The Catman of Paris

With "The Catman of Paris", Republic Pictures takes on the horror genre--making a film which seemed like a bit of a ripoff of the RKO film "Cat People"....as well as bit of Universal's "Werewolf of London". And, like a few other horror films Republic made (such as "Valley of the Zombies"), the results are second-rate.

"The Catman of Paris" is set in Paris (or course) in 1895. Charles has returned to the city after time abroad and after following a serious illness. Soon, folks around him start dying and the police begin to suspect Charles is some sort of Catman thingie who kills. As for Charles, because he has memory lapses following his illness, he starts to suspect that he MIGHT actually be the killer. As for the truth...well, it's somewhere in the middle.

The film is watchable. But it's odd that half the actors speak with French accents, half simply don't. And, as for the story, frankly, it's a bit goofy and silly...and the makeup they use for this 'Catman' is poor. Overall, it really wasn't a very good or exciting film...and hardly one to make RKO or Universal scared of the competition.

The Catman of Paris sounds more a movie about a jewel thief or second story man then a monster film. Lesley Selander was Republics go to western director and the cast has some recognizable faces but of course, no big stars. The catman is a were-creature and part of the fun is trying to guess who the shape shifter really is. Carl Esmond and Lenor Aubert are top billed and they give the proceedings a European flavor. There is bit more attention to period detail in the set and costume design then is seen in most of these little opuses.

Selander directed westerns and Catman rolls like a western. John Dehner, Anthony Caruso, and Robert J Wilkie would all go on to make their make in television westerns in the 1950's. Republic in house eye candy Adele Mara is around to liven up the proceedings. Sherman L Loews screenplay is a no frills and move the story along quickly affair. The FX is kept to a minimum with minimal lighting and the use of shadows and darkness in the shots to convey a creepy look and cover up the cheapness of the sets.

Catman of Paris is not going to entertain the blood, guts, and gore fanatics. Its an entertaining little, horror, western action film that keeps you guessing until the end.

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.

This is a middling to fair movie, gamely cashing in on the popular 1940s passion for Wolfman and Cat People creature films. Lame, but it limped along anyway.

Spine-chilling horror and suspense it has little of, but be fair! When you stack this film up against other non-Val Lewton movies or non-Brit films, (think DEAD OF NIGHT) it's okay for what it attempts. The director was probably a studio hack given the task of making something cheap using standing sets and on-hand costumes to fill the double bill and not run much more than an hour, thus clearing the seats for the A picture.

Workmanlike is he best that can be said about it. A good monster, wasted.

Anticipation ran high for me in the pre-home taping/DVD days when indie TV stations surrounding the SF Bay put this in their late-night viewing logs in the papers. My appetite for it was whetted by a photo spread in Monster World or maybe FAmous Monsters, showing Bob Wilke down in a makeup chair with a week's whiskers, getting on the fingernails and greasepaint and hair and full catty dentures. He looked great as the monster. His eyes were always cat-like and a bright shiny green anyway. Recall him as the first mate to Captain Nemo (James Mason) in 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA?

Robert J. Wilke made his career primarily playing villains in Westerns and was always a solid on screen presence. More of the Catman and less palaver was called for. It would be a better film, but I liked it for what little it achieved in moments of unease and threatening shadows.

And whomever id the makeup was an ace at greasepaint and direct work, without much in the way of prosthesis.

DB Jones, Mountain View, CA

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.