The Canary Murder Case (1929)

Well, this is the first of four Philo Vance detective stories and it plays like a photographed stage play, excruciatingly slow and turgid. One has to "know" poker to understand Philo's technique of unmasking the murderer and the lengths the true murderer goes to to commit the crime are completely implausible, and impossible to achieve as explained here.All the actors speak and move in slow motion, as was the standard in early talkies, yet Powell is assured and urbane throughout, rightfully making him the star of the film.Louise Brooks had a further peg in her coffin as a Hollywood star by refusing to re-film her scenes, once the talkie version went into production. She appears only in the first 14 minutes. She is seen only in non-dialogue close ups and mid shots, derived from the silent version. To cover we have a stand-in in shadow or back-to, with her lines spoken by another actress, or her entirely out of the shot with the editor staying on her fellow actor while her dubber's lines are spoken.Well-done, but obvious. Again, I must say I just don't comprehend the fascination with Brooks. Any actress want-to-be off the Hollywood streets could have played this role and as well. No talent here at all.

Philo Vance (William Powell) is on the case of a showgirl named "The Canary" who was murdered in her locked apartment. The suspect list includes a number of men The Canary was blackmailing and all were in the vicinity of her apartment the night she died.Unfortunately, the backstory behind the making of The Canary Murder Case is much more interesting than the movie. Originally, The Canary Murder Case was to be a silent picture. But at the last minute, the studio decided to turn it into a talkie. Scenes had to be re-shot and lines had to be dubbed. But one of the film's stars, Louise Brooks, refused to participate. The studio hired another woman who resembled Brooks, shot her from the back, and used her voice for some of the worst dubbing I've ever heard. It's really an interesting story. The result of all this effort, however, is a very uneven film that often feels cobbled together.Getting past the backstory, The Canary Murder Case is dull. It's an early talkie and it shows. They just didn't know how to shot sound. The plot has a reasonably interesting twist near the end, but it is telegraphed so far in advance that it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. Watching William Powell in this early Philo Vance effort, it's hard to believe this is the same man who would go on to play the absurdly (and I mean that in a good way) animated Nick Charles. Finally, the final reveal is so poorly shot that it's actually one of the duller moments of the film. What should have been the highlight is anything but.Overall, a 4/10 from me.

Philo Vance (William Powell) aids the police in running down the killer of the Canary (Louise Brooks, looking good but obviously dubbed) a show girl who was planning on blackmailing the son of a rich banker into marrying her. There are an odd assortment of suspects, including a young Jean Arthur (who's not very good) but only one real choice. This was always held out by people I've known to be the best of the Philo Vances, edging out the Kennel Murder Case. I don't think anyone who's said that had seen the film in years because I don't know when the last time this was run on TV. Actually its a slow (you could trim about 15 minutes out of this), dated (there is no music and many scenes were shot silent and sound added later) but still enjoyable little thriller. Its an okay mystery that actually becomes more a how was it done rather than who done it. Is it the best of the Vances? No. Kennel is really good and probably better, and probably some of the others as well, but that doesn't mean you won't have a good time watching it.

This film typifies the problems the studios were having adapting to sound in 1929. The characters talk and talk and talk and nothing much happens. Being a great Philo Vance fan, I had to purchase this film even though it is a pretty rough transfer to tape and is very stilted in style. The obvious post-dubbing of Louise Brooks' voice is comical since it comes out as a nasal Bronx accent. William Powell, just beginning to develop his persona as a sophisticate, really doesn't stand much of a chance here. However, for historical value, it is worth a try. It is the last film that Brooks made before she went to Germany and her greatest triumphs(Pandora's Box, Diary of a Lost Girl); thus the voice dubbing. The film started out as a silent and was converted to sound....by that time she was in Germany and refused to return to dub her own voice. If you are a Philo Vance buff and can't work your way through this film, see "The Kennel Murder Case" instead.