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The Cat and the Canary

192782 minUnited States
Drama

Synopsis

Relatives gather in an old mansion to hear a will held unread for twenty years. A young woman inherits the estate under conditions that make her state of mind crucial. Strange events, a second document and reports of an escaped killer turn the gathering into a night in which fear itself may serve someone's financial interest.

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Video edition
Wikimedia Commons
Original language
No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: not identified.
This copy runs
86:50
Subtitles
No subtitle track in this language

No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: not identified. No subtitle track in this language.

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · Paul Leni; https://yts.mx/movies/the-cat-and-the-canary-1927 · Public domain

Cast

DirectorsPaul Leni

Inspirations

Paul Leni adapted John Willard's stage comedy through the stylised shadows and distorted spaces associated with German Expressionism. The combination of inheritance mystery, nervous comedy and threatening architecture helped establish a durable model for Hollywood's old-dark-house films.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Wikipedia — film referenceInternet Archive — catalogue recordDuke Center for the Study of the Public Domain — US term reference

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The public-domain references concern the original films in the United States. Rights can differ for other countries, editions, restorations, music or translations. Sources are listed on each film page.

Availability checked on September 13, 2026.

Photograph credit

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