jellopuke
Sometimes not showing is better and in this case, the original was superior, but what's here is still solid. It takes the erotic level up a notch and the gore yet another, but somehow loses something when compared to the classic version. Some great scenery and gonzo performance from McDowell, but Kinski sometimes loses it.
Liked it, but didn't love it.
christopher-underwood
I have always liked this film but have always been aware that I am in a minority and therefore have considered this an 'Unsung Horror', well worthy of inclusion in the WBD publication, if it were not for the 70s cut off. Its present status seems a little improved and maybe this is as we move further and further away from the 1942 black and white classic original. Schrader has said it was a mistake to give his film the same name and this has to be right for immediate comparisons were inevitable. But even putting this difficulty aside we are still left with the explicit sex and the gory violence in a mainstream film. Nastassja Kinski is lovely in this and carries through with some difficult scenes very bravely. Schrader does well to ensure that that potent mix of young and innocent and ruthless and deadly is maintained throughout, always making sure that we see the cat within the girl. There is some wonderful photography here, from the beautifully constructed zoo to the buildings of New Orleans and even though this is a very colourful film the director remains aware of the power of shadows. People burst from the blackness of rooms, the eeriness of the night scenes enhanced by long and dramatic shadowing, not to mention the recreation of the stunning swimming pool scene.
PimpinAinttEasy
Dear Paul Schrader, I don't think you are a brilliant director or anything. But The Cat People had a lot going for it. You set it in a really interesting place like New Orleans. The architecture, heat, people, the food and the culture of the place are a big part of this horror film. You had two beautiful women in Natasjja Kinski and Anette O Toole. Malcolm McDowell is never boring. And good job filming that leopard. It looked sinister and evil. You packed the film with thrills and some great camera angles. You were working on a pretty big budget and it showed. The film was quite provocative with themes of incest and well ..... mating between leopards and humans. But I hated the scenes from the medieval era. They belonged in a low budget music video. While David Bowie's score was great, it did not really suit the place the film was located in. The film could have used a tighter editorial hand. It was really long at two hours. Some of the scenes went on and on. What was up with that? And some of the supporting actors and bit players were completely unremarkable. Nonetheless, this is a very entertaining erotic thriller. I don't think anyone would have the balls to make a film like this today. Best regards, Pimpin. (7.5/10)
SnoopyStyle
A village sacrifices their young women to black leopards who mated with them to create a new breed of people, Cat People. Irena Gallier (Nastassja Kinski) travels to New Orleans to meet her birth brother Paul Gallier (Malcolm McDowell) for the first time. Female (Ruby Dee) is his mysterious caretaker. A black leopard and mauls a hooker in a motel. Dr. Oliver Yates (John Heard), Alice Perrin (Annette O'Toole) and Joe Creigh (Ed Begley Jr.) captures the animal for the zoo. Irena is drawn to the leopard at the zoo and befriends Dr. Yates.This remakes a 40s horror that is honestly a bit boring and slow to me. What director Paul Schrader does is to elevate the eroticism and the visceral horror. Ed Begley Jr. getting his arm ripped off is classic. Kinski has great exoticism. Heard is a solid lead and O'Toole is a great girl-next-door. The swimming pool scene was a classic in the original and continues to be a great scene in this one.
AD
