Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #35374 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-10-09
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, Silent, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 80 minutes

Customer Reviews

Simply Marvelous.
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.

When they weren't clichés...
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!

An old millionaire is about to shuffle off this mortal coil.
He suspects he is being threatened to help make him crazy. His relatives have her around him my cats watching a canary.

Even though the story is formula, this is an excellent presentation of who is included in the will and the old man dies. There a few different variances in this presentation. First the will is not to be opened till 20 years after the old man's death. And someone has tampered with the envelope the names the successor is a person named in the will is also proven to be crazy.

So the inheritor the "will" will now become the new canary being watched by all the other cats in the family. We watch as one by one it looks like they will be dispatched starting with... oh no you don't, watch the movie and find out. And of course this just enforces the suspicion that the inheritor is crazy.

Of course as usual it's always the last person you suspect, it's in an old dark house, secret passages and spooky looking eyes and hairy hands and suspects running from room to room.

Laura La Plante plays the innocent but extremely cute looking niece. Martha Mattox places sinister looking caretaker that watched over the house for 20 years (and the safe with the will). Tully Marshall plays a crusty old lawyer who gets to read the will. Creighton Hale gets to play the comic relief the thoughtful cousin and maybe a bit more.

For those of you expecting a talkie you're going to be disappointed. For the rest of us you can actually see their mouths worked and they actually are saying what is being printed. The fun part of the movie is when the characters express themselves in explicative the written cards are expressed in metacharacters (probably helps get around those ~!@#$%^ scenarios.) There is a good sound score in the background.

This is well worth adding to your silent collection and periodically viewing for missed nuances.

Although any version of this film is worth watching I suggest you look for the restored photography version.