"THE CAT AND THE CANARY."

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19175, 5 December 1927, Page 6

"THE CAT AND THE CANARY."

A REAL THRILLER

For those theatre patrons who enjoy a good mystery story, above the average, and containing a lion's share if thrills, chills, laughter, and all the other thigs usually mentioned in the advertisements, the New York critics recommend "The Cat and the Canary." And not only the New York critics but Dominion ones as .well are unar.iraouß in regarding this picture as the 'cream of mystery entertainment. The production will be presented at the Liberty Theatre to-day, with Miss Laura La l'lanto heading an all-star cast. The much-abused term, all-star, is used in this connexion literally. All the artists ■ are famous on the screen, and all are consummate masters and mistresses of their art, s;i the picture, which, in its weirdness and wonder, might so ea6ily have descended into tho regions of cheap and sensational melodrama, is kept on a high plane throughout. The story is immensely entertaining.' leing eerie mystery with a generous share of pure comedy, and a lavish measure of very bloodcurdling and jumpy thrills, the sort of thrills that do not belong to the same house as the western variety, but the genre that consist in secret panels, hidden jewels, eccentric wills, haunted hoiues, moving shadows, clanking chains; thrills that are cheerfully redolent of ohildhood's "ghost stories," but. in "The Cat and tho Canary' that are cloaked in the guise of .-stern drama, and may not be laughed at. The} are familiar thrills but nevei hackneyed, for the director, Paul Leni, is a German aitist, especially brought to Hollywood by Universal to make unusual dramas, and he haß need all those e-ninrntly successful trick camera effects and technical gadgets that are such a prominent feature of Oer man films. Thus, tha wnr.le picture, photography, acting, development of the capric ious and baffling plot, ar# fai above the average American mystery comedy-drama. Langdon Post, in the New York "Evening World," suggests ihat the brilliant eucccse of the picture is due entirely to the photography and direction, , While Miss !«• Plante, Arthur Edmund Carcwe, Martha Mattox, and Forrjii' Stanley supply all tho drama and the light love story that-.runs through the pi»ce. it is Creighton Hale and that reliable o'd veteran, Flora Finch who furnish the -leeesmy comedy relief . The box plans for "The Cat and the Canary" are now open at The Bristol Piano- Company, where teats may be reserved.