The Age of Commercialism

Memorable, crazy movie

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

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.

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.

She might not have been a critic's darling, but the reading public loved author Mary Roberts Rinehart (1876-1957.) Her 1907 novel THE CIRCULAR STAIRCASE was among her most popular works, and in 1917 Rinehart joined forces with playwright Avery Hopwood to adapt it to the stage. After three years of work and much revision, THE BAT's combination of eccentric characters, spooky effects, slapstick humor and mystery took the New York stage by storm. And in 1926 it became one of the most popular films of the late silent era.The plot was clichéd even in 1920, and considerably more so by 1926--but this is actually part of the film's charm. New York is beset by a vicious killer and brilliant thief called "The Bat," whose crime spree has left police baffled. Cornelia Van Gorder (Emily Fitzroy) and her niece Dale (Jewel Carmen) have leased a mansion in the countryside, but it soon transpires that their choice has been unfortunate: the owner has died, his bank has been robbed, the money is concealed in the house... and The Bat wants it! Before you can say "It's the BAT!" there are secret passages, suspicious characters, screaming maids, and shots in the dark. According to film lore, THE BAT was actually filmed at night, the better to emphasize the gloomy atmosphere; if so, director Roland West (husband of actress Jewel Carmen) made a good decision here, for the film is memorable for its shadowy look. The miniatures of the opening scenes have been widely praised and the sets are elaborate and extremely well photographed (Cedric Gibbons, no less, was the art director of note); the costume for the elusive Bat is lots of 1920s fun; and the cast is quite good besides.The cast is particularly noteworthy for its inclusion of Jack Pickford, the wild and scandal plagued brother of silent star Mary Pickford. The combination of sound, drugs, alcohol, and sex would destroy his career before the decade ended, and although Mary Pickford certainly promoted his career he shows that his talents warranted her support. He's quite good. Most memorable, however, is actress Louise Fazenda, who chews scenery as the comically hysterical maid Lizzie--but indeed the entire cast is very fine and you find little of the broad acting style that troubles many silent films.For many years THE BAT was considered a "lost" film, but not only did a single copy survive, it proves in extremely good condition as well, and the transfer on the Alpha Video DVD release is quite good. What isn't good is the original score, credited to Paul David Bergel. Not only is it utter atrocious in terms of music, it actually works against the film, making the action feel a great deal slower than it really is. Even so, this is the long-thought-lost THE BAT, it's quite good, and you can always turn the sound off! While it isn't quite as stylish as the slight later THE CAT AND THE CANARY, to which it is often compared, THE BAT was quite an influential film in its own right and will likely charm fans of silent film. It also had a long life: not only would receive at least one major remake, author Mary Roberts Rinehart would actually rewrite the play into yet another novel--and no less than Agatha Christie would borrow a bit of the plot for the legendary play THE MOUSETRAP. Thoroughly enjoyable for fans of silent cinema.Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer