{"id":4796,"date":"2007-11-15T12:30:51","date_gmt":"2007-11-15T19:30:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=4796"},"modified":"2020-12-25T13:51:48","modified_gmt":"2020-12-25T20:51:48","slug":"cat-and-the-canary-the-1927","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=4796","title":{"rendered":"Cat and the Canary, The (1927)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;My relatives have watched my wealth as though they were cats &#8212; and I, a canary.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-1927-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-1927-Poster-191x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"191\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-26138\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-1927-Poster-191x300.jpg 191w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-1927-Poster-81x128.jpg 81w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-1927-Poster-654x1024.jpg 654w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 191px) 100vw, 191px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nTwenty years after his death, the relatives of eccentric millionaire Cyrus West gather in his house to hear the reading of his will. They soon learn that young Annabelle West (Laura LaPlante) will inherit the entire fortune &#8212; as long as she can prove herself sane in front of an appointed doctor; if not, the inheritance will go to a different heir, whose name is written on a second, secret will. Meanwhile, a lunatic from a local asylum is on the loose, and a mysterious figure with clawed hands creeps throughout West&#8217;s ominous castle, trying his or her best to make Annabelle appear insane.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Black Comedy<\/li>\n<li>Gaslighting<\/li>\n<li>Horror Films<\/li>\n<li>Inheritance<\/li>\n<li>Old Dark House<\/li>\n<li>Play Adaptations<\/li>\n<li>Silent Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nImmediately after being recruited from Germany to work in Hollywood, Paul Leni directed this popular adaptation of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Cat_and_the_Canary_(play)\">John Willard&#8217;s 1922 stage play<\/a>, and received high praise for his work (Mourdant Haunt of <em>The New York Times<\/em> proclaimed, &#8220;This is the first time that a mystery melodrama has been lifted into the realms of art&#8221;). Fortunately, <em>The Cat and the Canary<\/em> &#8212; which has been remade several times, <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=13348\">most notably in 1939 with Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard<\/a> &#8212; remains an enjoyable treat, with Leni&#8217;s Expressionistic touch adding a sense of visual artistry to the proceedings. Although the familiar set-up has become somewhat of a cliche over the years, Leni keeps us in suspense about the identity of the &#8220;cat&#8221;, and there&#8217;s a nice balance of both humor and chills along the way. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Laura LaPlante as the vulnerable heir to West&#8217;s fortune<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-La-Plante2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-La-Plante2-1024x565.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"353\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-47789\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-La-Plante2-1024x565.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-La-Plante2-300x166.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-La-Plante2-128x71.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-La-Plante2-768x424.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-La-Plante2-1536x848.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-La-Plante2.png 1705w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Flora Finch as &#8220;Aunt Susan&#8221;<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-Finch.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-Finch-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-47786\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-Finch-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-Finch-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-Finch-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-Finch-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-Finch-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-Finch.png 1687w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Martha Mattox as &#8220;Mammy Pleasant&#8221;, the castle&#8217;s dour caretaker<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-Cinematography-1024x591.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"369\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-47787\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-Cinematography-1024x591.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-Cinematography-300x173.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-Cinematography-128x74.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-Cinematography-768x444.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-Cinematography-1536x887.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-Cinematography.png 1681w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Expressionistic cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-Cinematography2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-Cinematography2-1024x601.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"376\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-47790\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-Cinematography2-1024x601.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-Cinematography2-300x176.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-Cinematography2-128x75.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-Cinematography2-768x451.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-Cinematography2-1536x901.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-Cinematography2.png 1641w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Effective use of double exposure shots &#8212; particularly in the opening scenes<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-Double-Exposure.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-Double-Exposure-1024x600.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"375\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-47784\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-Double-Exposure-1024x600.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-Double-Exposure-300x176.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-Double-Exposure-128x75.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-Double-Exposure-768x450.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-Double-Exposure-1536x900.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/Cat-and-the-Canary-Double-Exposure.png 1619w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes. Listed as a film with Historical Importance and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary&#8217;s book. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Historically Relevant<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/imdb.com\/title\/tt0017739\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1927\/09\/10\/archives\/the-screen.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/493044\/the-cat-and-the-canary#articles-reviews?articleId=135989\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moriareviews.com\/horror\/cat-and-the-canary-1939.htm\">Moria Review<\/a><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/the-cat-and-the-canary\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;My relatives have watched my wealth as though they were cats &#8212; and I, a canary.&#8221; Synopsis: Twenty years after his death, the relatives of eccentric millionaire Cyrus West gather in his house to hear the reading of his will. They soon learn that young Annabelle West (Laura LaPlante) will inherit the entire fortune &#8212; as long as she can prove herself sane in front of an appointed doctor; if not, the inheritance will go to a different heir, whose&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=4796\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4796","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4796","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4796"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4796\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59477,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4796\/revisions\/59477"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4796"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4796"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4796"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}