Cat People (1942)

Sadly Over-hyped

Good concept, poorly executed.

Blistering performances.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

This is classic cinema at its finest. A wonderful horror classic that all modern horror films draw from. All new horror films owe everything to the felines.

'Cat People' is a great concept for a horror movie, even if it does seem like a knock-off (and mirror) of the Wolfman genre. It also has a couple of very nice moments of suspense when the Cat Woman stalks her husband's girlfriend, one in which a bus abruptly pulls up (thenceforth known as a 'Lewton Bus') and another in a dark, creepy pool. It is unfortunate, however, that some of the tension is missing in the first half of the film because we clearly know what's going on with this young woman, and why she won't get intimate with her husband. The film also lacks the slinky sexiness you'd expect from a woman who turns into a black panther when sexually aroused or angered, some of which can be attributed to the production code at the time, and some of which are due to director Jacques Tourneur and his leading lady Simone Simon. It is understated for sure, and it's admirable that it relies on suggestion rather than showing us graphic violence. With the exception of those fantastic stalking scenes, though, it's almost too minimalistic. I can forgive it for being bare bones and for being short at 73 minutes, but have to knock it down a bit for the lack of passion in all of its main characters. Certainly worth watching though.

Judging from the title, you'd think this would be a movie about all of these people who are also cats. In reality, this isn't featured that much in the movie at all. This isn't a fault. It's just something to take note of. It's a pretty weird movie because it tells the story about this woman who apparently turns into a panther whenever someone kisses her. Now, there is one thing that's really weird about this. It's already been established that she married this guy. So...they went through their whole marriage without ever kissing once? That's dumb. Still, I do like this movie.It's probably because of how ambiguous it is. It never actually shows the woman transform into a panther, but it's certainly implied she does. Wait, maybe she never did. That would explain the whole kissing thing! I just think the pacing is very well done and I really do like these characters. I like how it's hard to tell for even the audience as to what's happening. The romance in this is quite well written too. It's hard to really even know who you're supposed to feel sorry for. ***

Nice guy marine engineer Oliver Reed (handsome Kent Smith) meets a very intriguing woman one day in the zoo. She's Irena Dubrovna (absolutely gorgeous Simone Simon), a Serbian émigré who's come to NYC and works as a sketch artist. In no time, they're married, although she does trouble him. She's afraid to get intimate, because she suspects that it will unleash the feline within her. Also, she places a lot of stock in the legends of her homeland. Jealousy rears its ugly head when Irena realizes that Olivers' co-worker Alice Moore (Jane Randolph) is in love with him."Cat People" was the first in a line of low budget black & white horror films produced by Val Lewton for RKO Studios. They gave him the pre-selected titles, and from there he and his regular collaborators came up with some generally interesting stories. They wouldn't appeal to some of the genre fans of today, because they mainly dealt with horrors of the mind, and were never very explicit. But they hold up quite nicely over 70 years later, because Lewton and his stable of directors - Jacques Tourneur guided this film - crafted some intoxicating atmosphere.There are two "stalking" sequences that are now legendary, and for good reason. Lewton and Tourneur do impressive things with sound, completely putting you on edge. Another individual who plays an important part is the cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca, whose use of light and shadow is excellent.The acting is sincere and believable. Rounding out the quintet of main players are Tom Conway as the skeptical psychiatrist Dr. Louis Judd, and Jack Holt as The Commodore. Appearing uncredited are Theresa Harris as Minnie, Alan Napier as Doc Carver, and Elizabeth Russell as "the cat woman".Written by DeWitt Bodeen, this is a good tale about the power of belief. And like all of these Lewton productions, it wraps up in a reasonable amount of time, running a scant 73 minutes.Eight out of 10.