calvinnme First off major SPOILER warning as I completely (almost) spoil the film.Boy (Kent Smith as Oliver) meets girl (Simone Simon as Irena). Except boy is one of the few men between 20 and 60 who is not in the military, and the girl has bizarre fantasies about being one of the "cat people" - people descended from a group of witches and warlocks in Europe that escaped the sword of King John when he came to cleanse their village of wickedness.Oliver and Irena eventually admit their love, and Oliver proposes marriage. Irena has doubts because of her feelings that there is evil in her, that she is one of the "cat people". Oliver poo poos such nonsense and basically says"Forget that cat people nonsense babe and marry me anyways, it will make no difference." But it does. Irena doesn't want to consummate the marriage. Oliver says no problem he'll wait. Irena goes to see a psychiatrist, Oliver says no problem he'll wait. Irena wrestles with her cat people identity problem until a few months later she tells Oliver she has decided to put the past behind her and be a real wife to him. Not so fast Oliver says. He now loves Alice, a girl at work and he wants a divorce.So Irena, a troubled soul to begin with, has a husband who thinks "Until death do you part" is just a saying people kick around at weddings and has completely overestimated his patience, while Alice, a woman who has said she was Irena's friend has been that shoulder Oliver can cry on at work until she steals his heart. Also, the psychiatrist has ulterior motives too as Tom Conway rips a page from his brother George Sanders' playbook.Last line of the film - Oliver saying "She never lied to us". Yep, but ALL of you - the doctor, Oliver, Alice - essentially lied to HER. I'd like to turn into a big cat and eat the three of them if I were in Irena's circumstances.Don't think I don't love this film - I do. It uses atmosphere and what you don't see where the 82 version just used cheesy sex scenes and lots of gore.

lasttimeisaw Shot on a shoestring budget, Jacques Tourneur's CAT PEOPLE is an early specimen epitomizes the "less is more" suspense in the horror genre. Irene Dubrovna (Simon), a Serbian immigrant now working as a sketch designer in NYC, meets cute with a marine engineer Oliver Reed (Smith). But Irene is bedeviled by the urban legend of her provenance that she is a descendant of cat people, will turn into ferocious feline critter when she is sexually aroused, or as the story goes, gets overcome by jealousy or anger. Oliver isn't deterred by the obstacle, although he barely believes it, they tie the knot and Oliver promises he will give all the time she wants before they consummate their marriage, also introduces her to the psychiatrist Dr. Judd (Conway) when she voluntarily seeks resource to professional help. But, Oliver is not as perfect as he believes, an exemplar of America's good old boy, he literally admits he has never been "unhappy" before until this marriage is becalmed without any (sexual) progress and his promise turns paper-thin, when his colleague-and-best-friend Alice Moore (Randolph) blows the lid of her affection, why on earth she has been curbing her feelings for so long? A clunky plot device to instigate the downturn of Oliver and Irene's platonic marriage. Tourneur and screenwriter DeWitt Bodeen cunningly scheme suspenseful set pieces thence, ostensibly, Alice becomes the third wheel and must be disposed of, the subsequent two occurrences are the film's money shots, one would eventually coin the term "Lewton Bus", which signifies the situation where heightened tension is evaporated by a rather unexpected happenstance; another occurs in a natatorium, which seems Alice is doomed in the flurry of frenzied editing and striking images, in neither case, there is no clear sight of the human-turned- creature, but we are on the edge of our seats. So after Alice survives both murderous attempts, it dawns to audience that her character is not going to be a supposed casualty because now she represents the right woman for a honest-to- goodness Oliver, it is Irene, a continent immigrant who is wide-eyed enough to be inveigled into a false promise of American dream, must take her bow now, all because she is not willing to put out, her exotic charm fades, her mythic belief becomes threats, and after finally she prances on an imbecile who has too much self-regard to contain, the film ends in a slipshod scramble, the film's running time clocks in a mere 73 minutes, and finally, we are allowed with several glimpses of the assailing panther (along with some animation and great play of shades), money well spent! French actress Simone Simon leavens her iconic role with wondrous glamour and fondness in addition to her very feline features, while the rest of the movie's meager cast is borderline on autopilot. By today's yardstick, CAT PEOPLE is a far cry from a horror on its scale of scariness, but as a forebear of the genre, at the very least, it inculcates how to make good use of the ilk's often limited resource to set up the atmospheric ballast, that's a merit cannot be gainsaid.

Eric Stevenson Judging from the title, you'd think this would be a movie about all of these people who are also cats. In reality, this isn't featured that much in the movie at all. This isn't a fault. It's just something to take note of. It's a pretty weird movie because it tells the story about this woman who apparently turns into a panther whenever someone kisses her. Now, there is one thing that's really weird about this. It's already been established that she married this guy. So...they went through their whole marriage without ever kissing once? That's dumb. Still, I do like this movie.It's probably because of how ambiguous it is. It never actually shows the woman transform into a panther, but it's certainly implied she does. Wait, maybe she never did. That would explain the whole kissing thing! I just think the pacing is very well done and I really do like these characters. I like how it's hard to tell for even the audience as to what's happening. The romance in this is quite well written too. It's hard to really even know who you're supposed to feel sorry for. ***

lucyrfisher Yes, it is atmospheric, and the famous moments (the chase, the swimming pool) really are that good. I've just watched it again and find my memory had distorted some details: I pictured Anne in the pool in an unflattering cap, and the hotel receptionist with a twangy Brooklyn accent - which she doesn't have, she just calls everybody "Honey" or "Dearie". She is good in her small role, as is the waitress (a black character with a character, even if she does have to make a "characteristic" remark about nobody liking gumbo).What struck me this time around: there are subtle clues. Irena's fur coat, the way she stalks Oliver and Anne, fading behind conveniently placed potted palms (jungle). The shadow of a chair behind her head giving her "ears". The cleaning lady who is first seen crawling on all fours through the revolving door, animal-like until she raises her head and is revealed as an ordinary woman who collects matchbooks.Another point: until well into the story, the spectral panther could have been the real panther from the zoo, released by Irena (who has stolen the key to his cage). But then you realise that this is misdirection: the panther could not have walked unnoticed into the hotel! And it could not have broken into Anne and Oliver's office - or could it? Did it come through that revolving door? But surely if it had got loose we would have heard about it.The script by the wonderfully named De Witt Bodeen deserves a mention - especially the scene where Anne confesses to Oliver that she is in love with him.The music adds a lot, too. The lullaby Irena sings, that the characters later play on the gramophone. The Irish song the zookeeper is always singing, that Irena picks up.Oh, and the Other Catwoman is sitting in the background at the restaurant when Oliver goes there on his own.If you liked this, you will like The Seventh Victim, which features Dr Judd, mysteriously resurrected.