"The Cat People" *** (out of ****)I've mentioned "The Cat People" when discussing producer Val Lewton's other films which I've reviewed in honor of Halloween. Now, I've finally decided to review it.
For readers unaware "The Cat People" is one of the most influential "B" films ever made. It is also one of the most influential horror films ever made and one of the most popular.
The film was released in 1943. It marked the first collaboration between producer Lewton and director Jacques Tourneur. It was Lewton's first film as a producer. The studio, RKO, gave Lewton a budget of $15,000. This put Lewton and Tourneur on the spot. There was no way to make a costume for "the cat people". How would they even look? So it was eventually decided not to show them. Everything would be in shadows.
The basic idea of the plot is a Serbian, newly arrive in America, meets an all-American boy, Oliver Reed (Kent Smith). The Serbian is Irena Dubrovna (Simone Simon). She tells Oliver of the history of her village. A group of people, known as "the cat people" were killed by King John of Serbian. But some of the people escaped in the mountains, bring danger where ever they go.
Oliver tells Irena she is foolish to believe stories about her country's history. She is in America now. Her stories are meaningless. Oliver suggest psychoanalysis to help her realize the error of her ways.
Irena believes she is one of the cat people. Because of this she is afraid to express any strong feelings. After she and Oliver get married she tells Oliver he must be patient with her on their honeymoon, which means Oliver is going to sleep alone. In fact, they don't even kiss!
Here now we notice two themes which emerge in the film. First of all what Irena fears most is her ability to become aroused. The film deals largely with sexual repression. Secondly we are dealing with fear of "the other". Irena is a foreigner. American was engaged in WW2 at the time. Americans had to be on the watch for suspicious characters. Anyone with a European accent was suspect. Oliver constantly tries to beat home the idea that he is an all-American. When in a restaurant all he ever orders is apple pie. Have you ever heard the saying, "as American as apple pie"? He also tells Irena she needs to become "normal". She needs to forget about her country and her beliefs. She needs to adapt to American way of living. This was very important during the war. It was an "us" versus "them" mentality.
What is also interesting about the film is during the 1940s psychoanalysis was becoming more and more accepted in society. A broad range of movies were starting to push themes involving it in films. Watch "King's Row" or Hitchcock's "Spellbound".
But what makes "The Cat People" so enjoyable to watch is the element of suspense. Is Irena really a cat person? Do such things even exist?
The film makes excellent use of shadows and lighting, as do all of the Lewton/Tourneur films. Irena is usually placed in darkness. Who is she really? What is she hiding?
The film is actually a bit slow at first. Everything needs to slowly build to the climax. The best scenes are near the end. A co-worker, whom Irena suspects is having an affair with her husband feels she is being stalked by something which is not human. One of the film's most famous scenes involves the woman, Alice (Jane Randolph) going for a swim in a pool. From the shadows on the wall we see a panther roaming around. Alice starts to scream but suddenly there are no more shadows.
"The Cat People" is not my favorite of the Lewton/Tourneur films. I much prefer "I Walked with a Zombie" and "The Leopard Man", another film about a dangerous cat roaming around. But if this film hadn't been so successful those other films may not have been released. "The Cat People" shows us the seeds of what would come later. Each film got better and better.
Is "The Cat People" a scary film? Not really. As I have already said in my other reviews of Mr. Lewton's films, his work is not gory and violent. Violence is not shown on-screen. These films are much more subtle.
If you really enjoy this film a sequel was made "The Curse of the Cat People" directed not by Tourneur but Robert Wise, who directed the original "The Haunting". Also a remake was made in 1982.
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