The Bat (1926)

From 1926 we have Roland West's "The Bat".The Bat is a charming and stylishly produced murder-mystery film, which was made in the fleeting years of the silent era and may be more influential then you might think. Brimming with many lurid and distinctive visuals, The Bat was a stunning looking film in it's day, it also has it's fare share of twists and turns - which in turn must have impressed a young Bob Kane, who 12 years after this films release, would go on to create the universally-known icon of comics: Batman - in 1938. For anyone whose seen this silent movie it should be obvious, in regards to the similarities it shares with several of Batman's best-known visual references/trademarks, more on that later, now to the meat of the story.The film is named after it's central character, an infamous cat-burglar named (you might have guessed it) The Bat, whose game is robbing the rich, while relieving them of their lives, as well as their wealth. His MO for boldness and daring is well established from the very opening scene, as he taunts the victim before the crime, then at the scene of the crime he taunts the police and then vanishes from sight. But not before leaving one of his distinctive calling cards, which essentially says: Beware The Bat! That same night a bank robbery occurs, only someone else beat The Bat to it, so he stealthy follows the thief to a large and lavish mansion on the outskirts of town and it's inside this cavernous mansion that nearly the entire movie is to take place. Inside this house are many interesting characters, some of which are quite amusing in a hokey way (don't forget this movie dates back to 1926), especially Lizzy Allen the suspicious and Superstitious maid, who do to the newspapers, is all caught up on The Bat; she along with "Super Sleuth Bloodhound Anderson" are essentially there to provide comic relief - and their pretty good at it.This films plot is pretty complex, mostly because there are so many people (who are not always who they claim to be) coming and going at all times and also the existence of a secret room, which plays heavily into the thick of things, that's hidden somewhere inside the cavernous mansion. By my count there are up to 11 characters in all, some are good - some are bad, but they all serve a purpose and as a whole The Bat is an entertaining and stylish film, however it does tend to drag a little at times. Though taking place mostly indoors, the films sparsely-used exterior shots ooze with atmosphere, such examples would be: fog shrouded trees and buildings, a handful of stylish miniature sets, the use of live bats (which actually stay in frame and land as if trained), etc. Veteran film director Roland West was the films director (who a decade later, would be suspected of murder, see: Thelma Todd), who 4 or 5 years later would, ill-advisedly, remake The Bat, in sound this time; however this remake is/was a total failure and it possess none of the charm, that it's silent predecessor has in spades. *Note* I'd avoid that remake if I were you, IT IS a dismal disappointment.Also it must be said (and this CAN'T go unmentioned) of The Bat, being at cat burglar and all, and as you'll see he wears a distinctive costume to mask his identity and "Mask" is ever the word for it; because along with a black over-coat, The Bat's disguise is completed by a HILARIOUS and very cumbersome-looking black "bat mask", complete with long pointy ears and a muzzle and fangs! THAT MASK... it should have you in stitches (especially for first time viewers), that insanely ridiculously looking mask is something else, a great example of something that's, as the saying goes, "So bad it's good". Mark my words. It really begs the question "just what the hell were they thinking", by going with such a spectacularly stupid-looking mask, but it is - what it is and has been for the past 91 years.And now for the Batman Connection... in this film you'll see at least two visuals which are commonly seen in Batman comics that can be directly attributed to this movie. For instance in the opening minutes we have with what's The Bat's own personalized calling card, which is undoubtedly the precursor of the "Bat-A-Rang", which as you'll see bears an uncanny resemblance to it. Several minutes later you'll see what is irrefutably the inspiration behind the "Bat Signal" as it's shun through the mansions large gilded windows. But perhaps the most obvious influence of all, is the fact that there's a guy running around -dressed as a bat-, who uses ropes to scale high buildings at night. Ringing any bells? This movie is loaded with "Proto-Batman" visuals.One The Edge of Oblivion: There is one last nugget of trivia surrounding this film, which I find interesting and even somewhat stimulating. It's the fact that whenever you sit down and watch The Bat, be it a tape, a DVD or a telecast, whatever the case, there all the same, do to the fact that -every- copy of this film originated from the same source, the last remaining print. It's been reported that this film was very nearly lost forever and that only a single print of it remained - anywhere in the world - and naturally had anything happened to that print... well that'd just be it for The Bat. So the next time you pop in your Alpha Video DVD of The Bat, just remember how close to the edge of oblivion this classic film was and it's very likely to have been languishing in that perilous state of existence for many years. Now that's what I call teetering on the edge - just one last print left. Whew, close call.

A killer dressed like a giant bat stalks a mansion where a mystery writer and several others are staying. Silent old dark house thriller that was remade twice, in 1930 and 1959. Most notable today for its influence on the creation of Batman. Well, actually, the 1930 remake The Bat Whispers was said to be the inspiration. Besides, the Bat character here looks more like Die Fledermaus from The Tick cartoon than Batman! This is an OK movie of its type. Overshadowed by the 1930 remake as well as The Cat and the Canary, which came out the year after this and was the best old dark house thriller ever made, in my opinion. Still, this is enjoyable enough if you're a fan of silent films. Roland West's direction and the great house sets are a plus.

While lesser remembered nowadays than Agatha Christie, American writer Mary Roberts Rinehart was as influential in the genre of crime fiction as her British colleague, as she originated many of the core elements of murder mystery stories in her writing (the phrase "The butler did it", comes from her work). In 1917 she joined popular playwright Avery Hopwood in order to write "The Bat", a stage adaptation of her novel, "The Circular Staircase", but instead of making a straight version of the novel, they added new twists and turns to the plot, including the presence of a masked criminal named "The Bat", who would the mystery a bit more complex for Reinhart's popular character, Miss Cornelia Van Gorder. The play was a huge hit, and it fascinated director Roland West, an avid fan of mystery plays who six years later would adapt it to film.In the film, Miss Cornelia Van Gorder (Emily Fitzroy) and her niece Dale (Jewel Carmen) rent an old mansion that belongs to the wealthy owner of a bank. However, their tranquility is disturbed when they discover that the bank has been robbed by the master thief known as The Bat (due to his elaborate costume), the owner is now dead, and he left the rest of his fortune in cash hidden in the mansion they are renting. Now Van Gorder and her niece will be the new victims of The Bat, who wants to get the full loot and will do whatever it's necessary to get them out of the house, alive or dead. To make things worse, Dale's fiancée Brooks (Jack Pickford), a clerk at the robbed bank, is the main suspect, so he arrives to the mansion hoping to hide for a while. Fortunately, Detective Anderson (Eddie Gribbon) also arrives to help the women, but the Bat has proved to be an extraordinary foe.Adapted by director Roland West with the aid of Julien Josephson, "The Bat" follows the play in a relatively faithful way, although since West has no way to represent the play's dialogs on film, he decides to put more emphasis on the horror elements and tell the story in a more visually rich fashion. This is specially notorious in the "first act", where West gives more insight about the Bat's methods by showing him using his skills to commit a robbery early on the film. Still, the movie version keeps those touches that made the source so different to other mystery plays, specially that touch of dark detective fiction that predates the films noir of the following the decades. As usual in this kind of plays, there's also a touch of light comedy (in the shape of the classic cowardly character) that serves to break the suspense and add some fun every now and then.As an early adaptation of a murder mystery play (like West's other horror film, "The Monster"), "The Bat" is a very influential movie in the horror genre because of its use of the old dark house setting, however, visually it is a very memorable film too. The most striking features of "The Bat" are without a doubt William Cameron Menzies's work as set designer and the cinematography by Arthur Edeson (assisted by a young Gregg Toland, in his first real job), which under West's direction result in a wonderful expressionist nightmare. To create his atmospheric game of light and shadows, West decided to shot the film mostly at night, which is why "The Bat" has that dark stylish look that feels surreal and otherworldly. Interestingly, West's directing of actors is very restrained, as if he intended to tell the story with the cinematography instead of his cast.While in the novel the character of Miss Cornelia Van Gorder played a more prominent role, here it's Dale and her fiancée Brooks whom are in the spotlight. As Brooks, Jack Pickford (Mary Pickford's scandalous brother) is effective, although nothing really amazing; the same could be said of Jewel Carmen (West's wife at the time), who plays Dale. They aren't bad, but not exactly noteworthy. Quite the contrary is Louise Fazenda, who steals the show as the cowardly maid Lizzie and adds a lot of charm to the film thanks to her over-the-top slapstick comedy. As the witty Miss Cornelia Van Gorder, Emily Fitzroy is pretty good, and certainly embodies the character with a strong presence. Finally, Eddie Gribbon is another of the cast members who give a great performance, possibly the best in the film after Fazenda's.Despite it's many memorable moments, in the end "The Bat" as a film is damaged badly by its own origin as a play: on stage actors have words, but West can't have that element on film. While West certainly did his best to tell the story without words (and the first act is itself a masterpiece of silent storytelling), the film does feel very stagy, specially in the scenes directly lifted from the play, which result in a film of irregular pace, with some highly dynamic scenes and others that are slow and kind of dull. In my personal opinion, "The Bat" would had been better if West had done a less faithful adaptation, and instead had followed the path he was walking in the first act, which was highly original. For example, Paul Leni's adaptation of "The Cat and the Canary" (another murder mystery play) done the following year takes what West started here to higher levels.In the end "The Bat" is a highly enjoyable film that, while not really a masterpiece, it is of great interest due to its beautiful cinematography, set design and ultimately charming plot. West would remake this film 4 years later as "The Bat Whispers", now with sound and what he lacked here. And yes, it would be that 1930 horror film the one that would inspire comic book artist Bob Kane to create his very own Batman. A flawed but still good horror movie.7/10

No hesitation in giving this movie a 10.In the past I've given some movies an 8 but compared to them "The Bat" deserves an 15,honestly.Taking into consideration that it's vintage it does so much without the benefit of modern technology.The viewer is given the impression that the main setting takes place in a huge mansion with 3 or 4 levels(I lost count),with it's dark shadows and at tmes slanted looking scenery it can be dreamy looking.The setting is only one of the ingredients that makes this movie so entertaining,it goes back and forth from being funny to scary smoothly,it seems to have the viewer at it's mercy.One of the interesting characters is Bloodhound Anderson-super sleuth,with his derby hat he resembles Mr.McNab the truant officer from "little lulu" comic books.He does his share of trembling while holding two six shooters.Adding plenty of comedy also is the maid played by the very popular Louise Fazenda.The movie overall is eerie and suspenseful with the Bat fierce looking.Watch it by yourself in a dark room.