THE BAT WHISPERS is Roland West’s 1930 sound remake of his 1926 version of Mary Roberts Rinehart’s long running comedy/mystery play THE BAT. While the earlier version had the benefit of a better all around cast including Jack Pickford and Louise Fazenda (which deserves a quality DVD release), this version was shot in an early widescreen process called Magnavision (65mm) which allowed director West the opportunity to employ a startling array of visual tricks that still have the power to impress today.
Chester Morris gives a strong performance as the detective who holds the key to the mystery. Una Merkel plays the heroine in one of her earliest roles and William Bakewell (the twin monarchs in Douglas Fairbanks’ THE IRON MASK) acquits himself nicely in the thankless role of the wrongly accused fiance’. The story of a masked killer on the loose in an old dark house was already old hat by the time this film was made. The performances are deliberately over the top in accordance with the creakiness of the story which only adds to the fun. There is even a plea at the end to not reveal the killer’s identity to future patrons.
What makes THE BAT WHISPERS so remarkable is its stunning cinematography, its expressionistic use of light and shadow and its innovative use of sound. The bat costume, though not as striking as in the 1926 version, helped to provide the inspiration for Bob Kane when he came to create BATMAN over 10 years later. Roland West was a premiere visual stylist and quite an innovator for his time. He was forced to give up directing in 1935 after the high profile death of his girlfriend actress Thelma Todd for which he is now believed responsible.
The DVD from Image Entertainment contains both the 65mm and 35mm versions shot by different cameramen as well as outtakes, deleted scenes, etc. If you enjoy old style mysteries and want to see a little pop culture history as well then you can’t afford to pass this one up. Ever since the Batman installment THE DARK KNIGHT came out, it’s fun to go back and see where it all started and how far it’s come since it first appeared. For The Joker’s inspiration, check out the 1928 film THE MAN WHO LAUGHS.
The Capsule Critic 