The Cat and the Canary
Synopsis
Rich old Cyrus West's relatives are waiting for him to die so they can inherit. But he stipulates that his will be read 20 years after his death. On the appointed day his expectant heirs arrive at his brooding mansion. The will is read and it turns out that Annabelle West, the only heir with his name left, inherits, if she is deemed sane. If she isn't, the money and some diamonds go to someone else, whose name is in a sealed envelope. Before he can reveal the identity of her successor to Annabelle, Mr. Crosby, the lawyer, disappears. The first in a series of mysterious events, some of which point to Annabelle in fact being unstable.
The Cat and the Canary (1927) is a 1h 27min comedy feature film by Paul Leni. Rich old Cyrus West's relatives are waiting for him to die so they can inherit.
Key facts
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Titles
| Original title | The Cat and the Canary | |
| Alternate title | La Volonté du mort |
VHS & home video releases
| VHS | Video Images (cat. no. 767) | 1981, United States, slipcase |
| VHS | Sinister Cinema (cat. no. 767) | 1999, United States, clamshell |
Releases & classifications
| Theatrical | Canada | August 20, 1927 |
| Theatrical | Mexico | September 3, 1927 |
| Theatrical | United States | September 9, 1927 |
| Theatrical | Denmark | September 21, 1927 |
| Theatrical | United Kingdom | October 3, 1927 |
| Theatrical | Poland | December 19, 1927 |
| Theatrical | Spain | January 20, 1928 |
| Theatrical | Australia | January 21, 1928 |
| Theatrical | Finland | January 22, 1928 |
| Theatrical | Portugal | April 30, 1929 |
| Theatrical | Italy | July 15, 1929 |
| Theatrical | Portugal | May 1, 1965 |
| Theatrical | Portugal | June 25, 1976 |
| Theatrical | Netherlands | November 25, 2011 |
| Classification | United Kingdom | PG |
Versions & editions
| Home video VHS | United States | 1981 767 |
| Home video VHS | United States | 1999 767 |
| Home video | United Kingdom | April 15, 2024 |
Full credits
| Director | Paul Leni |
| Cast | Laura La Plante (Annabelle West), Creighton Hale (Paul Jones), Forrest Stanley (Charles Wilder), Tully Marshall (Roger Crosby), Gertrude Astor (Cecily), Flora Finch (Susan), Arthur Edmund Carewe (Harry), Martha Mattox (Mammy Pleasant), George Siegmann (The Guard), Lucien Littlefield (Ira Lazar), Hal Craig (Policeman (uncredited)), Billy Engle (Taxi Driver (uncredited)), Joe Murphy (Milkman (uncredited)) |
| Screenplay | Alfred A. Cohn, Robert F. Hill, Walter Anthony |
| Producer | Paul Kohner |
| Cinematography | Gilbert Warrenton |
| Editing | Martin G. Cohn |
| Music | Hugo Riesenfeld |
Additional data: TMDB.
Source: Cinémathèque québécoise, linked catalogue data (CC BY 4.0)
