The Bat Whispers

Once upon a time there was no sound in the movies people would watch. The movies only sound came from either an orchestra (of different sizes) or one single person banging away on a piano. The camera work for these films was quite stationary and not a whole heck of a lot would happen other than really cool lighting effects.

Then Al Jolson chose to let bigotry shine and did the "Jazz Singer", and sound was born. While not truly the first "Talkie", it was the most successful. Movies had found a voice. But the camera work was still quite dull. When the camera became an actual "floating eye" can not be nailed down. At least as to which film really did it, nobody knows for sure. But I bet I can make a pretty damn good guess.

"The Bat Whispers" is a remake of an old silent film called "The Bat". The plot is that a criminal (equal parts burglar/killer) is out to get the loot from a bank. He taunts the police. He leads them to the places he is going to commit the crimes, and yet still commits the crimes and gets away.

The movie moves us into a huge mansion on a dark, stormy night. Back in the 20's the haunted house, "old dark house", style pictures took off. So that will explain why this thing gets into an "old dark house" rather quickly, and remains there. There, in the house, the criminal (sorry, he goes by the name "The Bat" and only speaks in whispers) tries to knock off the people one by one as he tries to get to the money from the bank that has been stashed there.

I am not going to get into the finer points of this movies plot too much, but I will tell you that it is full of surprises and it keeps you from guessing the ending quite well. This movie has as many twists and turns as the house itself. But that is not what makes this film so great.

The camera swoops and dives in this movie unlike anything you have ever seen. How this film has been hiding in obscurity for so long is beyond me. This is an amazing film to watch. The plot has its holes, and the acting is a bit stiff at times, as is usual for this time period. The beginning is one of the most brilliantly executed beginnings ever!

We start out the face of a clock tower over a city. Then the camera take us on a plunge to the city streets below, turning to straighten itself out just before crashing into the street and showing us the passing traffic. Sure, you can see how the effect is pulled off, but it such a fun and original start to a film (even by todays standards) that one can overlook the primitive models, that are actually very well done.

From there we move to the inside of a police car that is speeding to the scene of where The Bat is due to strike next. Once we are there we are treated to a very original murder. Then we finally make our way to the house the movie will stay in for the remainder of our time.

The cast is very well put together and you find yourself liking the whole group, even the comic relief maid that we have seen in so many old films. But this time her lines actually work! Plus the film stars a certain actress by the name of Una Merkel. She herself is almost worth the price of the DVD. I am telling you, she is quite "cute", I hate that word, but it does fit her.

The movie was directed by Roland West, who history seems to want to remember more as a nut case than the ground breaking film maker he was. It seems that old Roland was a bit of a jealous guy and some people believe he killed his ex-wife, Thelma Todd. But the fact remains, this is an amazing film for it's time and Roland West was a border line genius.

The DVD is shy of really great extra-features. But the most important thing is here, both versions of the movie! Not the silent one (also directed by West), but the full frame version AND THE WIDESCREEN VERSION! That is right, not only was this film breaking boundaries for the camera movement, but it is also in the ratio of 2.00:1. Both movies are the same, yet different. They were shot at the same time, but Mr. West handled certain scenes different for the widescreen version. The reason for the two films was that not every theater at the time was equipped for the widescreen ratio, since it was experimental and just a fad at the time.

Other than that all we are given is a fold open "snapper case" with production notes on the inside, chapter stops, and a artwork on the disc that gives it a look of high class. The DVD is put out by Image and Milestone, and they should none-the-less be commended for bringing this film to us. The only odd thing is that there is a picture on the back of the case that is NOT from this movie.

This is a great movie, but it is not recommended for fans of modern film who will dislike the old style of acting and black and white film. The film lacks a music score. I mean this doesn't even have music over the opening or closing titles. But oddly, that works. These old movies are just wierd when you add music, just look at the Philip Glass score on "Dracula". If you enjoy old style horror films, this is a fun one to have. But I would recommend it to anybody to rent. Try it, you might like it!