The Cat and the Canary

The Cat and the Canary

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.

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...

The "overacting" of the early cinema, as stage actors made their transition (or not) to the more subtle art of film acting, was long gone by 1927. In his book "The Parade's Gone By..." (1968, Knopf), Kevin Brownlow refers to Paul Leni's The Cat and the Canary as "one of the best of the spoof melodramas." Laura La Plante et al knew what they were about when they made their gestures large for this film. Imagine our grandparents thinking how "campy" it was in 1927 to see this old-fashioned stuff.

Cat and the Canary, The (1927) *** (out of 4) Classic "old dark house" film has an old man dying and then twenty-years later his relatives arrive at his creepy mansion for the will reading. The estate goes to Annabelle (Laura La Plante) as long as she is proved to be sane but throughout the night various visions of demons appear to her. Is she losing her mind or is someone just trying to scare her? One needs to remember that all the cliché moments in this film weren't cliché when this was originally released. So many films have since ripped this one off that one might forget how original this movie was when it was originally released. What really stood out after eighty-years is how brilliantly this thing looks on a technical level. The cinematography ranks as some of the greatest I've ever seen and there are countless moments that you could point to as being ground breaking. Even the opening title credits are downright breathtaking with the creepy hand moving the dust and spider webs away. The set design by Charles D. Hall is just as wonderfully done and adds to the overall atmosphere, which is very thick from start to finish. Not only does the film deliver many creepy moments but there's a nice mixture of laughs thrown in as well. I've read reviews that said there were too many laughs but I'd have to disagree with that as the laughs are kept rather low-key and never take away from the actual story. The middle section of the film moves a bit too slowly but all of that picks up towards the end. The characters really aren't well-written but that doesn't matter too much as the real entertainment comes from the visuals and the creepy atmosphere.

Twenty years after the death of Cyrus West, his remaining relatives come to his foreboding manor to hear the reading of the will. Cyrus leaves his estate (including the prized West Pearls) to his most distant relative, Annabelle West. The will also stipulates that Annabelle must be deemed sane by a doctor the following morning or she will forfeit the estate and it would be left to another of West's heirs whose named is sealed in an envelope. The person mentioned in the envelope starts a campaign to terrorize Annabelle and convince everyone else in the house that she is insane, including kidnapping the lawyer Crosby. Its up to Annabelle and her distant relative (and romantic interest) Paul uncover the guilty party. This film is a real treat for Old Dark House fans with plenty of suspense, thrills, and mystery to keep the audience in attention from beginning to end. The cast is non-descript with no one really stands out, but Leni's direction and Warrenton's cinematography create the exact mood the film needs. The film's drawbacks are Hale's characterization of Paul and the characters of Cecily and Aunt Susan, who become annoying to watch. Rating, 8.

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.

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")

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.