Customer Reviews
A few words on the new Image Entertainment release 
2005-06-17
The merits of this wonderful movie have been well covered in other reviews here, so I just wanted to write a few words for anyone who may own the previous Image release of this film and might be considering 'up-grading' to this newer Image release, as I just have. For me it has been worth every dollar. I think the new score by Franklin Stover really adds to the films atmosphere and it will be my preferred choice from now on, although the re-recorded 1927 score was fine before (and is still available on the disc if you prefer it). However, this new score just lifts the whole film up. But best of all is the picture quality on this new disc. It really is spectacular. The picture on the previous release was always rather fuzzy round the edges, with no real definition, and sometimes with the heavy tinting in the night scenes it was difficult to see who was on screen (the tinting in this newer release is better). Watching this newly restored release for the first time last night was like watching the movie for the first time - as though someone had lifted a veil of gauze from my TV screen and suddenly I could see all the actors faces clearly - and what a difference it made to my enjoyment of the film. Sure, there are still moments in the film when the image shows its age, but we really can't expect anything else from such old films. And for me the occasional creaky image is all part of the appeal. Overall, the image quality is going to take your breath away if you've been used to viewing the previous Image release. It really is that much better. And if you're a silent movie enthusiast like myself then you're going to know that this is a good print. I hope my few words have proved helpful to someone deciding whether to buy or not based on the quality of the print. When it comes to buying silent movies on DVD I know that I've been much helped in the past myself by reviewers words on picture quality. The Cat and the Canary won't disappoint you.
Influential Film Is Still Amusing But Needs Restoration 
2005-04-07
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
Cat and the Canary 2005-03-25
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.
The Most Beautifully Restored Version Yet!! 2005-02-18
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.
Silent movie, loud screams of laughter 2004-06-30
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.
Great Film ruined by the score 2007-07-11
I don't know why the Alto orchestra gets so many gigs doing silent films. They haven't a clue how to do it. In the wonderful Paul Leni Film, "The Cat and the Canary," they manage to keep pulses low by never changing the tempo of the music (are they looking at the picture? Hello!!) and generally dragging the film down when it should be sprightly and spooky.
The companion feature, "Haunted Spooks" is a great print, lovely film, and the score at least is a bit better; but how much better it could be were it really great. It's a lost art that everyone thinks they can do, and so few can. Give me Carl Davis or Gaylord Carter any day.
Biased Opinion 2007-02-08
I'm not really a silent film buff, but I may become one. The reason I bought this one is that Laura LaPlante was my mother's half sister. Never met her as she and my Mom parted ways when Mom was 3 years old, and Laura went "Hollywood". Anyway, the film was a real hoot, artfully done and the digital reproduction and new score were very enjoyable.
Boring movie, but good "short feature" 
2006-01-29
We got this movie because my mom always talked about having seen it as a child (born in 1916). She loved it then, and wanted so badly to see it again. So we purchased it on Amazon - even got the special edition so it might have better audio & video, since her sight & hearing aren't what they used to be. We excitedly put it on for her, and proceeded to be bored out of our skulls (all of us, including her) for the entire duration of the movie! I'm sure this might be great for a silent movie afficionado, but we couldn't wait for it to get over.
The "bonus short feature" however was hilarious. It too is a silent movie, but even now, nearly a century after it was made, it is still very funny. Unfortunately, it does have some very blatently racist scenes, typical of the times in which it was made. But even those few scenes managed to be humorous, despite the distasteful racist stereotyping and patronization. I believe that even most African Americans whom I know would find them comical (and it doesn't hurt that in at least one scene the black butler is the only one with any common sense, while the po' white folk run around in histerical terror).
If you're looking for a scare, or even an enjoyable look into the past, I would pass on this one unless you're a silent movie buff. That is, of course, unless you're willing to pay the full price for the short feature. Enjoy!
A surprisingly modernistic representation of evil! 2005-09-29
This is the most famous of Haunted House spoofs, with its' collection of greedy relatives assembled for the reading of a will, mutual hatreds circulating around the lovely heiress (Laura La Plante) indeed proving her a helpless canary surrounded by hungry cats.
The opening sequence as a gloved hand brushes away the cobwebs to reveal the film's printed intertitle is a spectacular gimmick, which would be reused in 1943's SON OF DRACULA. In an old dark house with spiky battlements overlooking an ancient hilltop, the old Cyrus West cringes in an armchair, menaced by shadows that become giant medicine bottles and monstrous cats, and soon perishes. Now it is 20 years later and the greedy relatives of his acquaintance, with the accompany of the house maid (Martha Mattox), a family lawyer (Tully Marshall), and his daughter gather for the formal reading of his will and who will inherit his estate.
Director Paul Leni draws freshly on Expressionistic resources as characters lurch out of the darkness until their backs ominously blot out the entire screen; disembodied hands hovering timidly, curling round doorways, slowly reaching for the heroine's throat, and among the surprises is an uncanny similarity to Dr. Caligari. He arrives a mysterious stranger with pebble glasses and limp hands to announce "I am the Doctor!" The most arresting angle of all is the double exposure showing the mechanism of the clock that hasn't struck in years since the old Cyrus died. Finally the clock chimes midnight to laboriously gather its forces to start up again as the lights dim and the assembled company await.
Based on John Willard's 1922 stageplay, it would be remade in 1989 and 1978, however this still remains the best, and would certainly influence other Gothic chillers to come, most notably THE OLD DARK HOUSE and THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN.
Stylish, Scary and Funny 2005-07-07
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.
