The Cat and the Canary (1927)

Passed   |    |  Comedy, Horror, Mystery

The Cat and the Canary (1927) Poster

Relatives of an eccentric millionaire gather in his spooky mansion on the 20th anniversary of his death for the reading of his will.

7.1/10
2,750
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Photos

  • Laura La Plante and Martha Mattox in The Cat and the Canary (1927)
  • Laura La Plante and Lucien Littlefield in The Cat and the Canary (1927)
  • Creighton Hale and Laura La Plante in The Cat and the Canary (1927)
  • Martha Mattox in The Cat and the Canary (1927)
  • Laura La Plante in The Cat and the Canary (1927)
  • Lucien Littlefield in The Cat and the Canary (1927)

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Reviews & Commentary

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User Reviews
23 March 2004 | Snow Leopard
Good Entertainment
Whether you take it as a good-natured send-up of the 'old dark house' genre, or simply as a semi-serious horror/comedy, either way "The Cat and the Canary" is good entertainment. The atmosphere in the dusty old mansion is done very well, with plenty of creativity, and the story moves at a good pace and is told well. These are more than enough to make up for a few plot holes and a couple of characters that are left undeveloped.

The cat/canary image, which was deliberately exaggerated somewhat, is simple but it ties the story and characters together rather well. Most of the characters are interesting, although a couple of them never really take shape. Most of the performers seemed to enjoy their roles, and they worked well together, with most of them making good use of their moments in the spotlight.

If you enjoy silent movies, you should find this a pleasant way to spend an hour and a half or so.

Critic Reviews

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was reputed to have been highly influential to James Whale, when he made "The Old Dark House."

Quotes

Narrator: On a lonely pine-clad hill overlooking the Hudson, stood the grotesque mansion of an eccentric millionaire...

Goofs

When the murdered lawyer falls from behind a concealed door, he falls face down, but in the subsequent scenes he is shown on his back.

Alternate Versions

Kino International distributed a video with the original 1927 musical setting compiled by James Bradford and adapted and performed by Eric Beheim and "The Cyrus West Players." It was produced by David Shepard using film materials from the David Bradley collection, and copyrighted in 1997 by Film Preservation Associates. The running time was 82 minutes.

Soundtracks

Symphonie no. 3 avec orgue
  • 1st movement

Written by Camille Saint-Saëns

Storyline

Plot Summary

Genres

Comedy | Horror | Mystery

Details

Release Date:

9 September 1927

Language

None, English

Country of Origin

USA

Filming Locations

Universal Studios Hollywood - 1000 Universal Studios Blvd, Universal City, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$325,550

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