L'oiseau de nuit

This superb silent thriller finds the malevolent fiend of the title lurking about in a dark mansion, competing with -as well as terrifying!- a host of treasure hunters, cops, and family members. Everyone is desperately searching for almost a quarter of a million dollars (a fortune in 1926) in embezzled money.

Director Roland West creates an unsettling atmosphere, using the grand, creepy sets and wonderful Menzies miniatures to full effect.

THE BAT is a twisty tale with a surprise ending, perfectly overblown characters, and a memorable villain.

See if you can guess the Bat's true identity by movie's end...

There certainly is a lot happening in this film. Trap doors. Secret passages. Staircases. A "Bat" man. A hysterical maid who screams and leaps and circles and points. She must have been totally worn out when this film ended. Having seen the later version, I kind of knew the ropes a little bit. The idea is to get people out of an old mansion in order to grab a bunch of money that was embezzled from a local bank. The title character harasses the inhabitants, but doesn't know he has a real foe in the tough, matronly, unflappable owner of the mansion. She holds her own no matter what transpires. We have lots of suspects and that bat costume is pretty good. We can see elements of the Batman character of the early comic books. For a silent film this is very high quality and wears very well.

An outstanding picture in so many ways. Based on the play by Mary Roberts Rhinehart, The Bat tells the story of a master criminal who tries to scare some people out of an old, dark house. The trouble is that there are other criminals afoot, and the story becomes a mystery as to who is hiding behind the mask(looking very much like the inspiration for Batman for a young Bob Kane). The acting is very good for this silent picture and first of several film adaptations of Rhinehart's work. Lousise Fazenda really steals much of her screen time as an easily frightened maid/companion. She uses her face to its limits whether it be for screaming or being childish. A real treat to watch. Emily Fitzroy is equally good in her role as a woman with a lot of smarts. The real star here though is Roland West, who takes parlour room material and turns it into something grandiose. The mood West creates is hypnotic. The camera shots he uses are phenomenal. West also is ably assisted by the tremendous sets employed by art director William Cameron Menzies. The house is awesome and the opening settings are just breath-taking.Another real plus here is the titles used throughout the film. they are informative, yet not too wordy. They help create, maintain, and sustain suspense throughout the picture. This is a craft not to be too easily belittled. The film was and is an absolute joy!

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.

This film, like the play that it comes from asked the audience to keep the secret of the Bat secret so I will do the same and so I'll only speak in generalities.

One of the grand old dark house films this is the story of the super criminal known as The Bat and his attempt to steal a great fortune.

This film isn't the best ever made. The passage of time has diminished its impact a bit. Part of the problem is that at times the film has to wrestle with its stage origins, things seem to stagnate and you become bored. However at other times this film soars with a visual style that has rarely been matched. The mask of the villain for example hasn't been equaled. Thankfully its always watchable.

Certainly worth a look.