The Catman of Paris

Charles Regnier is the author of 'Fraudulent Justice' which looks to become a bestseller. But it is potentially an embarrassment to the French Government. A man is carrying some secrets documents from the Archives of the Ministry of Justice when he is killed. His body has been clawed to ribbons as though he had been attacked by a powerful cat. The documents he was carrying go missing so it would seem that the murderer didn't want those papers scrutinized for some reason.

Suspicion falls upon Regnier as he was unaccountably out all night at the time of the murder. He is in the habit of leaving social gatherings on his own complaining of a headache. He sees visions of a storm and then the sight of a black cat appears. He seems to be suffering from amnesia brought on by a tropical fever he had contracted on his travels. He is accused of learning secret rituals he has discovered in India and Tibet.

A favorite of a number of 1940s B-mystery fans Douglass Dumbrille portrays the friend of Charles Regnier. There is a very good horse and carriage chase sequence but a confusing fight scene earlier in a cafe had been poorly executed. This is a reasonable mystery involving transmutation that has number of atmospheric moments. And the reproduction poster for this film with the killer's blue hand threatening the neck of a beautiful female victim has become collectible among horror film poster fans.

There is a scene in this film when "Marie" (Leonor Aubert) is in a coach, terrified, with the protagonist in this Jekyllian style thriller. She is shouting, pleading, imploring with this person - who transmorphs into a deadly cat - for him not to kill her. When she calls out for him to "say something to me" the entire cinema - maybe 50 people, all simultaneously called out "miaow". It was really an achievement of coordination and comedy timing that far surpassed anything creative being seen on the screen as this rather dreary murder mystery rubbed along. Carl Esmond is "Regnier", a successful novelist who discovers that his book is going to be censored. When the archivist carrying papers to the censor is found dead - mauled - he is suspected and off we trot on the most benign of mysteries that lacks just about everything - except, perhaps, an alluring eeriness of late 19th century Paris. The writing, directing and acting are wholly adequate, but the thing lacks any sense of menace or thrill - and at times it is little better than a darkly lit romance with a well telegraphed twist.

"The Catman of Paris" might as well have been called "The Copycat-Man of Paris", because what we have here is a cheap and inconspicuous - but not uninteresting - attempt to imitate the style and success of RKO's genius 1942 classic "Cat People" and its equally genius 1944 sequel "Curse of the Cat People". Those titles happen to be two of my all-time favorite movies, so I - for one - certainly don't mind watching another umpteenth rip-offs.

The film is more than decent, with a plot revolving around a distinguished but controversial young author who just returned to Paris after a long period in a tropical part of the world and finds several difficulties on his path. He loves a different woman than the one he's engaged to, the French government accuses him to exposing secret information via his "fictional" novel, and during his nightly walks around Paris he suffers from blackouts while people are getting ripped to pieces. Might it be that Charles Regnier returned home with a curse and turns into a lethal feline creature at night?

What I love about these ancient black and white movies is that they are short and don't waste any time! "The Catman of Paris" has a running time of barely 65 minutes, but it nevertheless features a talkative plot and a handful of exciting and action-packed moments. The highlights a feisty bar fight sequence and a wild horse carriage chase, which both could have come straight out of a western movie. The denouement isn't too complex to figure out early on already, and the cat-creature transformation sequence is rather weak, but those defaults don't bother me too much in a low-key 40s B-movie. The male cast is unremarkable, but "The Catman of Paris" does feature two strong female characters, with the protagonist's new love-interest Lenore Aubert and particularly his wicked fiance Adele Mara.

Are mysterious killings in Paris of 1896 the work of man or monster?

The best thing I can say about this film is that it has an awesomely choreographed fight in a restaurant, with plenty of flips and tables breaking. The waiter getting knocked over with a full tray (even though there are no customers, so who is the food for?).

Hard to say if this is a horror film. Netflix seems to think so, and I guess the idea of a half-man, half-cat killing people is sort of horror. But it is really pretty tame. We could say it is an early serial killer film with a population getting terrorized, but whether or not it is horror is just a tough call.

This warrants a second viewing.

A brutal, bloody murder occurs in Paris, with the victim was apparently clawed to pieces. The police refuse to believe that a monster is at work, instead focusing their attention on famous author Charles Regnier (Carl Esmond), who has recently arrived in the city.

Regnier seems to have a motive, and the subject matter of his latest book is a bit too coincidental for the cops. In addition, Regnier has begun to suffer from strange blackouts, rendering him unable to remember his actions or whereabouts.

When another mutilation takes place, the authorities are certain they have their man.

CATMAN OF PARIS is an atmospheric horror film. The use of a black cat slinking around, as well as Regnier's blackout sequences are eerily effective. There's a restaurant fight scene that's also memorable. Esmond plays his desperate role convincingly, and there's a nice, twisty finale to boot!...