The Cat and the Canary (1927) (Eureka Entertainment)

[MifuneFan]

UK label Eureka Entertainment will be debuting in the US with the release of Paul Leni's The Cat and the Canary (1927) on April 23rd!

https://diabolikdvd.com/product/the-...ss7pLQIWS6fzi0

SPECIAL FEATURES

• Limited edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Graham Humphreys [2000 copies]
• 1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray from a 4K digital restoration of the original negatives supplied by MoMA
• DTS-HD MA 5.1 score by Robert Israel; compiled, synchronised and edited by Gillian B. Anderson, based on music cue sheets compiled and issued for the original 1927 release
• Brand new audio commentary by author Stephen Jones and author / critic Kim Newman
• Brand new audio commentary by Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby
• Mysteries Mean Dark Corners – brand new video essay by David Cairns & Fiona Watson
• Pamela Hutchinson on The Cat and the Canary – brand new interview with writer and film critic Pamela Hutchinson
• Phuong Le on The Cat and the Canary – brand new interview with film critic Phuong Le
• A Very Eccentric Man & Yeah, a Cat! – extracts from John Willard’s original play
• Lucky Strike – Paul Leni gives a full-throated endorsement to the product that got him through filming The Cat and the Canary
• A collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Richard Combs, Craig Ian Mann, and Imogen Sara Smith

Paul Leni (The Man Who Laughs) directs one of the most important and influential films in the early history of American genre cinema, which perfected the 'old dark house' formula and set the stage for the Universal horror cycle of the 1930s.

Twenty years after the death of millionaire Cyrus West, his surviving relatives are called together in a decaying mansion on the Hudson River. There, they gather to hear West's lawyer Roger Crosby (Tully Marshall) read his last will and testament and discover that West has left everything to his niece Annabelle (Laura La Plante). That is, at least, on the condition that she is judged to be legally sane. As the family settles in for the evening, tensions rise when they are informed that a murderer nicknamed the Cat has escaped from a nearby asylum and is suspected to be somewhere on the grounds. Crosby soon disappears in mysterious circumstances, which proves to be just the first in a series of horrifying events that will punctuate a long, dark night of terror - during which Annabelle's sanity will be called into question again and again.

Based upon the 1922 stage production by John Willard, The Cat and the Canary is a perfect blend of horror and black comedy and stands at the apex of a cycle of films adapted from mystery plays throughout the 1920s. It later inspired James Whale's The Old Dark House and has been remade several times - but never bettered. The Masters of Cinema series is proud to present this cornerstone of horror cinema for the first time ever on Blu-ray from a glorious 4K restoration.

Paul Leni's THE CAT AND THE CANARY (1927) (Masters of Cinema) New & Exclusive Trailer - YouTube

[DukeTogo84]

How did you find this? I only see stuff about the UK release. There should be one for Black Mask too.

EDIT: NM, saw your reply on the Eureka thread.

[fred25_Ca]

Incredible! I wonder if there's any difference between the UK and the North american versions, like if they are both Region A and B, because if the UK version is Region A friendly, it might be cheaper just to order from Eureka's website! Especially as a Canadian (i don't see any Canadian retailer selling Eureka's new releases yet).

[russweiss1]

Originally Posted by fred25_Ca

Incredible! I wonder if there's any difference between the UK and the North american versions, like if they are both Region A and B, because if the UK version is Region A friendly, it might be cheaper just to order from Eureka's website! Especially as a Canadian (i don't see any Canadian retailer selling Eureka's new releases yet).

It's cheaper to order direct if you live in the U.S.

[MifuneFan]

I don't think Eureka have confirmed whether they'll lock the releases by territory, though I have to imagine they'll be region A/B coded.

[filmlover22]

Originally Posted by russweiss1

It's cheaper to order direct if you live in the U.S.

Yes. I save about $4 USD by ordering directly from their UK site.

[fred25_Ca]

Originally Posted by russweiss1

It's cheaper to order direct if you live in the U.S.

I'm in Canada, it's weirdly cheaper to order from the UK. Now if Eureka release their movies on amazon canada or Unobstructed view it might be cheaper, which i'm really hoping they do. If not, the Eureka website has free shipping to Canada and pretty good prices overall.

[Hammerlover]

This restoration looks very nice indeed.

[Jigram Clickendale]

This is so cool, it's long overdue. Hopefully one day we might see the original 1926 'The Bat' restored and released some day soon.

[WaverBoy]

Originally Posted by Jigram Clickendale

This is so cool, it's long overdue. Hopefully one day we might see the original 1926 'The Bat' restored and released some day soon.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...on-blu-ray-dvd

[WaverBoy]

This looks fantastic, and judging from the trailer it looks to be 24 fps, thank Zeus, so there shouldn’t be any annoying motion artifacting.

[bergman864]

My first thought when I saw this was, I wonder who has it in the US. It's still taking me a while to remember that Eureka is dual territory now.

[jacksparrow900]

This will be the first time since the first Image DVD that we are getting the domestic cut and not the european cut on the Kino and second Image DVD release.

[Mackattack57973]

How is the USA release going to work? Is it going to be sold on Amazon or through MVD? (I think that’s who their USA distribution partner is now)

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by Mackattack57973

How is the USA release going to work? Is it going to be sold on Amazon or through MVD? (I think that’s who their USA distribution partner is now)

It'll be at the same online retailers that sell titles from Arrow, Radiance, etc..

Here is the placeholder page for Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CT912B2B

[Deutschmann]

Originally Posted by jacksparrow900

This will be the first time since the first Image DVD that we are getting the domestic cut and not the european cut on the Kino and second Image DVD release.

I really had no clue until I read your comment that there were two versions, but a little research confirms that you are right. The European negative consists of secondary and alternate takes, and the US version is generally thought to be superior, with better framing and angles. Kinda a bummer, because I always thought when I was watching the DVD that I was seeing the real version But it makes me all the more excited for this new Blu-ray!

Thanks for the info.

[oddbox83]

It's still "real", and I like it when releases include alternate versions where they survive, but not a dealbreaker if not.

It was normal back then, just as it was normal for co-existing sound/silent variants for a short period at the end of that era (e.g. The Informer). Then versions in different languages before dubbing (e.g. M). etc.

[Deutschmann]

Originally Posted by Jigram Clickendale

This is so cool, it's long overdue. Hopefully one day we might see the original 1926 'The Bat' restored and released some day soon.

I'm with you. There are several silent films I am still waiting for on Blu-ray, such as The Great Train Robbery (1903), The Student of Prague (1913), Cabiria (1914), and the Bat (1926).

The restoration of The Student of Prague (1913) done by the Munich Film Museum looks absolutely stunning, but is only available on DVD.

[Deutschmann]

Originally Posted by oddbox83

It's still "real", and I like it when releases include alternate versions where they survive, but not a dealbreaker if not.

It was normal back then, just as it was normal for co-existing sound/silent variants for a short period at the end of that era (e.g. The Informer). Then versions in different languages before dubbing (e.g. M). etc.

Well, in the articles I read, they freely admit that they used what they thought were the best takes in the US cut, and simply shoved off the lesser takes on Europe. So to me that makes the US cut the real film, since it consists of the takes Leni thought were the best.

[oddbox83]

Originally Posted by Deutschmann

Well, in the articles I read, they freely admit that they used what they thought were the best takes in the US cut, and simply shoved off the lesser takes on Europe. So to me that makes the US cut the real film, since it consists of the takes Leni thought were the best.

Depends how loosely you are using the word "real".

It's real in that it was an alternative negative prepared especially and officially for foreign markets. Many silents have these alternate versions surviving, and some Blu-rays have included them. Other times, only one survives and sometimes it's the "inferior" version. It's not always inferior takes, often it's the same take as they'd sometimes have 2 cameras running side by side on set in the silent days, so they'd have 2 negatives but one would having slightly off framing as you can only place on camera exactly where you want for the perfect shot.

The usual reason was that you'd have multiple original negatives so all the wear and tear of making dupes for multiple markets wouldn't be placed on a single negative.

It may be more accurate to refer to the US cut as the "preferred" version. I'm only slightly sad this doesn't seem to include the European version, as some other Eureka releases have included international alternative versions (like Faust which includes the "export" version that has some shots completely different http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film4/blu-r...st_blu-ray.htm, unlike the Kino which just has the German restored version).

Either way, I'm delighted this restoration of the preferred version is finally available to order! One of my most wanted titles.