IMDb > Cat People (1942)
Cat People
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Cat People (1942) More at IMDbPro »

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Cat People (1942) -- Irena Dubrovna, a beautiful and mysterious Serbian-born fashion artist living in New York City, falls in love with and marries average-Joe American Oliver Reed...
Cat People (1942) -- Irena Dubrovna, a beautiful and mysterious Serbian-born fashion artist living in New York City, falls in love with and marries average-Joe American Oliver Reed...

Overview

User Rating:
7.5/10   4,542 votes
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Director:
Writer:
DeWitt Bodeen (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Cat People on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
25 December 1942 (USA) more
Tagline:
She knew strange, fierce pleasures that no other woman could ever feel! more
Plot:
An American man marries a Serbian immigrant who fears that she will turn into the cat person of her homeland's fables if they are intimate together. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
1 win & 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(12 articles)
Farber in the Forties
 (From The Auteurs. 23 November 2009, 10:46 AM, PST)

Cinematical Seven: Directorial Double Whammies
 (From Cinematical. 13 October 2009, 8:15 PM, PDT)

User Reviews:
A horror classic. Hugely influential and still as enjoyable as ever. more (94 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
Simone Simon ... Irena Dubrovna Reed
Kent Smith ... Oliver Reed
Tom Conway ... Dr. Louis Judd
Jane Randolph ... Alice Moore
Jack Holt ... The Commodore
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
George Ford ... Whistling Cop (scenes deleted)
Bud Geary ... Mounted Policeman (scenes deleted)
Leda Nicova ... Patient (scenes deleted)
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
73 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)
Certification:
Finland:K-16 (1978) | UK:A (original rating) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #8693) | West Germany:12 (video rating)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Supervisor Lou L. Ostrow was so dissatisfied with the style of the movie he wanted to replace director Jacques Tourneur after four days of filming. Producer Val Lewton got studio head Charles Koerner to reinstate Tourneur, and when Ostrow insisted on the panther appearing in the drafting room sequence, Lewton had Tourneur use low lighting putting the panther in the shadows. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: There was not a King John of Serbia who defeated the Mamelukes. None of the lists of Kings/Princes of Serbia include a King John. The closest historical personage was the Holy Martyr John Vladimir [St. Jovan Vladimir], killed by Tsar Vladimir in 1015 AD. more
Quotes:
Woman at pet shop: I can't imagine! more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in The 100 Greatest Scary Moments (2003) (TV) more

FAQ

Why did Dr Judd purposely "forget" his walking stick?
Where did the dead sheep come from?
Did Irena really turn into a panther?
more
26 out of 34 people found the following review useful.
A horror classic. Hugely influential and still as enjoyable as ever., 25 March 2003
Author: Infofreak from Perth, Australia

'Cat People' was the first collaboration between director Jacques Tourneur ('Curse Of The Demon') and producer Val Lewton, and is still one of their greatest achievements, and one of the most influential horror movies ever made. It's arguably the best horror movie made between the Universal classics of the 1930s and the beginning of Hammer studios in the 1950s. So many subsequent film makers from Hitchcock on down have been influenced by this movie and yet it rarely gets the respect it deserves. 'Cat People' pretends to be a monster movie but is really something more complex, and relies on atmosphere and suspense rather than explicit shocks or gore (there is virtually none of the latter). Fans of Hitchcock and film noir will probably appreciate it more than hardcore gorehounds. Simone Simon is very well cast as the mysterious and troubled Irena and the rest of the cast range from adequate to very good. The acting is probably one of the weakest links in the film but not enough to spoil your enjoyment (I think 1940s acting is an acquired taste and I can see how a modern viewer who expects more realistic and natural performances could sometimes find them a bit hard to swallow). 'Cat People' is a horror classic and is highly recommended to anyone interested in the genre.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Cat People (1942)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Question about Dr. Judd going back to the apartment (possible spoiler) randallknox
Really Bad Acting lcherner
Feel a little bit silly... adam-402
... great line ... TheAstroman
My Great Grandmother Was in this movie! XxLiMELiGHTxX
Box Office enriquee4
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