Cat People
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Movie Reviews of Cat People
Movie Review: Erotic horror film.
Summary: 4 Stars
This was a very strange horror film, it was a re-make of the original film made in the 30's and it was directed by Paul Schrader. I haven't seen the original cause I must admit it doesn't look that interesting, this film however looks alot better since it has a ton of nudity, blood and gore in it and it has a very erotic atmosphere. The weird opening sequence has a dream like quality its a flashback where we get to see an ancient tribe of people who are tying up a young woman in a sacrifice for the leopards this scene in particular has some nice visuals taking place in the dessert its abit illogical but then again who cares, the sex scenes weren't that explicit but they were nice and kinky there was also some nice death scenes as well. The music which was done by David Bowie was very good and memorable and adds alot to the atmosphere along with the eerie synthesized score by Giorgio Moridor it fits perfectly. The film also has some nice ideas about sexuality and how the lead character (Natasha Kinski) starts to experience a weird transformation into a leopard everytime she gets aroused its like shes unaware of her true nature shes also an innocent girl thats still a virgin but is about to go through alot of changes, some scenes were a bit perverse especially with that ending which is supposed to be shocking watching Natasha naked and very bloody is quite a sight ;-). The film starts off with Irina (Natasha Kinski) who just arrived in New Orleans to be reunited with her long lost brother Paul played by Malcom Mcdowell, she grew up in foster homes after her parents were killed and hasn't seen her brother in years she says that shes been dreaming of this moment when she was a little child.
Irena is thrilled to have family again until her brother starts making sexual advances towards her, this off course doesn't go to well with Irena who later discovers that she is the last of her race of cat people who are able to shape shift and it seems more difficult since she has fallen in love with Oliver played by John Heard who is a curator at the local zoo. The film might sound cheesy but its not it was done with a serious tone even though some parts were bad I still managed to like this and it has some nice gore scenes in it including a part where one of the zoo keepers gets his arm ripped off by the leopard that was kept in a cage it looked very nice and sick. If They have sex with humans they revert to leopard form and stay that way until they have the need to kill someone In order for these cat people to stay in human form, this was a really good early 80's horror film the only problem was that it was abit too long at two hours, the effects were brilliant and they were ahead of its time since they didn't use any CGI fx and they looked convincing and not outdated. Anyway I highly recommend this great horror film and two thumbs up.
Movie Review: Channeling A Sexual Beast: 80s Style
Summary: 4 Stars
Despite having been young, semi-conscious (I was under five years old) and possessing few actual memories of the nineteen eighties, the decade has a certain personal eroticism for me. The powdery skin, shimmering camerawork, the outrageous kink and camp of the clothing, the archetypical section of dim-minded actresses performing with the joyful vacant-eyed faces of children: these all stir my heart. The film Cat People was a smarter film when compared to too much of the artistic output of the nineteen eighties but it also suffered from the strangeness of the times. First of all, Nastassja Kinski has a sublime beauty that would attract in any decade but was especially characteristic of ideal notions of sexiness for those years. Her eyebrow were that exquisite Madonna-esque thickness, her lips in a permanent state of partial openness with full-on pout, her hair cut to that boyish cute, and her shoulder pads speaking volumes about her feminine authority. Even her cat-like demeanor, connected to the premise of the film, was equivalent to popular depictions of women as sex kittens. In essence, her performances in the film can be interpreted as one of the finest expressions of the nineteen eighties soft-lit, softcore pornographic aesthetic.
Secondly, as a horror film, it managed to offer moments of decent creepiness in the vein of the times. Fear, of course, has been a universal and timeless emotion yet it can be provoked in a manner reflective of the era. The Germans of centuries ago used grim and blood-spattered folk tales to frighten, director Paul Schrader used shadow. Shadows were such a magnificent aspect of the nineteen eighties aesthetic because their perfect in lockstep with the soft-lit light (consider the Vogue video). Schrader employed shadows in an eerie manner that kept the viewer guessing, achieving what few horror directors actual get from their audiences: fearful concern about what was in the dark. Consider two scenes: when Malcolm McDowell lunges from the shadows as the beast and when Nastassja Kinski has a passion moment in that darkened room. Schrader brilliance was to make the shadow both fearful and erotic: the dark has been traditional as fear-provoker and yet can be quite intimate as well. In mixing the two emotions successfully, Schrader made the film a unique creature for the horror genre.
Third, that soundtrack Giorgio Moroder and Bowie crafted must be one of the strangest in the history of film. Starting off on a campy note, the music over the reddish desert of the first scene ought to make a person either laugh or weep but it does get better. Listen to it; it goes with the images on screen like magic.
Movie Review: Eerie and erotic
Summary: 4 Stars
"Cat People" blends the eerie with the erotic, benefiting from a literate script and artsy production values. Universal, eager to mine its horror properties as the genre came back strong during the late 1970s, decided to remake some of its classics, notably "The Thing" (also in 1982). The studio turned to Paul Schrader for an update of Val Lewton's 1942 "Cat People." Universal has released the film as a widescreen DVD with plenty of extras... Schrader, riding high on the success of "American Gigolo," wasn't a fan of the original film and later tried to have the remake retitled. He saw the project as a chance to "work on my control of the visual language." The project ended up being "as personal or more personal than any film I'd done," the director says in his excellent commentary.
Key to Schrader's vision was Italian production designer Ferdinando Scarfiotti ("The Last Emperor"). Schrader even tried to tag "Cat People" as "A Film by Paul Schrader and Ferdinando Scarfiotti." The detail-obsessed Italian ultimately was credited as a "visual consultant" because of his union status.
Shot largely in New Orleans, "Cat People" stars Malcolm McDowell and Nastassja Kinski as siblings cursed to live as half-leopards. The sensual and sometimes silly film ended up "more skin than blood," Schrader admits. Kinski's nude scenes should bring out the animal in most male viewers -- including the one that inspired that poster with the snake.
Schrader spins some great yarns. Cocaine fueled much of the production. The director became obsessed with the young Kinski. Handlers wrangled dangerous leopards, losing one manic cat in the process. Scarfiotti hid his sets until shooting.
The director points out a lot that's not apparent, such as the ambitious sets and John Whitlock's beautiful matte paintings, created at the dawn of the CG era. The matte work's transformation of the sets is demonstrated on the disc. Other extras include Schrader's recent docu "Cat People: An Intimate Portrait," a breakdown of Tom Burman's pre-CG special effects and director Robert Wise paying tribute to original "Cat" man Lewton.
Images are decent for a film of that era. Some outdoor shots have a MOW haze, but the set work looks fine. There is limited speckling. Giorgio Moroder's synth scores comes through strong and sure in Dolby Digital. The package says the audio is 2.0, but there is clearly surround encoding.
Movie Review: When Irena Makes Love, She Becomes An Animal, Literally
Summary: 4 Stars
Extremely bizarre, controversial and erotic, "Cat People" stars Natassia Kinski (daughter of European film legend Klaus Kinski) as Irena Gallier. An orphan and a virgin, she arrives in New Orleans in search of her estranged brother Paul Gallier [Malcolm McDowell of "Halloween" (2007)]. Soon she learns many terrifying secrets. Her parents were brother and sister who committed suicide. Her ancestors sacrificed their children to black panthers. If she makes loves, she will transform into a black panther that must kill in order to once again become human. Her only hope of remaining human is to live a celibate life or have an incestuous relationship with her brother. Neither one seems feasible to her, especially since she has fallen in love with Oliver Yates (John Heard of "C.H.U.D."), the curator at the New Orleans Zoological Park.
Exterior shots for "Cat People" were filmed in and around beautiful, historical New Orleans. Wonderful direction was provided by Paul Schrader who also directed "Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist." Schrader gives great commentary on the making of this film. He explained that he chose Natassia Kinski because she was believable as a virgin whereas all of the other candidates weren't. New Orleans was chosen as a setting because of its mystical aura - anything supernatural could happen there. It is interesting to learn that "Cat People" was co-scripted by Alan Ormsby who wrote the screenplays for such horror shockers as "Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things," "Deranged," and "Deathdream." Furthermore, a very hip rock-n-roll theme song is provided by superstar David Bowie.
A great cast, suspenseful action, creepy, gothic settings, and gory deaths make "Cat People" a must see for fans of all classic horror films. It is a feast for the eyes and an emotional tour de force. A young girl is torn between her instincts and her moral values. Must she sacrifice her ability to physically love another human in order not to kill? Or will she be forced to love from afar, imprisoned by physical bars and spiritual morals? If you enjoy watching people turn into animals and monsters, then you must also see "The Fly," "An American Werewolf in London" and "The Beast Within."
Movie Review: Lett'n the cat out of the bag....
Summary: 4 Stars
In the tradition of erotic 80's thrillers, "Cat People" stands out as a very unique and entertaining piece of work.
Young, innocent, and virginal Irena (Nastassja Kinski) can barely remember her parents or brother. She knows they were circus performers and that is about it. Having been raised in orphanages her whole life, she is finally contacted by her long lost brother Paul(Malcolm McDowell ), who is now a priest living out in New Orleans.
So... she packs it up and hightails out there to go live with him.
What she begins to learn is that her brother is quite an oddball, and she herself is beginning to have feelings and connections that she doesn't quite understand.
Ya see, Irena and Paul are from actual feline ancestors, and they themselves turn into panthers upon heightened sexual arousal. Once they turn, they are kitty killing machines-who don't turn back to normal until after they have made a kill. AWESOME!
Not only that, but they are incestuous-and they only way for them to function as humans, have a healthy sex life and pro create is to only sleep with one another. HA HA!
As Irena begins to establish a life and job for herself, her family demons began to take shape in many bizarre ways.
As the truth unfolds, Irena is left with a series of perplexing dilemmas & questions:
1. Should she believe and join her brother?
2. Should she continue to develop a relationship with that nice man at the zoo she works at?
3. Should she give in to her daily animal instincts?
4. Should she remain a virgin out of fear of killing?
"Cat People" has a purrrrfect blend of nudity, blood, & erotic/ sexual images. I can remember how this movie would always get me fired up as a young lad, and after having just revisited the film some 20 years later-it still holds the power to mesmerize and entertain.
And folks to me.....that's what makes for a good time in front of the TV.
Recommended!