Cat People (1942)

Director:

Jacques Tourneur

Writer:

DeWitt Bodeen (written by)

Release Date:

25 December 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

She knew strange, fierce pleasures that no other woman could ever feel!

Plot:

Irena Dubrovna, a beautiful and mysterious Serbian-born fashion artist living in New York City, falls...

Plot Keywords:

Marriage | Panther | Psychiatrist | New York | Artist

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

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)
Henrietta Burnside	...	Sue Ellen (uncredited)
Alec Craig	...	Zookeeper (uncredited)
Eddie Dew	...	Street policeman (uncredited)
Elizabeth Dunn	...	Miss Plunkett, pet shop owner (uncredited)
Dynamite	...	The panther (uncredited)
Dot Farley	...	Mrs. Agnew, scrubwoman (uncredited)
Mary Halsey	...	Blondie, apartment house desk clerk (uncredited)
Theresa Harris	...	Minnie, waitress at Sally Lunds café (uncredited)
Charles Jordan	...	Bus driver (uncredited)
Donald Kerr	...	Taxi driver (uncredited)
Connie Leon	...	Neighbor who called police (uncredited)
Murdock MacQuarrie	...	Sheep caretaker (uncredited)
Alan Napier	...	Doc Carver (uncredited)
John Piffle	...	Café proprietor (uncredited)
Betty Roadman	...	Mrs. Hansen (uncredited)
Elizabeth Russell	...	The Cat Woman (uncredited)
Stephen Soldi	...	Organ grinder (uncredited)

Directed by
Jacques Tourneur

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
DeWitt Bodeen		written by

Produced by
Val Lewton	....	producer

Original Music by
Roy Webb

Cinematography by
Nicholas Musuraca

Film Editing by
Mark Robson

Art Direction by
Albert S. D'Agostino
Walter E. Keller

Set Decoration by
A. Roland Fields		(as Al Fields)
Darrell Silvera

Costume Design by
Renié		(gowns)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Doran Cox	....	assistant director

Sound Department
John L. Cass	....	sound recordist

Special Effects by
Vernon L. Walker	....	special effects (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Linwood G. Dunn	....	photographic effects (uncredited)

Music Department
C. Bakaleinikoff	....	musical director
John Leipold	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Leonid Raab	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Mel Koontz	....	animal trainer (uncredited)
Lou L. Ostrow	....	supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• RKO Radio Pictures

Distributors

• RKO Radio Pictures (1942) (USA) (theatrical)
• RKO Radio Pictures (1952) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Ajay Film Company (1976) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• C&C Television Corporation (1955) (USA) (TV) (syndication)
• Criterion Collection, The (1994) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Image Entertainment (1995) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• King of Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Nostalgia Merchant, The (1980) (USA) (VHS)
• RKO Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Turner Classic Movies (TCM) (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Turner Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2008) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

73 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Czech | Serbian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

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)

Filming Locations:

RKO Studios - 780 Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

The film was such a hit at the box office, the releases of the next two Lewton films (I Walked with a Zombie (1943) and The Leopard Man (1943)) were delayed.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Irena is alarmed by the woman in the restaurant, she makes the sign of the cross left-to-right, as a Western Catholic would. However, as a Serb, she would more likely have made it right-to-left, as Orthodox and Eastern Catholics do. And if she was Orthodox, she would join three fingers (thumb, index and middle finger) to make the sign of the cross, not use the whole hand.

Quotes:

Oliver 'Ollie' Reed: You cold?
Alice Moore: A cat just walked over my grave.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Cat People: An Intimate Portrait by Paul Schrader (2002) (V)

Sometimes The Less You See, The Better

This movie provides a good demonstration of how you can still generate good suspense without violence seen on-screen. Director Jacques Tourneur and producer Val Lewton liked these kind of film presentations. This was Lewton's first film, by the way. Viewers either seem to really be for this slower classic style, or totally turned off by these kind of films. It depends, I suppose, on what you are expecting and what kind of movies you like. If you are looking for an action-packed film, with some bloody or horrible scenes, skip this film. It will just bore you to death.

If you prefer the implied violent acts, horror, and even sexual stuff , then this is your cup of tea. It's very "moody."

Simon Simone does well in the key role of "Irena Dubrovna." Animals fear her and she fears getting attached to someone, such as "Oliver Reed" (Kent Smith) who comes along and there is mutual attraction. What happens to those two, and others I won't say. The film is only 72 minutes so why divulge what's in it? Just know what to expect. This is a far cry from today's horror films.