#833: TOURNEUR, Jacques: Cat People (1942)
TOURNEUR, Jacques (United States)
Cat People [1942]
Spine #833
Blu-ray
73 minutes
The Booklet
Documentary 1
Val Lawton: The Man in the Shadows, a 2008 feature-length documentary that explores the life and career of the legendary Hollywood producer.
Cat People [1942]
Spine #833
Blu-ray
The first of the horror films producer Val Lewton made for RKO Pictures redefined the genre by leaving its most frightening terrors to its audience's imagination. Simone Simon stars as a Serbian émigré in Manhattan who believes that, because of an ancient curse, any physical intimacy with the man she loves (Kent Smith) will turn her into a feline predator. Lewton, a consummate producer-auteur who oversaw every aspect of his projects, found an ideal director in Jacques Tourneur, a chiaroscuro stylist adept at keeping viewers off-kilter with startling compositions and psychological innuendo. Together, they eschewed the canned effects of earlier monster movies in favor of shocking with subtle shadows and creative audio cues. One of the studio's most successful movies of the 1940s, Cat People raised the creature feature to new heights of sophistication and mystery.
73 minutes
Black & White
Monaural
1:37:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2016
Monaural
1:37:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2016
Director/Writer
Jacques Tourneur was 38 when he directed Cat People.
Tourneur was an editor and assistant director at MGM, and then RKO, where he was given a chance to direct some B pictures. Cat People was one of those low-budget affairs, which became an unlikely wartime hit, and Tourneur eventually graduated to A pics, like Out of the Past (1947), considered to be an example of a high-quality noir.
Simone Simon (Irene Dubrovna Reed) reprised her role in The Curse of the Cat People (1944).
The Film
A fun, lightweight affair.
Film Rating (0-60):
48
The ExtrasThe Booklet
Eight-panel foldout poster featuring an essay by critic Geoffrey O’Brien.
Commentary
from 2005, featuring film historian Gregory Mank, with excerpts from an audio interview with actor Simone Simon.
Commentary
from 2005, featuring film historian Gregory Mank, with excerpts from an audio interview with actor Simone Simon.
Documentary 1
Val Lawton: The Man in the Shadows, a 2008 feature-length documentary that explores the life and career of the legendary Hollywood producer.
Video interview 1
with director Jacques Tourneur from 1979
Video interview 2
Video interview 2
with cinematographer John Bailey about the look of the film.
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