The Bat Whispers (1930) VCI Entertainment Blu-ray Review

Whodunits from the 1930s were big business. People loved to go to the theaters and try to figure out the mystery before the final credits. That why there were so many produced. In 1930 Director Roland West took a very unique take on the mystery thriller and what came for was The Bat Whispers.

VCI Entertainment have joined forced with the Mary Pickford Company and the UCLA Library of Film & Television Archive to restore The Bat Whispers and release it on a deluxe 2 disc Blu-ray set for the 94th anniversary of the films release.

Synopsis: Infamous burglar "The Bat" commits a daring jewelry theft despite heavy police presence. Soon after, a bank theft occurs, which may be the work of the criminal as well. Meanwhile, Cornelia Van Gorder (Grayce Hampton) has various people arrive at her old mansion, including her niece, Dale (Una Merkel), a bank employee, and police detective Anderson (Chester Morris). When guests start turning up dead, Cornelia begins to suspect that The Bat may be lurking around the estate.

The Bat Whispers is sadly a somewhat forgotten gem in cinema. The script is amazingly written, wonderfully acted and the camera work for 1930 is so far ahead of it's time. Simply amazing. 

In an amazing piece of trivia Comic book creator Bob Kane wrote in his autobiography that that the villain of The Bat Whispers was an inspiration for his character Batman. How cool is that?!

The release is nothing short of miraculous. Especially to think the widescreen edition of this film was thought to have been lost and for the Mary Pickford Company to uncover it. WOW. VCI Entertainment to the restored UCLA version, than brought it in house for Tiffany L. Clayton to work her magic and clean up any specks and dirt. What is left is a gorgeous version of this classic whodunit.

The widescreen edition of this film is presented in 1080p. Tha audio is a PCM mono and there is the option for English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing. The restoration of this film is spectacular to say the least. The picture is crisp and clean with miniscule damage. Tremendous for a film print that was thought to be lost. The black and white picture is gorgeous. But that is not all. Take a look at what is included on this 2 disc Blu-ray set!


* 3 Versions of The Bat Whisper
   -Widescreen Magnifilm 
   -US Version 
   -British Version
* Commentary Track by Mick LaSalle, Author and Film Critic
* Liner Notes Pictorial Booklet by Richard Barrios, Writer, Historian and Commentator
* Video Version comparison of the three films
* The Bat (1959) with Vincent Price
* The Bat (1926) vs The Bat Whisper (1931)
* Video: The Bat (1926) before and after Restoration Samples
*Poster & Photo Gallery

A newly discovered widescreen resorted version of this film would be a must own, but to included restored US and British versions of the film. an audio commentary, video features and a bonus of the Vincent Price film The Bat. VCI and MVD really went above and beyond here making this a must own for classic mystery films fans.

So if you love 1930s mysteries, The Bat Whispers is a great little release and this new Blu-ray with 3 versions of the film is a must! Head over to Amazon, MVD Shop or Oldies.com and order your copy today! You won't be disappointed!

Out of 4 Film Reels (4 being the best) The VCI Blu-ray of The Bat Whispers receives....