To me, this movie is perfection.

Memorable, crazy movie

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Director: ROLAND WEST. Screenplay: Julien Josephson. Titles: George Marion, Jr. Adapted by Roland West from the 1926 stage play by Mary Roberts Rinehart and Avery Hopwood, which in turn was based on the 1906 novel The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart. Photography: Arthur Edeson. Art director: William Cameron Menzies. Film editor: Hal C. Kern. Special effects: Ned Mann. Assistant directors: Frank Hall Crane, Thornton Freeland. Producer: Roland West.Copyright 23 March 1926 by Feature Productions, Inc. Released through United Artists. New York opening at the Mark Strand: 14 March 1926. 8,219 feet. SYNOPSIS: A mysterious criminal, identified as "The Bat", is at large in a cavernous but spooky old mansion leased to a wealthy spinster and her niece. A faithful but frenzied servant is also on hand. The niece attempts to introduce her lover, a bank teller suspected of embezzlement, into the household as a gardener because he believes the real criminal has hidden the loot in a secret room. Three detectives and a calculating doctor complicate matters.NOTES: The stage play opened on Broadway at the Morosco on 23 August 1920 and ran a colossal 878 performances. Effie Ellsler starred as Miss Van Gorder, supported by Mary Vokes and Edward Ellis. The play was directed by Collin Kemper, who also co- produced with Lincoln A. Wagenhals. Mrs. Rinehart adapted the play into a novel, The Bat, in 1926. Movie headliner Jack Pickford was Mary Pickford's brother.AVAILABLE on DVD from Alpha. Quality rating: 7 out of ten.As, for once, both versions are extremely similar, I am reviewing this title in tandem with "The Bat Whispers" (1930). Both versions were directed and adapted by Roland West! So please turn to West's re- make, "The Bat Whispers" for my Comments.

Superb silent that clearly influenced Bob Kahn ("Bob Kane") when he conjured forth his AcroBat-Man, The Bat-Man, in DETECTIVE COMICS #27, way back in 1939. If I have a quibble with THE BAT (and, of course, I DO), it's that it tends to drag quite a bit when the title character's not on screen. The only other problem I have with this version is that it often suggests a Supernatural Element that turns out to be misleading: at one point, we see The Bat's SHADOW reach out, NOSFERATU-like, and close a door; we also see a bat flittering about a rooftop, then cut to the rooftop, where we find The Bat himself looking for a way into the building (and there's no sign of the bat we just saw swoop down to where he is). The fanged mask he wears (see DONNIE DARKO) looks like a Monster straight out of a Fright Film (it's too bad the character wasn't in fact Supernatural...) and the method employed to try to catch him- a bear trap, of all things- is novel, to say the least. Due for another remake- only THIS time, they need to make him a Supernatural creature.

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.

Silent thriller (with comedic undertones) concerning a brazen thief (nicknamed "The Bat") who robs a bank then stalks the occupants of the vast mansion belonging to bank's deceased owner. A motley group of characters join forces in an attempt to solve the mysterious identity of "The Bat" and survive the night as suspicion and double-cross emerge to thicken the plot.It's a fair dinkum mystery that held tight for me until the last frame, which is just what you want from such a motion picture. The acting is typical of the era, so too sets, make-up, cinematography and music, but all very appropriate. The supposedly "haunted" house is an elaborate group of sets, and the only element that I found a little tiresome was the repetitive site gags and stereotypical "dumb" characters ("Bloodhound" the boof-head private detective who's afraid of his own shadow, and "Lizzie" the jittery house-keeper constantly behaving like a circus clown, became irritating after more of the same).Might seem a little laboured, but then the elements of the mystery seem to be necessary to tie together the intricate plot, so when the surprise ending does eventuate, it's very satisfying and all is forgiven. Don't miss the dialogue cards for some pearls like "that Jap butler gives me the willies". So wrong, and so right.