Cat People
Head over to the Classic Horror Campaign to read my full review.
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Head over to the Classic Horror Campaign to read my full review.
Keep up to date with the Classic Horror Campaign on Facebook and sign their petition to return classic horror double bills to BBC scheduling.
Comments
I like to recommend the blog "sparksinelectricaljelly" to you .its the most detailed carefully observed analysis of Lewton´s films with lots of backgroud information I´ve ever seen -and like the films it should be more well known.
I too used to own only Cat People, Curse of the Cat People and I Walked with a Zombie on VHS. A few years back however I picked up a wonderful boxset of the films complete with special features, commentaries by various filmmakers and critics and a documentary on the work of Lewton. Well worth a look if you fancy treating yourself! :)
I wonder how long it took RKO to find that completely untalented artist who painted that Cat People poster, just look at the panter´s face!
BTW some weeks ago I discovered Odd Man Out. R.Krasker was a genius!
I do however agree with you that The Body Snatchers is something of an underrated minor-masterpiece. There is a place in my heart for all Lewton’s horror productions.
Ditto what James said.
But at least I surprised Mykal! :-)
:)
However, I am more often than not with you, Shaun, in wishing to see the monster. I always love it when a budget-strapped picture - like so many my beloved 50s sci-fi - gives it their best shot. “Leaving a scene to the imagination” actually takes supreme skill not to be just an artsy cop out. I would agree with Shaun, that the Lewton films are more noirs or perhaps psychological thrillers than traditional horror films (great explanation – via Stephen King - of the difference, James).
And surprise me you did, Shaun! I love it when someone argues well against the grain. What a crap world it would be if everyone loved the same things for the same reasons!
The mark of a good blog, James: gets folks thinking and talking.
And you’re absolutely right about how Lewton and Tourneur crafted these scenes to shape the imagination. The use of shadow and light and the editing in the pool scene and the Central Park walk expertly guide us right to shuddery spine-tingles.
I can see your point about revealing the monster – and how even in budget-strapped pictures you feel they should give it a shot – but I still maintain that to do so in the likes of the lyrical Cat People would have eviscerated the mood. It’s what sets Cat People apart. As much as I love schlocky monsters and aliens with golf-balls for eyes, Cat People isn’t about that, and of course, there is the argument that there isn’t a monster at all – all this is in Irena’s mind. And yes, much of Lewton’s titles, especially The Seventh Victim and Isle of the Dead fall firmly into the psychological thriller genre; another place in cinema his work influenced, though probably doesn’t get the recognition it deserves.
And sure, I guess much of the marketing etc could be attributed to Cat People’s ‘roaring’ success at the time (sorry), but word of mouth also drove audiences to check it out. You can’t really blame horror fans for ‘appropriating’ Cat People as it was marketed as nothing else but a horror flick. The whole idea behind it was to create a film that could exploit the success of Universal’s The Wolf Man – all the marketing was geared to emphasise the lurid quality of the story. Which is fantastic, because when you watch Cat People there’s really nothing ‘lurid’ or sordid about it! It is tasteful, atmospheric, creepy and elegant!