The Cat and the Canary (1927) User Reviews

Influential Silent Film Is Still Amusing

[gftbiloxi · 8/10 · 6 April 2005]

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-clichéd 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!

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Creepy Mystery and Horror Silent Film

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 11 January 2011]

The millionaire Cyrus West has spent the last years of his life in his mansion nearby the Hudson River considered insane by his greedy relatives and feeling like a canary in a cage surrounded by cats. When he dies, he stipulates that his lawyer Roger Crosby (Tully Marshall) would read his will that is kept in a safe in the twentieth anniversary of his death. On the scheduled day, Cyrus West's loyal servant Mammy Pleasant (Martha Mattox) and the lawyer welcome the guests in the creepy mansion that people tells that is inhabited by ghosts: West's nephews Harry Blythe (Arthur Edmund Carewe), Charles "Charlie" Wilder (Forrest Stanley), the scared Paul Jones (Creighton Hale), Aunt Susan Sillsby (Flora Finch), Cecily Young (Gertrude Astor) and West's niece Annabelle West (Laura La Plante). When Roger Crosby opens the will, West's mansion and fortune are left to the most distant relative having the name West, meaning Annabelle. However, she should prove first that she is sane; otherwise, the inheritance would be bequeathed to another heir whose name is in a sealed envelope. Out of the blue, a guard (George Siegmann) comes to the mansion and tells that a dangerous lunatic has fled from an institution. During the night, Roger Crosby disappears and Annabelle receives an envelope from Mammy Pleasant where West tells the location of his precious diamonds. Annabelle finds the jewels and wears a necklace, but while she is sleeping, a hand comes from the wall and steals the diamonds from her neck. With the exception of Paul Jones that loves Annabelle, her relatives believe that she is insane. But when Annabelle finds a hidden chamber in the wall with the body of Roger Crosby, Mammy Pleasant decides to call the police and the identity of the lunatic is disclosed.

"The Cat and the Canary" is a creepy mystery and horror silent film by the German Expressionist director Paul Leni. The plots blends black humor with elements of horror using the atmosphere of the expressionism with shadows and lighting, and the result is a stylish movie where even the inter-titles are funny. The beauty of Laura La Plante is very impressive. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "O Gato e o Canário" ("The Cat and the Canary")

Amazing "Old Dark House" film

[Leahcurry · 8/10 · 15 April 2000]

"The Cat and the Canary" has been considered a masterpiece, and that the film is still known today is a feat in itself. It is easily my favorite silent film. Paul Leni (the director) has a great deal of prowess on films like these, and it has been admitted by others.

First, the sets are realistic, making this film a believable "journey back in time" (it was made over 70 yrs. ago). I am shocked to hear one reviewer say this film as broadly acted and visually stunted. The sets are marvelous, especially the drawing room (it looks very nice to be part of a "haunted house"). The camera work (ex. the skeleton double-exposure, the subtitles occasionally moving like a ghost) is very enjoyable, too.

About the acting, first get this straight: Much of the acting is quite normal. But in the fright scenes (especially by Laura La Plante), the acting has nothing wrong with it. Much of it is very funny (contrary to common belief). Flora Finch (Aunt Susan) is funny as the gossiper, and Creighton Hale as Paul is cute. Why do most of you find the broad acting painful to watch? If you can't find silent films enjoyable, all I can tell you is, tough luck. Classic films are as a general rule better than the new ones, but even new films can be very good.

Spooky!

[sbibb1 · 10 July 2004]

I've read other user comments on this film, and I want to add my own. "The Cat and The Canary" is one of those films that is often spoken about as being one of the classic horror films of the silent era, and after watching this film it is easy to see why.

From the opening sequence, of a hand brushing away dust and cobwebs to reveal the films title, to the closing shot, the film is very spooky. Yes, I will say that at times the film is almost too spooky, and that some of the acting is overdone.

The plot of the film is simple: 20 years after a wealthy and thought to be insane man has died, his family gathers to read the contents of his will.

Those who see this film will see all types of cliches in the horror movie genre, hidden panels, hands reaching out from behind walls, creepy shadows, but the interesting thing to note is that this film was among the first to use these effects, in other words you are seeing these things occur before they became commonplace.

This was an early horror film made by Universal Pictures, fresh on the success of other classic Universal horror films like Phantom of the Opera and Hunchback of Notre Dame.

The director of this film, Paul Leni, was German, and the film directly relates that. This film is a classic example of how German filmmaking influenced American films. If you like this film, and especially the camera style, stylish sets, and the general modd and feel of the film, take a look at other German silent films, and you will love them as well.

This film is now Public Domain, and is available on DVD and VHS from several companies. IMDB lists its length in the 80 minute range, however the version I saw, with a new score is 101 minutes long. I highly reccomend this film.

Imperfect yet Enjoyable

[Vornoff-3 · 6/10 · 12 June 2003]

If, like me, you've heard this movie for years touted as one of the most influential silent horrors of all time, you may be a tad disappointed. As Mike Weldon points out in the `Psychotronic Video Guide,' midnight will-readings and creaky old houses were already old hat by the late twenties, and this film probably got as many giggles as shudders even in its day. Nevertheless, there are some nice camera-effects and decent sets, and for fans of the genre, it remains a must. A particularly noteworthy image is the chiming of the long-dead clock, with its innards superimposed upon the characters collected for the reading of the will.

Plotwise, I was surprised firstly by the hero's (perhaps unwitting) resemblance to Harold Lloyd - accentuated by the presence of `Haunted Spooks' at the end of the tape. Noticeably lacking, however, is Lloyd's irreverence and comic timing – this fellow just winds up being a comedy-relief dud, oddly reminiscent of the wanna-be adventurer from `Seven Footprints to Satan.' Even Lloyd's most clownish characters would not have missed the obvious romantic interest of the heroine, or failed to at least pretend to be macho in front of her (with the usual hilarious results). Our boy in `Canary,' however, seems to be entirely unaware of his opportunities.

Without needing to give anything away, I was also a bit disappointed by the final revelation of `whodunit.' In fairness, that means I didn't manage to predict the perpetrator – but this was more because the film did not play fair and offer enough clues than because of its brilliant web of complexity. That certain characters are more than they would seem is obvious, and the primary `red herring' of the film is easily detected, but one needs a fuller appreciation of the motivations of our various suspects in order to make a reasoned guess. This is particularly important in a silent film, where so much has to be judged by facial expressions and visual cues.

It would not be fair to place blame upon Paul Leni for the unfortunate score on the videotape, which was obviously composed by someone from the "some guy with a Casio" school of music.

On the whole, however, `Cat and the Canary' has its place as a classic of the `spooky old house' genre, whether it invented the cliches or merely enhanced them, and I would not hesitate to recommend it to any viewer.

Grandfather of all horror comedies

[dbborroughs · 7/10 · 5 July 2004]

This is the stereotypical old dark house movie, all the relatives come to and old dark house and some one begins to kill them, or tries to. This has been remade several times, each version having its flaws and its strengths. This is the first version, and while I would like to say its the best, I can't since the silent medium has rendered its pace a bit too slow for modern audiences.

This isn't to say that its a bad film. Its not. Anyone interested in film and what can be done with it should see this film because the first half of this movie is a treasure trove of cinema techniques. The first half is also a damn good movie as well since it wonderfully sets everything up. Only as things begin to follow there course does the pacing slow. Its far from bad, it just may have you look at your watch now and again.

I give it seven out of ten, not perfect but watchable.

classic Grand Guignol comedy

[funkyfry · 7/10 · 25 August 2008]

German director Paul Leni seems, from my personal experience with his films, to be one of the more lighthearted directors to apply expressionist horror techniques to his films. At first glance this might make his films appear as somewhat routine, but there has to be something said for taking horrific subjects and turning them into comedy or adventure, as he's done here in this much-imitated mystery/suspense vehicle derived from the Broadway hit. He exists in roughly the same tradition as the French "Grand Guignol" -- the elaborate setup makes it possible for the audience to have fun with being "chilled." In this case, we have what would today be a very standard haunted house situation. Relatives of an old man who went insane return to his mansion 20 years later to hear the reading of his Will. As part of the Will's conditions, the person receiving the inheritance (who turns out to be a character played by lovely Laura La Plante) must be adjudged sane by a doctor, so someone in the group is trying to drive her insane or make her appear insane so that they can win the money.

It's very obvious to the audience from the beginning that there are no real ghosts, so the fun in the movie is largely watching the way that the characters are scared by the possibility. There is one character, played by Creighton Hale (who later made B movies for AIP and other companies) who is just completely there for comic relief, and yet he is also the only man in the movie who's sincere and wants to help Annabelle (La Plante). A lot of elements in the movie were probably cliché already by the time it came out, but others were inventive.

I didn't find the film visually as exciting as some other films in the same genre such as Roland West's "The Bat" or James Whale's "The Old Dark House". Also the performances are pretty much by rote. However there's just a kind of breeziness to the whole thing that makes it fun. And a couple of scenes were very well done visually, such as the scene with Annabelle's pearls being stolen. The use of the looming title card there would be an ideal example of how title cards were used to enhance film artistry rather than as a limitation. In fact that scene in particular very much reminded me of the way Alfred Hitchcock shot the very beginning of "To Catch a Thief" with the jewelry theft. None of the images are quite as disturbing today as those in Whale's and West's films.

This Silent Is Golden

[telegonus · 10/10 · 1 January 2003]

This late silent movie shows off the considerable talents of its director, Paul Leni, as the camera prowls the environs of an old dark house with the gracefulness of a cat, while the actors bob around like canaries, forming uneasy alliances and plotting against one another. The cast is well chosen. Laura La Plante makes a lovely heroine, while bespectacled Creighton Hale makes an agreeable, somewhat Harold Lloyd-like hero. Tully Marshall and Martha Mattox represent, none too flatteringly, the older generation; the former has the face of a drawn, white prune, while the latter makes a perfect battle-axe as the ironically named Mammy Pleasant. By today's standards the movie isn't too scary, though its mood of foreboding is still effective. Its qualities are pictorial more than dramatic, and the print I saw was badly in need of restoration.

The Cat and the Canary is a key film of the silent era, and was hugely influential in kicking off the old dark house genre that continued into the early talkie period. When sound came in the wisecracks proliferated, which tended to lighten the mood and detract from the suspense. In this one the humor is visual, and the tone is more consistent. There have been dozens remakes and imitations over the years, but the dark, Gothic beauty of the original has never been surpassed.

Spooky

[Patti-Gaston · 7/10 · 11 March 2015]

This movie set the bar for the "who-done-its" and may very well be the inspiration for the game of "Clue". The death of a rich uncle brings the family to a crumbling and of course, dark mansion for a reading of the will. The uncle who was driven crazy by his greedy family put a stipulation on the will that it could not be opened until 20 years after his death. As the family gathers together along with the family lawyer a second will is discovered in the locked safe with the original will. This mysterious second will claims a second heir if the first one cannot meet the conditions of the first will. The condition set by Uncle Cyrus was the sanity of the heir must be proved by a doctor. You can all guess what happens next, all sorts of spooky goings on that test the sanity of the heir including lawyers disappearing through secret passageways, diamond necklaces being stolen in the middle of the night and lunatics escaping from the asylum and taking up residency in the mansion. A terrific thriller, dark and brooding, terrific overacting by the lead character and inheritor of the fortune, Annabelle West and the brilliant portrayal of the housekeeper named Mammy. The movie is made better by the fact that it is a silent film. I highly recommend watching it with the lights on.

Highly Enjoyable Silent Creeper

[Ron Oliver · 10/10 · 2 September 2001]

Like the deadly game between THE CAT AND THE CANARY, so a young heiress feels trapped in a very peculiar haunted house, surrounded by lurking, unseen evils...

This is a dandy old creeper of a silent horror film, with just the right mix of menace & mirth to please the uncritical viewer. Universal gave the movie very fine production values, which extend not only to the atmospheric sets, but also to the humorously spooky title cards scattered throughout.

This film is really story driven, rather than dominated by the personalities of its stars. However, mention should be made of very entertaining performances by Tully Marshall as the scabrous old lawyer, Flora Finch as a terrified auntie, and Lucien Littlefield as an exceedingly strange doctor. Laura La Plante as the lovely, frightened heiress & Creighton Hale as her nervous, scatterbrained cousin give a light touch to the romantic subplot.

THE CAT AND THE CANARY is a choice example from the Old Dark House genre of spook tales. All the elements are here: distressed young ladies, a crumbling mansion, a housekeeper of baleful aspect, a lawyer who knows too much, an escaped lunatic, stalking ghosts or monsters, missing wills, meetings at midnight, bony and/or hairy hands appearing from hidden bedroom panels, secret passageways, and sudden death. Unnerved characters are forever making silly choices which always lead them into the clutches of the ravening ghosts/monsters/lunatics. But the Old Dark House has for long years been a respected avenue in literature & movies to maximize suspense & tension. Indeed, it's only a short walk from West Mansion in this film to Wuthering Heights, Baskerville Hall, Manderley & the Bates House...

Creaky but somewhat fun silent film

[preppy-3 · 7/10 · 27 June 2006]

An old man (Cyrus West) dies accusing his relatives of hovering over him--like cats over a canary. 20 years after his death his relatives get together as his will is read in his creepy mansion on a dark and windy night at midnight (of course). One person gets all the money and estate--unless they are proved insane. And how about the escaped lunatic from the nearby asylum...?

This is probably one of the first (if not THE first) movie about the reading of the will, a dark and (purportedly) haunted house and people being murdered. Plotwise it's nothing new and contains some terribly unfunny "comedy". Still it's worth catching.

It's very well directed by Paul Leni (the juxtaposing of images was clever) and he has fun with the title cards (see how "HELP!" is done). The acting is a little bit overdone (but that's common in silent films) and star Laura La Plante is pretty good. I saw the restored print (which is still in pretty bad shape) and it has an excellent music score that helps too.

So, worth catching. No great shakes though.

The prototype for all haunted house thrillers

[dcole-2 · 10/10 · 4 September 2004]

This has been restored by Kevin Brownlow and Photoplay Productions. The new print is beautiful and shows why Paul Leni was considered a master. Sure, the plot is slight, but Leni is so imaginative and unrestrained in his style that you just sit there with your mouth open in amazement. Most every shot is a masterpiece. The sets and photography are wonderful. There's way too much silly humor in it -- Leni's far more effective at the scary moments. But leading lady La Plante is effective; and the more ghoulish secondary roles are handled with relish. You wonder why most haunted house movies of the 30's and 40's didn't have this much style. They should have learned from the Master. I hope this restored version makes it out on DVD soon.

The original "Old House Film" !

[Norm-30 · 7/10 · 14 October 1999]

This film contains some amazing camera work; the innards of a clock superimposed on a group of people, the camera "floating" down the halls while blowing curtains (that look like ghosts) flit in front of it, and a dying man superimposed with medicine bottles and giant cats (symbolising the relatives who are after his money) gather around. It's a shame that many people don't like silent films, as this one is DEFINITELY worth watching! The spooky sets, "scared-reaction comedy" and all the rest make it a great film!

My only complaint is that one wishes that the "cat" (who looks VERY creepy) is hardly EVER seen (compared to the other film versions of this movie). I've seen them all and, in my opinion, Bob Hope's version is THE best, but this is a close second!

Norm

Interesting to watch, but not notable

[Spuzzlightyear · 5/10 · 20 September 1999]

Okay, I know the good folks at IMDB will get mad at me for starting my review with a plug. But the folks at Kino Video have put together an excellent series of old silent horror movies out on video under the banner "Silent Screams". The Cat and The Canary is one of these, and while it was certainly interesting to look at artistically, storywise, it really doesnt hold up well.

A will reading at an old house (why do they insist on doing them in the most descrept places possible) is done with the inheritor of the estate having to stay at the house until a doctor arrives to see if the inheritor is sane (which the original owner wasn't). Well, until the doctor arrives (which seems like an eternity) the other relatives, who got nada in the will, do their best to make the inheritor mad. There are plenty of creeping hands, strange maids and even the insane lunatic here to keep things rolling along, with somewhat confusing results. There are plotholes galore, and the acting is very broad.

But on the positive side of things, the camerawork here is pretty amazing. I have to admit, during the panning shots of inside the house, I felt that I was in Disneyland during the ride portion of the Haunted House attraction.

Strange how movies make you react...

Good Entertainment

[Snow Leopard · 23 March 2004]

Whether you take it as a good-natured send-up of the 'old dark house' genre, or simply as a semi-serious horror/comedy, either way "The Cat and the Canary" is good entertainment. The atmosphere in the dusty old mansion is done very well, with plenty of creativity, and the story moves at a good pace and is told well. These are more than enough to make up for a few plot holes and a couple of characters that are left undeveloped.

The cat/canary image, which was deliberately exaggerated somewhat, is simple but it ties the story and characters together rather well. Most of the characters are interesting, although a couple of them never really take shape. Most of the performers seemed to enjoy their roles, and they worked well together, with most of them making good use of their moments in the spotlight.

If you enjoy silent movies, you should find this a pleasant way to spend an hour and a half or so.

Good old dark house movie

[Johan_Wondering_on_Waves · 7/10 · 27 April 2015]

You might think that you cannot take a horror movie with comedy features serious but here they are welcome in what otherwise would be a pretty standard and perhaps tedious film about a house that might be haunted and where mysterious events happen. Comparing this one to the shorter Midnight Faces which has the same premise is like day and night. The Cat and the Canary beats it in every way. The Cat and the Canary starts of with some impressive visuals about the deceased uncle's feelings about his relatives portrayed in a very symbolic way with cats. A few times we see some nice special effects, impressive for its time. The eeriness of the dark mansion remains constant for start to end. The cast is really versatile and fitting with in the starring roles Laura La Plante as the lucky heir Annabelle West, Creighton Hale as the first not so brave and therefore unintentionally funny Paul Jones and of course Flora Finch as aunt Susan whose hysteric talking would drive any sane person crazy (perfect example is when she is picked up by the milkman and drives him nuts with her chattering about ghosts). Honorable mention to Martha Mattox as housekeeper Mammy Pleasant (that name in itself is the biggest paradox when you see her face) whose presence alone does anyone expect there is something scary about the whole thing. And of course the doctor examining Annabelle looked creepy too. Simple but effective story with wonderful characters.

A Classic, Historic Winner, And Not At All Creaky

[ferbs54 · 7/10 · 14 November 2007]

During the course of this film, one of the characters utters the line "Gosh, what a spooky house," and boy, does that line ever ring true! The original "old dark house" story, "The Cat and the Canary" (1927) was based on a John Willard stage play of 1922 and has been filmed no less than four times as of this date. The film shows us what happens when a dead man's will is read in a creepy old house on the Hudson to a bunch of oddball relatives, one of whom, Laura LaPlante, inherits a fortune with the proviso that she passes a sanity test. And poor Laura's sanity IS put to the test that very night, what with an escaped madman on the loose, a possible ghost running around, hands coming out of the walls, mysterious disappearances, and a house full of secret passages, swing-out bookcases and so on. Despite some comedic bits that border on the inane but never quite cross that fine line, "The Cat and the Canary" is genuinely creepy in parts. It also features excellent photography, interesting camera angles, expressionistic and surrealistic backdrops, some blatant symbolism, fascinating use of superimposed images and an appropriately strange score. The dialogue cards are at times very imaginative, and this crisp-looking print has been nicely color tinted for our viewing pleasure. As usual in many silents, the comedic, cowardly character proves to be more than he initially appears. But I'm not giving anything away here; most viewers will never guess who the murderer/ess is in this film. It's a classic, historic winner, not at all creaky, and even suitable for the kiddies. I do recommend it.

Excellent ! All that needs to be said.

[crazymikejj · 10/10 · 16 October 2005]

I love watching movies from years ago, particularly silent films. Some are good, some I cannot finish. However, there are those films that are simply brilliant. The Cat and the Canary falls into the latter. I have watched this over and over and marvel at how real it seems. The viewer's post prior to this was accurate in everything she said. The sets were so realistic, I actually thought it was a real haunted house. My particular favorite scene is the opening, as the camera pans down the hallway, with the curtains blowing in the wind. Very ethereal, ghostly feel. As far as the acting, I could find no fault with any of it. This is simply a wonderful movie and is worth viewing again and again. I feel guilty only spending $5 for it.

Better than I thought.

[jacklovesyou2013 · 6/10 · 12 March 2013]

Story Line: The story line was actually really good in my opinion a lot better than I expected at first I was expecting to falling asleep soon but ten seconds later I was attracted to the film 7/10

Cast/Acting - 8/10 I loved the cast in this film everyone lived up to their character they were portraying.

Scares Not scary, Just interesting. 3/10

Location 5/10 Not really any beautiful sets but it had some fancy cute rooms.

Best Bit: The sleeping scene where the "cat claw thing" grabbed her necklace

Worst Bit: I found the ending a bit disappointing.

exceptional production values

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 5 July 2006]

This movie had incredible production values--with amazing and creepy cinematography and an excellent musical score in the latest restored version. They did so much to set the mood and make this a genuinely scary film.

The story concerns a rich old guy who has written a strange will. It is only to be read after 20 years and remains sealed until that time. His surviving relatives all return like vultures to pick at the fortune but instead of dividing it among them, he leaves it to one of them with another to receive the fortune if anything happens to the sole inheritor. Naturally, bad things start to happen and the film becomes a whodunit. At times it's really good--with lots of trap doors and suspense, but it also suffers from predictability. The actual conclusion isn't all that surprising. Considering how few potential murderers there are among them and how the one guy sneaks away early in the film with a flimsy excuse, it isn't too surprising who is doing all the bad things in the old dark home.

It's very entertaining and fun--just not exactly the best conclusion I have ever seen.

Superfluous Style for Spooky Silliness

[Cineanalyst · 6/10 · 29 October 2018]

"The Cat and the Canary" is one of quite a few old-dark-house horror comedies made around this time--a popular subgenre adapted to the screen from the stage, including John Willard's 1922 play of the same name for which this film and several later ones are adapted and the 1920 "The Bat," which Roland West made into two films, "The Bat" (1926) and "The Bat Whispers" (1930). Before Universal's more sinister 1930s shockers output, such as the trope-namer "The Old Dark House" (1932), "The Black Cat" (1934) and "The Raven" (1935), it seems to have been silly season for these haunted houses--relying on convoluted murder mysteries and the broad comedy of characters' fear of ghosts. None of which I find appealing, although exceptions such as West's "The Monster" (1925) and director Paul Leni's subsequent "The Last Warning" (1929) may be interesting for other reasons. And most of the subgenre's tropes are here: a midnight will reading, a windy (if not stormy) night, lunatic on the loose, suspicious and creepy housekeeper, murder mystery with an inheritance at stake, spending the night in the spooky house, characters running around scaring each other silly, hidden panels and passages and a ghoulish hand reaching out and grabbing people. That said, "The Cat and the Canary" does have style.

As opposed to West's "Bat" films, where the director appropriated techniques from the German silent cinema intermittently, "The Cat and the Canary" benefited from the sustained mastery of such stylization by émigré Leni, responsible for such intriguing pieces of Weimar cinema as "Backstairs" (Hintertreppe) (1921), part of the so-called Kammerspielfilme movement, which downplayed intertitles, and the Caligari-esque "Waxworks" (Das Wachsfigurenkabinett) (1924). Coming to directing from the art department, Leni demonstrated an eye for exploiting sets in his films. There's certainly some good use of the house here, including the tracking shot down the corridor with curtains blowing, but not as much as I might've hoped for. The cinematography, on the other hand, is a highlight. The shadowy lighting is practically entirely responsible for the haunting atmosphere. The beginning is brilliant, too, with superimpositions, the aforementioned hallway shot and a POV tracking shot of someone tampering with the contents of the safe--all of which lend the otherwise dull exposition some interest. Some high and low-angled shots hardly seem motivated, but otherwise this is a consistently well-photographed late silent film. The tinting/toning in the prints available on home video today look nice, too, and there's some creative title card movement effects.

The doctor plays a strange part here, and the crazy thing is that we never discover the diagnosis to the mystery of the sanity or lack thereof of the West family.

Kino Does It Again!

[BaronBl00d · 10/10 · 22 November 2007]

I had seen The Cat and the Canary several times before I sat down to watch the Kino transfer. It has amazing clarity, a beautifully appropriate score, and does more than ample justice to one of the cornerstones of the silent era and the horror genre respectively. The story is simple enough: a wealthy man dies leaving his money to an heir detailed in a sealed envelope for all to see years after his death. We are introduced to the main star of the film early on - the eerie, creepy, web-strewn house. A house filled with long-flowing drapes, creaky(we must imagine) steps, mazes of twisting hallways, a series of hidden compartments and passageways all over, and the obligatory servant that hangs on to her job years after her employer has passed away. Director Paul Leni knows how to set the mood and make atmosphere reign supreme as his camera lens moves to shadows and light with the greatest of ease. The acting complements the atmosphere with great turns really by all involved. Tully Marshall, though in a small role, makes more impact with his little screen time than other actors would be capable of doing. Martha Mattox, as Mammy Pleasant of all names, is exceedingly creepy and effective as the old maid of the manse. Beautiful Laura LaPlante is the heiress who must spend a night amidst jealous, vengeful, greedy relatives. LaPlante has an exquisite smile and grace about her and effectively can go from light horror to light comedy. But Leni makes more than just a horror film here with Creighton Hale as Paul Jones, LaPlante's cousin and love interest. With Hale Leni relies heavily on mixing horror and atmosphere with broad light comedy. Hale, with his Harold Lloyd glasses and look, really is quite amusing as a bungling, easily frightened man who gets to relive his adolescent crush. The other actors are just dandy(seems to work in a review for a film this old) and the killer is not terribly hard to figure out - but that is secondary to the mood, tension, pace, and characterizations that lead to his/her unveiling. The Kino print is really just gorgeous. The music is just right and the title cards are perfect. Two scenes in particular stand out for me as classic Leni: One, Mattox, with candle in hand walking down a corridor with a row of windows draped and blowing as the winds blows indiscriminately and two, Tully Marshall about to read the name of the heir should LaPlante be proved to be crazy. Wonderfully shot! An ageless classic of the silent cinema for sure.

Shadowed Spires Emerging Out of the Darkness

[LanceBrave · 7/10 · 23 November 2013]

The opening of "The Cat and the Canary" is amazing. A layer of dust and cobwebs are wiped away to reveal the opening credits. The mansion is first seen as a tall, distorted silhouette, a series of shadowed spires emerging out of the darkness. The towers of the mansion fade away to a series of glass bottles. Mr. Cyrus West, the ill millionaire watched over by his greedy family, the metaphorical canary, appears in the bottles while cats leer hungrily at him. We cut to a POV shot of someone walking through the shadowy halls of manor, the huge white curtains billowing in the wind. As far as classic Gothic horror imagery goes, this is a buffet.

This wasn't the first 'old dark house' movie. D.W. Griffin's "One Exciting Night" predates it and the genre existed on the stage first. If you're looking for a compilation of clichés, this one provides. We've got greedy relatives gathering in a spooky mansion, awaiting the reading of a will. Some are trust-worthy, while others are duplicitous. The mansion has secret doorways, including one in a bookcase. There's an escaped homicidal maniac. Someone tries to discredit the sole female benefactor with old fashion gas-lighting. A dead body falls out of a secret compartment. The villain even wears a fedora. This is clichés 101 and how you feel about that depends on how you feel about classic horror in general.

Another hallmark of the 'old dark house' genre is incorporating laughs with thrills. The leading man, Paul (Creighton Hale), hides under beds, gets vexed by giant bed springs, runs around hallways, gets spooked by the creepy maid, and bounces around. It's not hilarious. Another problem is the large cast. The main characters are developed to basic ideas while the supporting cast doesn't even get that much. Laura La Plante as the main heroine does nothing but gets threatened. She's the dullest of the damsel in distress type. The movie ships these two cousins without question which is a little weird. Aunt Susan (Flora Finch) reminded me of Una O'Conner in "Bride of Frankenstein." It's as funny in '27 as it was in '35. The movie drags in its latter half. Since the supporting cast is so thinly devised, you can't guess, nor care, who the killer is.

The film isn't without merit. Beyond the amazing opening, there's a cool shot of Paul hiding under bed, lights reflecting in his glasses. The shot of a hand appearing out of the wall, over La Plante's sleeping face, is great. An appearance by a sinister doctor doesn't add to the story but is a weird, off-putting moment. The Cat, the villain, is actually pretty cool looking. One of the fun things about the movie is how it plays with the silent movie titles. Words like 'Ghosts!' and "Help!' are presented in wiggling or growing text, while a series of swears are presented by comic book exclamation.

"The Cat and the Canary" isn't a great movie but it was, no doubt, influential. Universal made two sound remakes in 1930, one in English, one in Spanish, both of which are lost now. Paramount remade it as a farce starring Bob Hope in '39, probably the most famous version. A British version was produced in the 1960s, somehow by a studio other then Hammer. This isn't discussing all the films that took its clichés and ran with it. Despite all of this, the movie isn't discussed too much today, probably do to the lack of an iconic presence like a Chaney or a Karloff. Some bits are brilliant, even if the overall film doesn't really come together.

Meow!

[StrictlyConfidential · 4/10 · 23 July 2018]

IMO - (Unless you're seriously stoned right out of your head) - The only viewers who I believe would find this 90-year-old "silent-era" relic scary would be very young and impressionable children.

Set in a typical creaky, old house (on a dark, stormy night) - I found this particular "whodunit" to be more of an unintentional comedy rather than a drama/suspense/horror story.

It was certainly a good thing that this film was only 85 minutes long - 'Cause at about the half-way point it was already losing steam, big-time.

*Note* - I'm not saying that this film was terrible - 'Cause it wasn't.

But, I sure wish that all of the self-appointed "critics" out there would quit watching oldies (like this one) through the haze of rose-coloured glasses.

Perhaps the best Old Dark House film.

[michael.e.barrett · 3 March 2002]

I'm a fan of both horror films and silent films, but I didn't have a chance to get around to this one until now--and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Other reviewers have already indicated how well-directed it is, and some have pointed out that the "overacting" is intentional in what was always understood by 1927 audiences as a spoof of the "Old Dark House" genre that was popular on Broadway for much of the decade and spilled onto the movie screen. Once you understand that everyone KNEW these were cliches, you realize there's no reason to take a patronizing attitude. I have to say this is the most satisfying "ODH" film I've seen (not considering actual haunted house films like the first version of "The Haunting"). It has a light touch and almost every shot makes some delightful choice--moving camera, jarring close-up, dutch angle, etc. Director Leni succeeds in making this stage play seem cinematic. One shot has a frightened character speeding through the corridor, apparently on an unseen bicycle! The shot of the body falling down out of a closet onto the camera has been much imitated, both seriously (as in "Public Enemy") and as parody (Warner Bros. cartoons). For a quick comparison, check Roland West's early talkie "The Bat Whispers." Although nothing in "Cat" reaches quite the level of West's most astonishing shots, the film as a whole is more satisfying and less stagey.