Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!

Matrixiole Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

Salubfoto It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

Lachlan Coulson This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

poe-48833 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.

binapiraeus Just like "Underworld" is the 'grandfather' of the classic gangster movies, so is "The Bat" for the classic mystery genre. The subject HAD been very popular for quite a while: both "The Bat" and "The Cat and the Canary" had been playing on the stage for years - but "The Bat" was the first to become a movie. And WHAT a movie! Starting from an obscure plot about a criminal mastermind the police just isn't able to catch and a big bank robbery, it soon leads us straight to the banker's old dark mansion - the PERFECT setting for a classic mystery - which an eccentric writer and her slightly hysterical housekeeper have just rented.And then the REAL mystery spook begins: turning bookshelves, secret passages, suspicious visitors, the lights going out, the shadow of a bat on the wall, a shot from the dark... And in the end - the plot dilutes... But we've got to keep it a secret, as we'd been told from the beginning! Explaining the whole complicated story to the audience certainly wasn't easy in a silent film, but the directing and acting is excellent, and the suspense is kept up from the first to the last moment - and in between all the murderous ongoings, there are also some great moments of fun! So this film provides about the COMPLETE pattern that mystery movies would follow for the next 20 years - a REAL prototype for a wonderful genre that's entertaining, puzzling and making us shiver until this day...

pocca "The Bat" is often described as one of the first haunted house movies, but it also brings to mind those action films that specialize in droll, stylish villains for whom the art of the crime is just as important as whatever material gains can be had from it. The villain of "The Bat," who chooses to disguise his identity with an elaborate bat costume and takes the time to leave taunting notes to the police and his victims, is akin to those witty nemeses of Superman and James Bond—the sort of highly imaginative evil genius who was spoofed in the Austin Powers series. The best sequence occurs at the beginning of the film when the Bat steals some priceless emeralds after telling the police exactly when and where he will strike —swiping them almost literally from under the owner's nose. The rest of the movie features an ensemble cast (an ingénue, a detective, a doctor, a gardener…) gathered at a mansion where 20 000 stolen dollars are hidden and the Bat is due to show up next, all trying to find the money and figure out which one of them is the original thief. The storyline drags now and then, but the antics of the high strung maid and the dry quips of the elderly eccentric millionaires who's forever knitting keep the viewer's attention whenever the pace flags.Recommended, but avoid the Alpha version which features a monotonous, mournful musical score (that I'm certain was also used with their version of "Way Down East") that is completely at odds with the film's humorous tone.

Spondonman First time of viewing The Bat holds up remarkably well for me. The opening scenes especially but also throughout the camera angles, zippy story and editing are quite modern in feel - no good thing in itself but make it easier to follow sometimes.I watched this expecting to see "the granddaddy of haunted house mysteries". Well, I suppose it was, but the house was as big as an aerodrome meaning a different kind of atmosphere was generated, not like The Cat and the Canary etc at all. The sets are absolutely stupendous and remain in the imagination long after the film has finished. The darkness and brooding shadows help the rather stagy acting through some flatter bits. But why was Conrad Fleming skulking about on the roof?The mysterious Bat (I'm fore-sworn to secrecy) looked a bit silly to me at first, but as his similarity to Donnie Darko's rabbit grew on me he looked more and more sinister and evil as the film progressed. I realise that this association was not West's intention but I can't help it now! It helped me anyway, so maybe it's best to watch DD first!I'm definitely going to watch this one again after a decent interval!