CAT PEOPLE
US, 1982, 112 minutes, Colour.
Nastassja Kinski, Malcolm Mc Dowell, John Heard, Annette O'Toole, Ed Begley Jnr.
Directed by Paul Schrader.
Cat People was originally a 1942 small-budget horror film from producer Val Lewton and directed by one of his regular directors, Jacques Tourneur. It was a 72-minute black and white horror film, relying on atmosphere and the presence of Simone Simon. Forty years later, Paul Schrader made a stylish remake. However, it did not have the emotional power of the original, relying rather on its atmospherics, the presence of the cast, the violence and the sexuality.
Nastassja Kinski is Irena, raised as an orphan, sent to meet her brother, Malcolm Mc Dowell, in New Orleans. It soon emerges that he is one of the Cat People, the leopards of ancient times (which are visualised in the opening sequences to give a mythical background to the action). John Heard plays the zookeeper, infatuated by Irena.
The film becomes something of a serial killer thriller with Malcolm Mc Dowell turning into a leopard and murdering prostitutes. He puts pressure on his sister, with overtones of incest, to save him. However, he is shot by Heard. Irena resists Heard's love and obsession but finally succumbs, but allows herself finally to remain behind bars in the zoo.
Schrader had written Martin Scorsese's films Mean Streets and Taxi Driver and was to write The Last Temptation of Christ and Bringing Out the Dead. He also directed a range of films from Blue Collar and Hard Core in the 70s to Auto Focus in 2002.
1. The impact of the film? Memories of the original? The spirit of the original, transformed by Schrader's style?
2. The New Orleans locations, apartments, homes, the vistas of the old homes and the old Quarter. The zoo?
3. The musical score, the popularity of Giorgio Moroder's film scores of the 80s? The theme and its being sung by David Bowie?
4. The mythological aspects of the film: the opening, the ancient tribes, the desert, the woman condemned, at the tree, the leopard, violence and sexuality? The origins of the Cat People? The transformation of the victim's face into that of Nastassja Kinski? The later memories of the origins of the leopards, especially in Irena's dream about the tree and the leopards? The credibility of this mythology for the horror film?
5. Irena as the focus of the film, her being brought up as an orphan, her relationship with her step-parents, her not knowing that she was a Cat Person, yet her instincts and fears? The encounter with Paul at the airport, going home with him, his explanations? Meeting Female, her stories, her caring for Paul? At home, yet unsure?
6. The contrast with Paul, greeting his sister, his own background, searching for her? His relationship with her, the sexuality, overtones of incest, his being transformed into the leopard? His taking the prostitutes to the hotel, the violence and killing them? His staying as a leopard, his being transformed back into himself? His being pursued, his causing accidents on the roads, his being shot? The autopsy? His appearing in Irena's dreams? How well-drawn the character, the credibility of someone believing that he was in fact a leopard?
7. Oliver and Alice, their working together, their relationship, her love for him, his not being able to return the love? Their work at the zoo? Having to go to catch the leopard, the pursuit, the murders? With the police? The pursuit, the taking of the leopard, the mystery? Oliver and his shooting Paul? The autopsy? His knowing the truth? Alice, the scene in the swimming pool and her being menaced by Irena? Oliver and his obsession, Alice confronting him with this? His love for Irena, her refusal to make love, her fear? The consummation, his commitment to her, his tying her up, her being transformed into the leopard? His finally not killing her but taking her to the zoo? The seeming normality at the zoo, Alice suggesting they go for lunch, his returning to the cage, the close-up of the leopard?
8. New Orleans as the setting, the background of voodoo and other mysterious religious and superstitious practices? The city for a legend about Cat People and this kind of behaviour, violence?
9. The credibility of the themes, their being symbolic of the shadow side of human nature, animal symbols, animal behaviour, the dichotomy between the spirit and the flesh, the flesh dragging down the spirit? A Manichean and Christian interpretation of this kind of story (from Paul Schrader's own Calvinistic background)?
