thinbeach The fortune of a man is left behind to his relative (Cousin West), on the condition she is proved by a doctor to be perfectly sane. If she fails the condition, the will passes to another. Set in a large mansion, rumoured to be haunted, at midnight (for when else would you do such a thing?), with a creepy house maid, shadowy lighting, and lunatic on the loose, various personnel who come for the will reading are snatched away from a hand that appears out of moving walls, while the rest are plunged into fear. As the disappearances happen with only Cousin West as witness, the others start to believe she is crazy, and we wonder who is behind it all?It is all done with a large wink, very hammy, and with brief moments of humour inserted throughout, showing not even the scriptwriters could take it seriously. Perhaps it was meant more for the comedy genre than the suspense, as if the very act of working in this genre was funny, but in that case I would say Keaton ("Electric House", "The Haunted House" and "The Navigator") got far cleverer laughs from similar themes, as did Lloyd, who the style of humour often reminded me. To it's credit though, it does create enough mystery to avoid being a bore, and the knowing silliness makes it more fun than it might have been if made with a completely straight face.

Claudio Carvalho 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")

Tender-Flesh Remade about five times, this is the grandfather of haunted house films. But, fear not, gentle viewer, not all tis scary here. This plays more as a comedy than a horror or thriller. Oh, there are a few moments when the lady viewers may swoon and require a hand fan or a handkerchief, but as a whole, you'll be smiling.About as good of a silent film as your likely to see, especially with this subject matter, the director has a great eye for setting the stage for a spooky night in a haunted mansion. There are some excellent overlapping shots, especially of the aged, sickly homeowner in a "cage" of medicine bottles surrounded by giant, snarling black cats. Long hallways, stormy night, billowing curtains, creeping shadows, hidden rooms, hidden passages, old cobweb-covered gears running the show on the other side of the walls, and the complimentary maniac complete with fake bulging eye and monstrous bulldog teeth stalking the unsuspecting guests---what more could you ask for? The old man died, leaving a will that requested all those who might stand a chance to inherit any of his loot should return to the old house 20 years to the day after his death for his lawyer to handle the estate. A handful of distant relatives arrives, including the sole inheritor, Annabelle, plus nerdy Paul, Aunt Susan, Cecily, and two other idiots. We also are haunted with the spectral image of the very much alive Mammy Pleasant who would make Frau Blucher cry. Then, naturally, during the course of the evening, an escaped mental patient has made his way to the grounds of the estate and could be inside, followed by his pursuer, a burly hospital security guard with a hat that reads "Guard." I would have enjoyed this even more if it was played totally straight, but there is plenty o' comedy here. Can't say enough about the cinematography and atmosphere. I would have thought a great ruse would have been to use Paul as the killer, since he seemed the nerdiest and most frightened of the bunch(he even hides in the girls' bedroom and gets jammed in the backside with a bedspring for his trouble). But, there are plenty of other red herrings to go around, and you will find yourself counting who is present and who is not during different scenes to see if you can figure out the killer before the film's action packed fight at the end. If you are already a fan of silent films, then this would be a good film to introduce to your friends, spouse, or children if they are reluctant to "read" a movie. Tons of fun.

sean4554 As far as silent cinema is concerned, this film is considered a classic by many. I have an extremely large silent collection, and really love these old pieces. I do not love "The Cat And The Canary", however. The problem is the so-called 'comedy' inserted throughout the film: it isn't funny, it doesn't work, all it does is annoy and detract from the main story. I think that, generally speaking, comedy that (apparently) was enjoyed by the audiences of that time just doesn't translate well all these decades later. With notable exceptions, of course. But even some of the most successful film comedians of the silent era fall flat today. Everything else about this film is pretty good, not great. Leni's earlier film "Waxworks" is so much better that it's hard to believe "Canary" is by the same director. And a lot is made of this film being some sort of trailblazing genre entry, although D.W. Griffith had made "One Exciting Night" (a very similar type of film) at least five years before Leni's movie. All in all, "The Cat And The Canary" is good entertainment, however, really not worthy of it's classic status.