Blu-ray Review The Bat Whispers Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

[Matt Hough]

Roland West’s The Bat Whispers offers a period appropriate approximation of one of the era’s most famous mystery thrillers.



The Bat Whispers (1930)



Released: 13 Nov 1930
Rated: Passed
Runtime: 83 min




Director: Roland West
Genre: Crime, Drama, Horror



Cast: Chester Morris, Una Merkel, William Bakewell
Writer(s): Mary Roberts Rinehart, Avery Hopwood, Roland West



Plot: A master criminal terrorizes the occupants of an isolated country mansion.



IMDB rating: 6.3
MetaScore: N/A





Disc Information



Studio: Other
Distributed By: Other
Video Resolution: 1080P/AVC



Aspect Ratio: 2.00:1
Audio: English PCM 2.0



Subtitles: English SDH
Rating: Not...

Continue reading...

 

[Robert Crawford]

Matt,

Thank you for your fine review. It seems like I had this BD release on pre-order forever. I don't remember ever seeing this 1930 movie, so I'll probably elect to watching the widescreen version whenever I received my Blu-ray. By the way, "The Bat" was released on Blu-ray in 2022 by The Film Detective which I have in my collection for comparison to this 2024 VCI release.

 

[jbirdp]

Would you please give us a review of “The Bat?” Thanks much!

 

[Robert Crawford]

Would you please give us a review of “The Bat?” Thanks much!

I don't think that's necessary on Matt's part. The Bat is part of the bonus material, and it really wasn't publicized as part of this release until Matt noted its inclusion in his review. TBH, I doubt it's going to be pristine looking in any case.

 

[Matt Hough]

I did watch the whole of The Bat (1959). The scratches that I've seen on my DVD all these years are still present, and there are some curious frame anomalies on occasion when the soundtrack keeps going but there appear to be momentary microsecond pauses in the video. Very odd to say the least, but since it's a bonus feature and those issues happen infrequently, I didn't let it bother me. The HD clarity of the image is excellent. The audio is fine, but I don't recall offhand what the codec is that was used.

This version of The Bat is streamlined from the original play. Though the identity of The Bat is the same, the mistaken identity gimmick from the original is gone. The other characters fit into the plot as they always have and provide the suspects as they always have with an extra death with one of the leads. I liked the addition of Cornelia's chauffeur to add another suspect and give him a climactic surprise to offer.

 

[Robert Harris]

I did watch the whole of The Bat (1959). The scratches that I've seen on my DVD all these years are still present, and there are some curious frame anomalies on occasion when the soundtrack keeps going but there appear to be momentary microsecond pauses in the video. Very odd to say the least, but since it's a bonus feature and those issues happen infrequently, I didn't let it bother me. The HD clarity of the image is excellent. The audio is fine, but I don't recall offhand what the codec is that was used.

This version of The Bat is streamlined from the original play. Though the identity of The Bat is the same, the mistaken identity gimmick from the original is gone. The other characters fit into the plot as they always have and provide the suspects as they always have with an extra death with one of the leads. I liked the addition of Cornelia's chauffeur to add another suspect and give him a climactic surprise to offer.

Sounds as though the 1959 could be derived from an old analogue VHS-era master.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I received an advanced copy of VCI's upcoming release of THE BAT WHISPERS and had the opportunity to sit and watch it earlier this morning.

I went into this film completely blind, not knowing anything about it and avoiding all reviews to form an untainted opinion.

I had the choice of watching one of three versions: U.S., BRITISH or new WIDESCREEN release.

The opening credits state that this film is based on a stage play, and that is exactly how the film plays out. It can best be described as a mysterious whodunit with splashes of comedy and spooky thrills thrown into the mix.

I was pleasantly surprised, finding myself completely enjoying the multitude of suspicious characters and witty dialogue. Even more interesting for me was the extremely clever use of early filmmaking visual effects in the many establishing shots that include miniatures and rear projection lensed with special camera rigs.

For the most part, the full-frame U.S. version, which I chose to view, looked quite good. Anomalies such as dirt or side scratches do show up from time to time but are minimal at most.

I don't know what the difference is between the U.S. and BRITISH versions as scanning through the latter, it looked identical. I am certain someone will provide some clarification.

I then scanned through portions of the Magnifilm widescreen version. I was at first put off by the stretching and cropping of the opening titles (you lose the thumbtacks that hold the title cards in place), but as the film continued, my eyes became accustomed to the widescreen ratio. Though information is lost compared to the full-frame, I felt the widescreen image looked sharper and more defined than the full-frame release.

The film is a fun watch, with a creepy haunted house vibe that should keep one fully entertained for its nearly 90 minute length. The UCLA Film & Television Archive have done an exceptional job restoring this film, and if you are interested in how it was done, the included booklet provides interesting insight into the process.

 

[Matt Hough]

For future viewings, the widescreen version will be my go-to version of this film.

 

[TheSteig]

DiabolikDVD has a few copies if anyone wants to order The Bat Whispers from them !

 

[warnerbro]

The widescreen version is from a 65mm print and supposedly shot at the same time as the 35mm version with both cameras side by side. This is also the beginnings of Batman.

 

[jbirdp]

I don't think that's necessary on Matt's part. The Bat is part of the bonus material, and it really wasn't publicized as part of this release until Matt noted its inclusion in his review. TBH, I doubt it's going to be pristine looking in any case.

I wasn’t asking you, Robert. I was asking Matt…

 

[jbirdp]

I did watch the whole of The Bat (1959). The scratches that I've seen on my DVD all these years are still present, and there are some curious frame anomalies on occasion when the soundtrack keeps going but there appear to be momentary microsecond pauses in the video. Very odd to say the least, but since it's a bonus feature and those issues happen infrequently, I didn't let it bother me. The HD clarity of the image is excellent. The audio is fine, but I don't recall offhand what the codec is that was used.

This version of The Bat is streamlined from the original play. Though the identity of The Bat is the same, the mistaken identity gimmick from the original is gone. The other characters fit into the plot as they always have and provide the suspects as they always have with an extra death with one of the leads. I liked the addition of Cornelia's chauffeur to add another suspect and give him a climactic surprise to offer.

Thank you, Matt. Apparently Robert thinks your review was unnecessary but I found it helpful.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I wasn’t asking you, Robert. I was asking Matt…

Thank you, Matt. Apparently Robert thinks your review was unnecessary but I found it helpful.

Matt answered your request so just be happy with that outcome.

 

[jbirdp]

Matt answered your request so just be happy with that outcome.

Much to your irritation I imagine.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Much to your irritation I imagine.

Not really.

 

[warnerbro]

Does anyone know what happened? I was scheduled to get my copy today after a 9 month wait and I got this message from Amazon: There is a delay in shipping your order because of a supply chain issue.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Does anyone know what happened? I was scheduled to get my copy today after a 9 month wait and I got this message from Amazon: There is a delay in shipping your order because of a supply chain issue.

I’m still waiting shipment confirmation from Target.

 

[Charles Smith]

Mine from Amazon shipped Saturday and is out for delivery today. (Just a data point.)

 

[Charles Smith]

And...it's here. No time today, unfortunately, looks like a tomorrow evening thing.

 

[Stephen_J_H]

Ordered yesterday, and waiting for a shipping confirmation. Keep in mind where I am, so I wasn't expecting day-and-date.