JohnHowardReid Cat People doesn't hold up too well. For all the promise of its premise, the script has a juvenile, dime-novel flavor. True, certain sequences still possess a great deal of suspense, notably the much-anthologized and much-praised sequence in which Jane Randolph is stalked at night along a narrow alley-way. On the whole, however, the picture seems too dated, too talkative, and too obviously made on the cheap. For me, one of the most effective sequences occurs when Simone Simon plays with the canary, her tongue licking her lips in a distinctive and disturbing feline way. Although Simon plays very capably and indeed charmingly throughout the rest of the movie, she never recaptures the menace of that single sequence. She seems fragile and in need of protection herself. (This, of course, is how the role was written). In his film debut, Kent Smith makes for the wettest of wet heroes. The support players likewise struggle with script characterizations that are either one-dimensional (Alec Craig as the zoo attendant) or indifferent (Jack Holt, for example, is completely wasted in a piddling, inconsequential and wholly minor role). Although Tourneur occasionally directs with flair and style, many scenes are handled in a thoroughly ordinary, even pedestrian fashion. Production values are distinctly "B". Many of the sets have about them a pasteboard air which not even Musuraca's opulently gray-toned camerawork can disguise.

Scott LeBrun Nice guy marine engineer Oliver Reed (handsome Kent Smith) meets a very intriguing woman one day in the zoo. She's Irena Dubrovna (absolutely gorgeous Simone Simon), a Serbian émigré who's come to NYC and works as a sketch artist. In no time, they're married, although she does trouble him. She's afraid to get intimate, because she suspects that it will unleash the feline within her. Also, she places a lot of stock in the legends of her homeland. Jealousy rears its ugly head when Irena realizes that Olivers' co-worker Alice Moore (Jane Randolph) is in love with him."Cat People" was the first in a line of low budget black & white horror films produced by Val Lewton for RKO Studios. They gave him the pre-selected titles, and from there he and his regular collaborators came up with some generally interesting stories. They wouldn't appeal to some of the genre fans of today, because they mainly dealt with horrors of the mind, and were never very explicit. But they hold up quite nicely over 70 years later, because Lewton and his stable of directors - Jacques Tourneur guided this film - crafted some intoxicating atmosphere.There are two "stalking" sequences that are now legendary, and for good reason. Lewton and Tourneur do impressive things with sound, completely putting you on edge. Another individual who plays an important part is the cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca, whose use of light and shadow is excellent.The acting is sincere and believable. Rounding out the quintet of main players are Tom Conway as the skeptical psychiatrist Dr. Louis Judd, and Jack Holt as The Commodore. Appearing uncredited are Theresa Harris as Minnie, Alan Napier as Doc Carver, and Elizabeth Russell as "the cat woman".Written by DeWitt Bodeen, this is a good tale about the power of belief. And like all of these Lewton productions, it wraps up in a reasonable amount of time, running a scant 73 minutes.Eight out of 10.

christopher-underwood Another watch for this fabulous, Jacques Turner directed black and white gem. I thought watching b&w blu rays might be a waste but not a bit of it. I have never seen this shine and sparkle so well and those dark shadows so effectively sweeping across the screen. I remember seeing this as a boy and being disappointed that Simone Simon didn't change back and forth throughout but now can appreciate the true subtlety of her performance. Strange that I should have re-watched Gilda last night and sat spellbound as Rita Hayworth seemingly treads her own path, bewitching and beguiling men at will with her physical presence and charisma and here the poor Serbian girl afraid to even take a step in that direction. Very impressive and helped enormously by being able to see this is such a fine print. Perfect.

GL84 After meeting a striking artist, a man's growing romance with her brings out her fears of turning into a ravenous cat-creature and tries to quell her fears as a series of murders around town sheds light on her story and forces him into a dangerous situation to control her.Overall this one wasn't all that bad but did have a few problems with it. One of the biggest facets against this is the absolutely dull, dreary pace her that doesn't offer a whole lot here. Building up their growing romance and how her superstitions are continually interfering with everything do makes for a really bland time by keeping the story of her beliefs too wrapped up in nonsense most of the time. The folklore tells of cats as being of a great good to their village, yet here the fear of them doesn't see that well-developed beyond her rabid devotions and beliefs which fuels this one and very little of this makes for a scary time without giving this a really grand feeling here. All of this instead makes for a somewhat talkative and really restrained time here by taking of a lot of the time and leaving very little of it for action scenes here. Still, what really ends up helping this one is this build-up to the psychological problems of the girl which is where this one gets the strength, as this one manages to accomplish the incredibly tricky feat of keeping nearly everything hidden away yet coming up with a truly enjoyable and entertaining offering which is what's accomplished here. By delving deep into the storyline here and how her convictions and worries re for the most part mostly in her head, there's a great deal of care done in here about the different means in which they're manifesting yet aren't anywhere near the level of effectiveness her when it comes to the film's stalking scene to generate that kind of impact here. Utilizing the legendary park sequence where an unseen figure chases someone through the park's dark walkways is a fine example while also bringing up the start of several other positives in the other stalking scenes. The other great scene here is the ambush in the swimming pool of a hotel, letting the shadows and darkness come off quite well while the aftermath damage to the leftover clothing is impressive as well in furthering the whole affair, while a really tense encounter at work where they find themselves trapped inside the room only to confront a vicious panther in there with them and the finale where the cat launches the final attack here against the friends with the big sequence in the hotel room attacking the friends before getting to the fine finale in the park for a nice conclusion here. These here make this one quite enjoyable and entertaining.Today's Rating/PG: Mild Violence and mild sexual discussions.