hairy hands reaching through walls, secret passages, creeping shadows, deception, insanity and murder, it is one of my favorite horror movies to be watch every halloween. RECOMMENDED!

The Cat and the Canary (1927) is of interest not just from the historic perspective of expressionist film making, but also for just sheer fun.

This is not a movie for everyone. People who need special effects that leave nothing to the imagination, sound systems that capture every bullet casing hitting the floor or editing to hold those with short attention spans should not buy this movie. Well, they should, but they won't and they wouldn't enjoy it if they did.

For those who grew up watching Chiller Theater on Friday nights, this is a great movie to turn the lights down, prop the popcorn bowl on the knee, crack open a cold frosty and sit back for a pleasant evening.

The Cat and the Canary is just plain fun to watch. The hero doodling as the lawyer drones on is worth the price of the DVD alone. It's also amazing to see how silent actors and actresses can convey so much with a raised brow or a dimpled smile than many of today's Hollywood stars can with reams of scripts to read.

The Harold Lloyd short also is another pleasant haunted house comedy that develops at a leisurely pace like a stroll through a park that builds into a madcap dash.

DVD releases of old silent films have tended to enjoy mixed fortunes - certain releases of 'Metropolis' and 'The Lodger' have received shockingly bad treatment. Rest assured though, 'The Cat and the Canary' is an example to every DVD distributor of how to treat a vintage 'classic'. The movie boasts a superb newly recorded (1997) stereo soundtrack that compliments the images very well indeed. The soundtrack even contains sound effects such as door knocks and clock chimes which help compensate for the lack of real sound. Speech cards, often hazy and unclear in other silent films, are here clean, crisp and easily readable. This is because the title cards are shown in freeze frame, a technique other distributors should take note of. The film itself is a very enjoyable 80 minutes 'old dark house' romp that never takes itself too seriously. The cast blends together well and the characters are really quite fun and likable. The camera work is also worthy of praise. The director, Paul Leni, provides us with interesting angles and dynamic camera movement throughout the film. If you love silent movies then 'The Cat and the Canary' makes a very worthy addition to your collection. Finally, I must just mention the Harold Lloyd short 'Haunted Spooks' which is included on the DVD. This is the one where Harold tries to commit suicide by standing in front of an oncoming tram, jumping off a bridge into two feet of water and shooting himself with a water pistol. A classic in it's own right!

The plot was probably hackneyed back in 1927 - A childless, wealthy old man dies. Twenty years later his will is to be read. Relatives gather at his cobweb encrusted, dark and spooky old mansion. One envelope will be opened naming the relative, a second envelope is to be opened only in the event the first heir is found to be insane. Oh, yeah, and the night is dark and stormy and the old man's ghost is said to prowl about the drafty halls. For some reason, everyone has to spend the night. Hackneyed then, moth-eaten now, this story has been told and retold and parodied for 80 years.
The silent THE CAT AND THE CANARY (1927) is a comedy-thriller, although the thrill-meter doesn't often move off zero, and when it does it doesn't move far. The comedy depends in large part on a scared audience for tension-relieving laughter. For a thriller-comedy that I didn't find much scary or funny, I enjoyed the heck out of this movie.
German émigré Paul Leni directed this visually stunning movie. If the story itself was stale Leni redeemed it by pulling so many tricks out of his seemingly limitless repertoire and utilizing an uncanny sense of when to use what for greatest effect. There are double and sometimes triple exposures, weird camera angles and character lighting, deep fields, narrow fields, claustrophobically tight close-ups. You name it, Leni used it at the right time to achieve the right effect. For instance, the character who is named first heir has to prove she is sane - a Dr. Caligari type alienist will arrive later. There's a chance that the alternate heir is known, and none of the others can be trusted. The heir is likened to old Cyrus West, who we see in the opening scene of the movie in a triple-exposed scene layering film of the old man languishing in a wheelchair, a screen full of medicine bottles, and glowering over it all is a trio of hissing cats, swiping sharps claws at the helpless old man. The old man is the canary. Later, after the will is read, the named heir is taken to a study by the lawyer, and the camera photographs her from behind a row of wooden chairs - the slats of which surround her, so she too looks like a golden-haired canary in a wooden cage. This is one of those rare, shining movies where seemingly every shot counts, and adds another layer of meaning to the story.
Material enclosed with this dvd says Leni was in line to direct Universal's Dracula, but died of blood poisoning at the age of 44 in 1929, two years before Dracula was released. It would have been interesting to see what this master director would done with the material.
Also included on the Image dvd is a Hal Roach directed Harold Lloyd two-reeler, HAUNTED SPOOKS. This slapstick silent IS funny, and like THE CAT AND THE CANARY the transfer print was in good to very good condition. Overall recommended, primarily for a chance to see an example of a Paul Leni directed movie.