The Cat and the Canary Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

The Cat and the Canary Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 15, 2024

What do you think of as being Universal's first "classic horror movie"? Dracula and Frankenstein are frequently cited by fans, even if in the "comedy horror" subgenre, some might opt for The Old Dark House. As some of the supplements on this disc get into, both titles (i.e., first horror movie and first comedy horror movie) really probably belong to the 1927 classic The Cat and the Canary in terms of Universal's venerable output (the film is old enough that the Universal masthead featured may surprise some, even those used to the inimitable plane circling the globe that adorned the 1931 classics linked to above). This fun film is surprisingly spry and sly considering its genesis at the tail end of the silent era, and in fact it's especially notable for an incredibly fluid camera which presages such peripatetic Johnny Come Lately types like Paul Thomas Anderson with that whirlwind opening of Magnolia.

Not to joke too horribly about a supposed "haunted house movie", but the, well, spirit of German Expressionism suffuses The Cat and the Canary to a perhaps surprising degree, courtesy of émigré director Paul Leni, a German credited with having helped to establish that highly stylized genre, and who had previously directed Waxworks (a film which may indeed have attracted the notice of Universal honcho Carl Laemmle) and would go on to make The Man Who Laughs, all three of which offer a veritable trifecta of visual audacity and innovative uses of the camera, sets and even performance mien. That style gives The Cat and the Canary a very distinctive appearance, virtually from the get go, as the expiration of Cyrus West, the character whose death will set the plot in motion, is detailed in an impressive superimposition of images appropriately featuring felines and medicine bottles (see screenshot 5). It's perhaps salient to note that this exaggerated stylizing also extends to some of the intertitles!

Those interested may want to drop by my old The Cat and the Canary Blu-ray review of the probably better remembered 1939 version featuring Bob Hope, for a kinda sorta plot summary, since both the 1927 and 1939 versions follow the same general trajectory in terms of story mechanics, though presentationally, the two couldn't be more different from each other. This silent version is probably inherently more traditionally "spooky" simply because the visuals are so often so incredibly striking and, at least at times, rather nightmarish. Creighton Hale's bumbling, nervous "hero" may also frankly bit a bit more "Harold Lloyd" than "Bob Hope", but focal "canary" (as in potential victim) Laura La Plante as Annabelle West may actually be a bit less steely and therefore vulnerable seeming than the somewhat steely Paulette Goddard was in the thirties iteration.

The Cat and the Canary Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Cat and the Canary is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka! Entertainment's Masters of Cinema imprint and the Museum of Modern Art with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.32:1. There's not a ton of technical information provided with this release, other than some "fine print" on the back cover stating this was culled from a "4K restoration of the original negatives supplied by MoMA". The result is really stunning for the most part, though there are undeniable signs of age related wear and tear, mostly in the form of small but still at times relatively numerous scratches and the like. As can be gleaned from the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review, the tinting / toning tends to ping pong between yellows and blues, and I'd argue that some of the damage tends to be more visible during the yellow segments than the blue. All of this said, the damage certainly never rises to the levels that I've personally seen in any number of other silent films that I've had in my own review queue. As can be seen in examples like screenshot 4, when the camera isn't darting to and fro and close-ups are utilized, fine detail can be excellent. The incredible style Leni offers can lead to some slight ebbs in general detail levels in some of the "artier" framings, and the entire film tends to offer shadows at the edges of the frame (so much so that our pixel measuring tool had a bit of an issue determining what the aspect ratio of this release is).

The Cat and the Canary Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The always enjoyable compositional efforts of Robert Israel are presented here in a nicely full bodied DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which offers a suitable spacious accounting of another really well imagined and beautifully performed Israel score. There's a bit of additional information on the back cover of this release which states the music was "compiled, synchronised and edited by Gillian B. Anderson, based on music cue sheets compiled and issued for the original 1927 release". Fidelity is top notch throughout, and there's some surprising dynamic range on hand as well.

The Cat and the Canary Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Kim Newman & Stephen Jones is not the same commentary by these two that was featured on the Imprint release of the 1939 version I've linked to above.


• Audio Commentary by Kevin Lyons & Jonathan Rigby


• Mysteries Mean Dark Corners (HD; 29:02) is a fun overview and quasi-history lesson by the always well researched David Cairns, here with Fiona Watson.


• Pamela Hutchinson Interview (HD; 13:04) offers some insight from this writer and critic.


• Phuong Le Interview (HD; 9:11) offers more thoughts from another critic.


• A Very Eccentric Man (HD; 3:11) is a short extract from John Willard's source play. This is basically an audio supplement playing to stills from the film.


• Yeah, A Cat! (HD; 2:15) is another audio extract from Willard's original play.


• Lucky Strike (HD; 00:53) features a reprint of a cigarette ad with Leni, here offered with some perhaps dubious voice work.

Additionally, Eureka provides a really nicely appointed insert booklet, with three especially interesting pieces by Imogen Sara Smith, Craig Ian Mann and Richard Combs, along with some kind of maybe unintentionally funny "viewing notes" (warning viewers about default settings on displays, especially of the 4K UHD variety). Packaging features a slipcover.

The Cat and the Canary Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Eureka Entertainment's Masters of Cinema line has long been a "go to" for videophiles in Region B (or those with region free players), since the label / imprint curates a really fantastic array of releases. It's therefore especially good news that Eureka has a new Region A distribution deal currently handled by MVD Visual which can offer their typically great releases to those on this side of the pond. The Cat and Canary is rightly recognized as one of the formative examples of "horror comedy" in the silent era, and probably even beyond, since so many of Leni's tropes were rejiggered for use during the sound era. Those who have only seen the 1939 version with Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard may actually be surprised by how active the camera in this version is, and that style also extends to some German Expressionism aspects that give this entire tale a deliberately "haunted" feeling. Technical merits are solid and the supplements are all very enjoyable. Highly recommended.