With long lines to see "Garbo Talks!" director Roland West and United Artists hoped to make you laugh and bring in some cash for "The Bat Whispers" - but, fewer people were interested in hearing The Bat-Man whisper. Moreover, he doesn't really "whisper" in this re-make of Mr. West's popular and influential silent version of "The Bat" (1926) - he talks. Neither of the Bat-films are truly magnificent, but both are technically excellent. The plot is almost the same; obviously, West started with the same script.
The earlier version featured Jewel Carmen and Jack Pickford as lead the romantic couple; herein, they are successfully replaced by Una Merkel (as Dale) and William Bakewell (as Brooks). Broadway lady Grayce Hampton (as Cornelia Van Gorder) handles the knitting chores. Also moving from stage to film, comic relief Maude Eburne (as Lizzie) doesn't quite match Louise Fazenda (a daunting task). For the re-make, Chester Morris (as Anderson) takes center stage, as part of an uneasily altered story development.
While West's technical skill is brilliant, but the sound of "The Bat" whispering is startlingly inferior - with the thunder sounding more like a foghorn from "Anna Christie" (one of those films with that talking Swedish actress). The wide-screen "Magnifilm" and visuals are terrific, though. Both films are worth seeing - in any order; the endings are different, but the mystery never mattered.
******* The Bat Whispers (11/13/30) Roland West ~ Chester Morris, Una Merkel, William Bakewell, Grayce Hampton
The earlier version featured Jewel Carmen and Jack Pickford as lead the romantic couple; herein, they are successfully replaced by Una Merkel (as Dale) and William Bakewell (as Brooks). Broadway lady Grayce Hampton (as Cornelia Van Gorder) handles the knitting chores. Also moving from stage to film, comic relief Maude Eburne (as Lizzie) doesn't quite match Louise Fazenda (a daunting task). For the re-make, Chester Morris (as Anderson) takes center stage, as part of an uneasily altered story development.
While West's technical skill is brilliant, but the sound of "The Bat" whispering is startlingly inferior - with the thunder sounding more like a foghorn from "Anna Christie" (one of those films with that talking Swedish actress). The wide-screen "Magnifilm" and visuals are terrific, though. Both films are worth seeing - in any order; the endings are different, but the mystery never mattered.
******* The Bat Whispers (11/13/30) Roland West ~ Chester Morris, Una Merkel, William Bakewell, Grayce Hampton