Review for Cat People

Whilst I’ve only seen the re-make once, I’ve seen Val Lewton’s original ‘Cat People’ at least half a dozen times. Which is strange, because until now I’ve never owned a copy. I seem to recall that, like the Universal classic horrors, it played pretty regularly on TV in the seventies and eighties, when such things would be shown at round about midnight, which is only right and proper.

Watching it again for the first time in a couple of decades was a real treat – not least because this edition is so visually stunning. Having never seen it at the cinema, this is the first time I’ve been able to appreciate the stunning deep black and white contrast and director Jacques Tourneur’s brilliant use of shadows and light.

Whilst ‘Cat People’ is arguably a classic horror, much like the Universal output (this was for RKO) of around the same time, it’s also somewhat more sophisticated than just that. Lewton had been recruited by the studio to make horror talkies, having cut his teeth making some very decent silent shorts. ‘Cat People’ was his first film for the studio and, despite its low budget, proved to be a spectacular success – much needed after Orson Wells’ Citizen Kane had nearly drained the studio of its last cents, failing to recoup even a fraction of its cost on release.

‘Cat People’, whilst an intriguing title, probably didn’t sound too out of place with audiences now familiar with Werewolves, and the publicity machine (and superb poster art for the film) reinforced the notion that the film would deliver similar thrills. Indeed it does, but arguably it delivers something more – something altogether more poetic and dreamlike, possibly even slightly erotic (an angle picked up and amplified in the eighties re-make).

A Serbian fashion designer, Irena Dubrovna (Simone Simon), is taking inspiration for her works from a zoo in New York’s Central Park, having recently moved there. The film opens with her sketching a dress in front of a black panther cage, though clearly she is unable to quite capture its influence as she keeps ripping it up and starting again. When one piece of paper misses the trashcan, suave looking newspaper man, Oliver Reed (not him, though maybe he took his stage name from this – actually played by Kent Smith) picks it up and introduces himself.

He finds himself inextricably drawn to Irena and soon the two fall in love and before long they are wed. However, it becomes apparent that Irena is a lady with some significant hang ups. She comes from a small village where the townsfolk believe in the presence of ‘cat people’ – locals who have turned to devil-worship and sin; half-human, half-cat, they kill those they kiss. Believing that she may be a descendent, this is why she persists in refusing to consummate the marriage.


The story then develops with the help of a psychiatrist and an emerging sub-plot where one of Oliver’s colleagues, Alice (Jane Randolph) confesses that she is, and has always been, in love with him. Not only that, he starts to question why he is so drawn to Irena and the pair start to suspect that all is not what it seems.

Once Irena senses competition for her man, a dark side emerges and we are soon under now illusions that Irena’s concerns may have been valid. Cue lots of tense, shadowy giant cat scenes as well as a series of unexplained attacks in the city.

Running at a mere 70 minutes, the film rattles by and the end credits are rolling far too soon.

Whilst there is no doubt that Tournier was a masterful director, Lewton himself was known for liking films where the audience’s imagination did the filling in as he believed such films were far scariaer than anything explicit. He was probably right. Whilst ‘Cat People’ may look tame by today’s standards, on release it probably terrified audiences more inclined to believe what they were seeing was a reflection of reality.

Image quality on this 2K restoration is really top notch – absolutely flawless and highly recommended.



Being a Criterion, it also comes with some decent extra features, not least a feature length documentary on Val Lewton; ‘Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows’ which is hosted by Lewton fan Martin Scorcese and which goes into some depth about Lewton’s life and works. Although not exclusive or new, this feature is worth the price of the disc alone.

Additionally there is a Cine Regard Interview with Jacques Tourneur which runs for 30 minutes, an archival episode of the French show, Cine Regard, which is a really interesting contextual watch.

Also included is ‘John Bailey on Cat People’, an interesting and informative appreciation of the film by a chap who photographed Paul Schrader’s remake of Cat People in 1982. He’s quite techy in a photographer’s way so gives some really great insight into how the spectacular, shadowy look of the film was achieved.

There is also an extremely informative audio commentary by film historian Gregory Mank from 2005 which even features an archival audio interview with Simone Simon and her recollections of the film.  Finally, extras are rounded off with a trailer and an essay by critic Geoffrey O'Brien on the rear of the insert (I think – I just got a PDF as reference).

‘Cat People’ is a classic horror thriller and one of the finest looking black and white films you are ever likely to see, despite its low budget. This edition is superb and highly recommended.