El gato y el canario

This old theatrical warhorse gets another outing in what is (to date) the only colour version of a classic play.

There are some pleasantly swish performances from a good cast and neat direction from Metzger. Film takes a while to get going but the last reel packs in the action.

Wilfred Hyde-White's appearance on film is a nice touch and he even gets to "host" the end credits. But the best moment is Edward Fox's spectacular entrance and his scene-stealing thereafter : a moment to treasure, especially his delivery of the line "We're just up the road"! (It'll make sense when you watch it).

This film version of greedy relatives gathering for the reading of a will has been crucified in some corners as a pale shadow of the original, or if not the original the Bob Hope version. While certainly no classic this is a fun retelling of the story that works because the cast is so enjoyable to watch and because the old story works even if its done half way decently.

This was the first version of the story that I ever saw. Endless reruns on HBO years ago have burned portions of this film into my mind, but I didn't mind since the film was just a good time passer.

No, its not perfect. The 1970's retro feel that it has doesn't really work and makes the film feel like it doesn't belong anywhere. There were several films in the 1970's set in the 20's, 30's or 40's that suffered similar fates, particularly if they had any European connections. This is not the place to discuss it, but when you see this film you'll understand what I mean.

And you should see this since its good but far from great. Is this the version if you can only see one go at the story? No, that would probably be the Bob Hope version, but if you want something for a rainy Sunday that won't tax the brain, this is it.

7 out of 10 on the pure enjoyment scale.

This is a preposterous film. Olivia Hussey looked stunning although this alone does not make a film. I found it rather stupid, too slow and uneventful. Basically it is a thriller set in the thirties. It is not very thrilling. It is not violent. The secret passages around the house are cool. Best avoided really.

I'm not overly fond of seeing remakes of movies that I hold in high esteem, such as Paul Leni's excellent silent film "The Cat and the Canary" (1927), but the 1979 British remake (actually the fifth filming of John Willard's 1922 stage play) has such an impressive cast that it was hard for me to resist. And, as it turns out, this most recent incarnation is as fun as can be; an amusing and at times pretty darn scary updating. In what is a now-classic setup, a group of relatives convenes in England, at Glencliff Manor on a stormy night in 1934, to hear the reading of Cyrus West's will, while outside the house, an escaped homicidal maniac stalks the neighborhood. Here, West's attorney, Dame Wendy Hiller, screens the 20-year-old filmed testament of the old man (Wilfrid Hyde-White, whose grumpy recitation for his latter-day "leeches" and "bastards" easily steals the show) to a group of millionaire wanna-bes that includes yummy Carol Lynley, lesbian cousins Honor Blackman and Olivia Hussey, and American songwriter Michael Callan. Radley Metzger, in his sole horror outing in a career more known for various erotic entertainments, directs this film with style to spare, and his screenplay is clever and at times even sparkling. Callan gets the lion's share of the script's comical one-liners, and his quips regarding "putting on heirs," "where there's a will, there's a way" and "kissing cousins" are actually very funny. But don't get me wrong; despite the screenplay's cleverness, this "CATC" does dish out the scares, especially in the film's final 1/2 hour, when that maniac (who reminded me a bit of a bloodied-up Keith Richards, of all people!) gets into the house and things turn pretty nasty. All in all, a surprisingly well-done remake. Now...when is somebody finally gonna release a Region 1 DVD of the 1939 Bob Hope/Paulette Goddard "CATC"? That's what I want to know!

The Cat and the Canary is one of the classic 'old dark house' stories, with its collection of greedy and possibly murderously insane relatives gathered on a dark, stormy night for the reading of a will at the sprawling ancestral pile, an old manor with many a dark corridor and secret passageway. This late '70s movie adaptation also throws in an escaped lunatic and a pair of lesbian lovers (played by Honor Blackman and the very lovely Olivia Hussey) for good measure, but despite all of these potentially fun ingredients, writer/director Radley Metzger somehow concocts a frustratingly dull thriller that gets bogged down by a seriously talky script and lethargic pace.

For the first hour, practically nothing of interest happens: the characters bicker, they watch an old film of long dead testator Cyrus West (Wilfrid Hyde-White) who explains the rules of his will, and Dr Hendricks (Edward Fox) from the nearby asylum jumps through a window (why? I'm not sure) to inform the guests that the dangerous patient known as 'The Cat' has escaped. The murders are a long time coming and really aren't worth the wait, mostly occurring off-screen, and Blackman and Hussey's potentially exploitative relationship doesn't even extend so far as a peck on the cheek.

The final half an hour picks the pace up from incredibly sluggish to just about bearable, but never delivers the thrills and chills one expects from such a film. The whole thing is far too stagy and devoid of excitement. Just about worth seeing, perhaps, for the impressive cast, which also includes the delightful Carol Lynley as heiress-in-peril Annabelle West, but don't expect too much from anyone - the weak script and doesn't give the performers much chance to shine.

4.5/10, rounded up to 5 for IMDb.