This is a film that could never be made today. The idea of a master criminal running about in a bat costume is pretty silly--and the outfit is actually rather cute. Oddly, today we cannot imagine such silliness in a criminal but we COULD in a crime fighter! However, there are many more silly moments in this film--so many that it's hard to take it all very seriously. The plot is also amazingly convoluted...so trying to figure it all out isn't particularly important.
The film begins with a bank robbery. The trail to the robber goes to an old mansion and inside are some innocent folks. However, when people start appearing, the chaos begins. Heck, after a while it's all pretty funny, as detectives, private detectives, bloody strangers and gardeners who know nothing about gardening all show up unannounced. It's a typical whodunnit style film morphed with an old dark house movie and it never seems to take itself very seriously.
While there are MANY logical errors throughout the film (too many), the whole thing is pretty entertaining and you can't help but marvel at the set and cinematography. The film certainly looks good--and it doesn't hurt that the print they recently unearthed is, for the most part, rather pristine.
Overall, for silent movie fans, this is an excellent picture. For others, however, it may all just seem too silly and trite to make it worth seeing. My advice is that if you aren't a silent fan, try watching some other silents first--this one probably isn't good enough to make you a fan of the genre...and it's all a bit silly.
The film begins with a bank robbery. The trail to the robber goes to an old mansion and inside are some innocent folks. However, when people start appearing, the chaos begins. Heck, after a while it's all pretty funny, as detectives, private detectives, bloody strangers and gardeners who know nothing about gardening all show up unannounced. It's a typical whodunnit style film morphed with an old dark house movie and it never seems to take itself very seriously.
While there are MANY logical errors throughout the film (too many), the whole thing is pretty entertaining and you can't help but marvel at the set and cinematography. The film certainly looks good--and it doesn't hurt that the print they recently unearthed is, for the most part, rather pristine.
Overall, for silent movie fans, this is an excellent picture. For others, however, it may all just seem too silly and trite to make it worth seeing. My advice is that if you aren't a silent fan, try watching some other silents first--this one probably isn't good enough to make you a fan of the genre...and it's all a bit silly.