Cat People (1942)
November 20, 2024 11:00 AM - Subscribe
Irena Dubrovna (Simone Simon), a Serbian-born NYC fashion designer, begins a romance with marine engineer Oliver Reed (Kent Smith). Oliver becomes concerned about Irena's notion that she is cursed and may transform into a large cat in the heat of passion.
Also starring Tom Conway, Jane Randolph, Jack Holt.
Directed by Jacques Tourneur. Written by DeWitt Bodeen. Produced by Val Lewton for RKO Pictures. Cinematography by Nicholas Musuraca. Edited by Mark Robson. Music by Roy Webb.
92% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
JustWatch listing. The trailers online are very low quality, but there are excellent clips on the listing for the Criterion edition.
Also starring Tom Conway, Jane Randolph, Jack Holt.
Directed by Jacques Tourneur. Written by DeWitt Bodeen. Produced by Val Lewton for RKO Pictures. Cinematography by Nicholas Musuraca. Edited by Mark Robson. Music by Roy Webb.
92% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
JustWatch listing. The trailers online are very low quality, but there are excellent clips on the listing for the Criterion edition.
This scene, with Alice walking home and sensing that someone (in this case, Irena, her beloved's wife) is stalking her is terrific, from the hard light and dark shadows, to the intense rhythms created by the clicking heels and alternating patches of dark and light, to the fakeout/relief of the famous bus popping up at the end. It's just brilliant.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:07 AM on November 20, 2024 [5 favorites]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:07 AM on November 20, 2024 [5 favorites]
Finally saw this on TCM this week and it is so good, though I must admit I missed the homosexual undertones. Chiming in to point out leaves TCM's website in five days so catch it will while you can. An interesting bit about this film is that it was RKO's highest grossing film of the year and saved the studio from possible bankruptcy due to losses related to Citizen Kane.
posted by pasici at 3:09 PM on November 20, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by pasici at 3:09 PM on November 20, 2024 [1 favorite]
I'm also a fan of Cat People, but its 1944 sequel Curse of the Cat People is the one that haunts me still.
posted by fairmettle at 2:18 AM on November 21, 2024
posted by fairmettle at 2:18 AM on November 21, 2024
I'm seeing The Curse of the Cat People on the big screen at NIU on December 11th. Really looking forward to that.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:06 AM on November 21, 2024 [2 favorites]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:06 AM on November 21, 2024 [2 favorites]
Somebody really needs to just release this with Bowie's "Putting out fire" over the closing credits. Then we could forget the rest of the 1982 re-release perhaps?
posted by rongorongo at 11:27 AM on November 21, 2024
posted by rongorongo at 11:27 AM on November 21, 2024
Then we could forget the rest of the 1982 re-release perhaps?
I saw Paul Schrader's 1982 Cat People remake back in the day, and found it to be a creepy offbeat delight, very much in the spirit of the original. It certainly is one of those unfortunate films that somehow becomes a magnet for piling on, deserved or not.
Roger Ebert was a fan, writing in his review:
I saw Paul Schrader's 1982 Cat People remake back in the day, and found it to be a creepy offbeat delight, very much in the spirit of the original. It certainly is one of those unfortunate films that somehow becomes a magnet for piling on, deserved or not.
Roger Ebert was a fan, writing in his review:
[Nastassja] Kinski is something. She never overacts in this movie, never steps wrong, never seems ridiculous; she just steps onscreen and convincingly underplays a leopard.posted by fairmettle at 9:28 AM on November 22, 2024 [1 favorite]
Love this film so much! Could rewatch it ever day for a month and still find new things to enjoy.
posted by cupcakeninja at 3:03 PM on November 23, 2024
posted by cupcakeninja at 3:03 PM on November 23, 2024
This is the 1st movie Molina describes to Valentin in the novel Kiss of the Spider Woman
posted by brujita at 6:49 AM on November 24, 2024 [2 favorites]
posted by brujita at 6:49 AM on November 24, 2024 [2 favorites]
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posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:00 AM on November 20, 2024 [3 favorites]