durantsteven Paul Shrader is far better known as a writer (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull) but he has also directed a few films and Cat People is one of them. A remake of a 1942 film it tells of an old, ancient time when big cats(leopards to be specific) roamed the lands and humans sent their daughters as sacrifice to mate with them(it is shown more poetically than how I wrote). One such union results in the birth of siblings whom we follow in present day New Orleans. This is a strange film in that it can be classified as fantasy-erotic horror. The atmosphere is supreme and the early scenes in the ancient times are reminiscent of David Lynch's Dune. The acting by everyone from the gorgeous Natasha Kinski to the always sublimely crazy Malcolm Mcdowell to John Heard as the sole "normal "human being is good. This is a good, distinctive horror film.

zardoz-13 "American Gigolo" writer & director Paul Schrader and "Deranged: Confessions of a Necrophile" scenarist Allen Ormsby remade director Jacques Tourneur's eerie, shape-shifting saga "Cat People" that DeWitt Bodeen wrote for RKO Pictures producer Val Lewton in 1942. By and large, these two films differ more often than they resemble each other. Tourneur's atmospheric, black and white, 73-minute original left much to the imagination since it was released while the Production Code Administration ruled Hollywood with an iron fist, and Schrader's 118-minute adaptation left little to the imagination. Comparably, the 1942 creature feature surpasses its remake. Nevertheless, Schrader and Ormsby have forged a horror film that is still stimulating to watch despite its many shortcomings. The two films show how much Hollywood changed between 1942 and 1982. Many things that the respective filmmakers dealt with changed in terms of the frankness of their depiction. Mind you, Simone Simon never disrobed in the original, whereas Nastassja Kinski had no qualms about cavorting about in the nude. Reportedly, the actress requested that her nude scenes be cut from the finished film, but the studio preserved them in tact in spite of her wishes. The two films deal with a virgin who leaves her native land and comes to America where she encounters situations that bring about changes in her demeanor. In the original, Irena is a refugee from a Middle-European country, and in the remake Irena hails from Africa. The chief difference between the two movies is the ending. Anybody who hasn't seen either film should stop reading this brief analysis at this point because the revelations may spoil your appreciation of the films. In the 1942 version, Irena is doomed to die because she is an evil creature, but the 1982 version displays greater optimism because Irena survives and lives out her life as a black leopard albeit confined to a zoo. Schrader's film changed the occupation of Oliver and Alice. Whereas they worked in a ship-building firm in the first film, Oliver and Alice work at the New Orleans Zoo in the second. Oliver and Irena were never allowed to consummate their marriage in the first film. Although Oliver and Irena never got married in Schrader's epic, they engaged in sex twice. Tom Conway's womanizing psychiatrist has no counterpart in Schrader's film. The two films do share similar scenes. For example, Schrader's film duplicates the scene with a woman who recognizes Irena and comments about their common origins. The scene in the swimming pool when Irena stalks Alice is staged with less atmosphere than the original. Oliver alone confronts Paul instead of Irena while wielding a drafting ruler in a manner similar to how Kent Smith did in the original. Schrader's remake situates the story in New Orleans, and Irena arrives to be reunited with her long, lost brother Paul Gallier (Malcolm McDowell of "A Clockwork Orange") who has spent his life searching for her. Paul fails to consummate the incestuous relationship that he yearns for with the virginal Irena. We learn from expository dialogue sequences that their parents engaged in incest and ran their own circus. Nevertheless, Schrader and Ormsby leave out a lot regarding the origins of these characters. In the opening, we see tribesman tie a young woman to a tree as a sacrificial lamb for a black leopard to do with as the beast sees fit. Remarkably, the leopard doesn't shred the girl, but it seems to embrace her. Later, she is taken to the cave where the beast lives and enters it, but we see nothing that occurs thereafter between the two. Paul Gallier has led a secretive life and he has a mysterious African-American, Female (Ruby Dee of "Do The Right Thing") who serves as his housekeeper. When she meets Irena, Female explains her own orphaned origins and the nature of her name. All Paul wants is to have sex with Irena, but our heroine doesn't share either his inclination or his alacrity. She rebels and strikes out into the Crescent City. Meantime, Paul behaves like a serial killer of sorts who arranges clandestine rendezvous with women and kills them. He fails when he tries to eat a hooker and winds up trapped in a hotel room after the hooker, Ruthie (Lynn Lowry of "The Crazies"), manages to escape from the premises. She tumbles down the stairs in the hotel and has a wardrobe malfunction. Paul transforms into a cat and leaves behind a placenta of sorts. Nobody can figure out how a black leopard came to be in the hotel room with the hooker. The authorities summon Oliver Yates from the New Orleans Zoo to capture the animal and remove it. Eventually, Irena discovers Paul's presence in the zoo and she has an encounter one evening after closing hours when Oliver confronts her. She was sketching a picture of the black leopard behind bars that she believes is her brother. Oliver and Irena met under similar circumstances in the original. They fall in love, but things become complicated.Although Schrader's film isn't a classic like its Lewton produced predecessor, the "Cat People" remake is still a fascinating film. Actress Nastassja Kinski gives a memorable performance, and Malcolm McDowell is appropriately villainous as her brother.

gavin6942 A young woman's sexual awakening brings horror when she discovers her urges transform her into a monstrous black leopard.Something went wrong with this film. The director is a hugely talented man, and has made some great films. Even here, the film looks beautiful and has an incredible color palette. But it drags in spots, seems to switch gears without warning, and just never hits the high notes.The film infamously has been said to have "more skin than blood", and that is quite true. For anyone looking to see Nastassja Kinski naked for long periods of time, this is the film for you. But if you want suspense, go for the original. This one has more gore, which is welcome, but that does not make up for the weak plot.

bayardhiler Sorry, I couldn't resist making a pun. All bad jokes aside however, 1982's re imagining of "Cat People" is a pretty entertaining erotic thriller that borrows the general concept from the original '42 version but manages to stand as its own film. Set in the seemly magical city of New Orleans, it all begins when Irena Gallier (the stunning Nastassja Kinski) arrives in town to meet her long lost brother, Paul (Malcolm McDowell with his usual devilish charm). But the happy family reunion doesn't go as planned as she soon discovers that she and her brother are members of an ancient line of cat people who transform into larger than normal black panthers when excited or sexually aroused and can only mate with one of their own, that being Paul. As you can imagine, this comes as quite a shock to Irena who comes to realize that she cannot make love to kindly zoo keeper Oliver Yates (John Heard, the father from "Home Alone") without the possibility of killing him. The film does a very admirable job of bringing the old story into the 80's while injecting it with a certain erocticism and dream like quality that the '42 version probably was not allowed to do. Part of this infusion comes from Nastassja Kinski's seductive charm who, with her catlike eyes and vulnerability, would be enough to entice any man (it also helps that the producers could show Ms. Kinski without clothes in a good many scenes). But it's also the over all direction of the film by Paul Schrader that gives "People" a dream like quality, with brilliant shots and cinematography of New Orleans and the Louisiana bayou set to the electronic synth sound of Giorgio Moroder (the brains behind such memorable scores like "Scarface" and "Midnight Express"). There are some noticeable lapses in realism, such as why wouldn't Oliver be a little bit more concerned when Irena comes home naked and covered in blood in one scene! But the over all look and feel of the film more than makes up for these draw backs. To sum it up, for anyone who holds the original near and dear to their heart and can't bear to think of it being remade, then you probably want to avoid this. But for anyone who is open to seeing a decent re imagining or who hasn't seen the original and is in the mood for a good erotic thriller, then I'd say go for it. Also featuring Annette O'Toole, Ruby Dee, Frankie Faison and a very cool theme song in the form of David Bowie's "Putting out the Fire". Enjoy!