La Féline

What made Paul Schrader tackle this production I'm not sure. In a year when John Carpenter was doing his rendition of the short story, not even entirely so much the film, of The Thing, Schrader and his screenwriter decided to go back to the source of one of those stories no one really reads but pretends they have when in reality it's the original film everyone remembers. But this is an opposite case of Carpenters: where the original The Thing was, arguably, not really the masterpiece everyone remembers (albeit influential), the remake truly was. Jacques Tourner and Val Lewton crafted one of those quintessential horror films that scares precisely because how little we see of the actual panther on camera, while Schrader's film, actually, isn't a masterpiece of horror, not quite close at all really. And it's not even because Schrader decided to show the cat on screen, many times over (maybe it's a leopard, they look similar but it's closer to panther to me).

No, it's a different film due to permissiveness of the time period (it's the 80s vs the 40s, so this time we get plenty of nudity, "bad" language, and the Giorgio Moroder musical accompaniment which has dated pretty terribly), and with its subject matter being far more based on the romantic than in the original film. It's a strange effort this Cat People, where incest even comes into question (or rather it's right out in the open, at least between the two parties), the look and feel of New Orleans and the Bayou becomes another character, and the characterizations become enhanced by the mere presence of Malcolm McDowell's inimitable face and Nastassja Kinski's irrepressible sexual charisma on camera. Not to say she can't act, since she can hold her own very well even when she's seemingly doing not much except walking naked through a field at night or, um, walking naked in a room or, you know, not naked in a swimming pool.

How much is actually taken from the original Tourner film or the short story I really can't say for certain. The pool scene is the only one I can recall specifically lifted from the original (and, not too sorry to say, 42 for the win on that one). But comparisons can get too petty in this instance, perhaps, since Schrader's goal is to analyze the characters in this setting, what sex and desire and the psychology of a were-cat does to a person, or to people who realize what they're capable of, as opposed to just simple horror. Schrader's direction has some genuine moments of thrill, or just plain artistic satisfaction, like a not-so simple composition of a tracking shot of one of the hookers walking along on a street at night at her foot level. I'm even reminded of De Palma, whom Schrader worked with once before.

But at the same time, for all of the versatility of the actors, and the occasional moments of surreal imagination, there's also much camp as well (Ed Begley's character's fate for example) and a few really cheesy parts or just scenes that don't work or, perhaps, are too saddled with a need to push the button of sex on film. It's a hot number that works well, more or less, and would take a deeper analysis to dissect than I can give it right now. It's respectable, at the least.

It works pretty well as erotic horror/fantasy. Yes, there are some quibbles. Some of the special effects seem a little cheesy now, in the age of computer graphic effects. But, hey, it was 1982. A couple of times it was obvious that a character had jumped down and walked backward, and then the film ran in reverse to make the movements look more feline. Malcolm Mc Dowell came across as creepy and menacing, as usual. I had forgotten how beautifully doe-eyed an sylph-like Nastassja Kinski looked in this. And Annette O'Toole was great as the contrasting but lovely every-girl.

Paul Schrader's version of Cat People is a movie that I've heard of, but never seen. After reading some of the reviews of the movie, I've decided to see on my own for the first time. I must say that I wasn't expecting a whole lot out of this movie because a lot of people who have seen it compared it to the original 1942 Val Lewton picture from RKO. Well, I was very impressed by this version of Cat People and I must say that it's a exceptionally well made, well acted psychological horror film.

Irena, (Nastassja Kinski), arrives in New Orleans, visiting her brother, Paul, (Malcolm McDowell), for the first time. As the movie begins, Schrader sets up the movie very well. Hundreds of years ago, the feline group of mysterious people, called the Cat People, have the ability to change into a black leopard after mating. Unknowable to Irena, Paul starts to develop a incestuous feeling toward her as in one scene, which is, one of the best scenes in the movie, he stalks her while she sleeps in his house for the first time.

Soon enough, Irena is given a job at the local zoo in New Orleans by Oliver Yates, (John Heard). Yates soon starts a relationship with Irena after he witnesses her watching a black leopard, roaming around its cage, milling for food. Irena doesn't tell Oliver about her family secret. Instead, the movie gets even better when Heard and Kinski start a relationship between the two while McDowell takes a turn of the worse, using his cat-like instinct to kill and prey on women, living in New Orleans.

Almost some of Paul Schrader's films walk a tightrope between sexual tensions. He never back away from that particular theme in Cat People. Schrader, as you may know, written the screenplay for Taxi Driver and also directed two feature films, Hardcore, which shares some of the same elements in this film and American Gigolo. His films are quite daring, but nevertheless, interesting and engaging.

Some people might look at this movie as a sleazy exploitation horror film. But, to the tell you the truth, it is not. This is a very good looking movie, with great cinematography, showcasing many colorful sets and sights in New Orleans. Some of the scenes are quite suspenseful, almost ranking up there with the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. The imagery that is used in this movie are very well shot and photographed. One scene that sums it up at all up is when Kinski witnesses a leopard, tearing out a zookeeper's arm. What makes that scene work is that Schrader cuts that with a shot of a pool of blood, running through Kinski's shoes and into a drain in the floor of the zoo. That's very well done, indeed. You can almost feel the darkness and mystery of the picture itself, thanks to the superb music score by Giorgio Moroder.

Nastassja Kinski, I think, steals the movie, away from John Heard and Malcolm McDowell. She is one of the most interesting and mysterious actresses I've ever seen. She provides the movie with a spice of eroticism that lights up the scenes. You can't talk your eyes off of her nor ignore her. She is really something in this movie. Unlike so many other female characters in horror movies, she gives Irena a mind of her own when she develops sexual feeling toward the two completely different men. That's very daring for a actress to do in the movies.

Cat People is a very scary horror film that's very well made by Paul Schrader and also scored very effectively by Giorgio Moroder. An very good movie for adults to see. ★★★ 1/2 3 1/2 stars.

Erotic thriller with Nastassja Kinski starring as a young female who's gone searching for her own, inner self. In many ways a remake of the 1942 original, but also in many ways not a remake - a film that stands its own ground, this has a quality of sexual awakening and excitement that the original didn't have. Fabulous music by Giorgio Moroder (also featured is David Bowie's hit-single "Putting Out the Fire") accompanies many of the bloody and sexually occupied scenes that hammers on like they belonged in a artsy-fartsy porn flick. Kinskis performance at the center is typically her: odd, tactless, awkward, outlandish and sensual - in other words, highly enjoyable. She's fantastically beautiful, and she moves through a New Orleans during the fall, shot by John Bailey. And even though the level of thrills ain't always sky-high, the film has a charm and atmosphere that makes it a interesting, stylish and sexy cult picture.

"Cat People" is one of those movies that, by all rights, shouldn't be shown on network TV. That's not a comment on quality; it's one of the best erotic thrillers ever made (next to "The Hunger"). But when you have a movie where, for the last half hour, the female lead is mostly undressed ... how can you *show* the last half of the movie?

Very simply stated, they *don't* show it. I tried to watch Cat People on USA or some other network one night, and the last half hour had been cut down to about five minutes and made absolutely no sense. Worse, I was watching it with someone who had never seen it before, and when it was over, she was thoroughly confused and unimpressed.

So, number one: See this movie, if you haven't already! And number two, when you do ... rent or buy the video, or catch a revival on one of the premium cable channels.