The Cat And The Canary The Photoplay Restoration DVD (Kino International)

New Condition

$29.07

THE PHOTOPLAY RESTORATION Produced by Patrick Stanbury and Kevin Brownlow

A decaying mansion and a stormy night are the archetypal setting for mystery and chaos when a pack of greedy relatives gather for the reading of a twenty-year-old will. But before the West fortune can be handed down, the family must endure a night in the cavernous manor, unnerved by the news that an escaped lunatic is at large.

So clever and stylish that it would appear to be the wellspring of all “old dark house” mysteries, THE CAT AND THE CANARY was in 1927 already a theatrical chestnut among similar popular melodramas. Even so, THE CAT is a milestone of the American horror film, thanks to the ingenuity of its director, Paul Leni. One of the first film artists imported from Germany by Hollywood, Leni invigorated this stage-bound genre with expressionist flair, transforming conventional material into a visual feast.

This Kino edition was meticulously restored from original nitrate prints by Photoplay Productions, and features a new orchestral score by Neil Brand.

LAST ONE AVAILABLE

The first American feature by German director Paul Leni, this film is the finest example of expressionist comedy. It became in fact the prototype for Hollywood Gothic, the style adopted by Unversal in classic horror movies like Dracula and Frankenstein. Leni manages to convey excellently a strong sense of mood and mystery through set design and camerawork, complementing the wonderfully camp characters that populate this ghost story. Neil Brand composed a new score which beautifully accompanies this gem.

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