Cat People

"Cat People" is one of those movies that, by all rights, shouldn't be shown on network TV. That's not a comment on quality; it's one of the best erotic thrillers ever made (next to "The Hunger"). But when you have a movie where, for the last half hour, the female lead is mostly undressed ... how can you *show* the last half of the movie? Very simply stated, they *don't* show it. I tried to watch Cat People on USA or some other network one night, and the last half hour had been cut down to about five minutes and made absolutely no sense. Worse, I was watching it with someone who had never seen it before, and when it was over, she was thoroughly confused and unimpressed. So, number one: See this movie, if you haven't already! And number two, when you do ... rent or buy the video, or catch a revival on one of the premium cable channels.

Erotic thriller with Nastassja Kinski starring as a young female who's gone searching for her own, inner self. In many ways a remake of the 1942 original, but also in many ways not a remake - a film that stands its own ground, this has a quality of sexual awakening and excitement that the original didn't have. Fabulous music by Giorgio Moroder (also featured is David Bowie's hit-single "Putting Out the Fire") accompanies many of the bloody and sexually occupied scenes that hammers on like they belonged in a artsy-fartsy * flick. Kinskis performance at the center is typically her: odd, tactless, awkward, outlandish and sensual - in other words, highly enjoyable. She's fantastically beautiful, and she moves through a New Orleans during the fall, shot by John Bailey. And even though the level of thrills ain't always sky-high, the film has a charm and atmosphere that makes it a interesting, stylish and sexy cult picture.

A village sacrifices their young women to black leopards who mated with them to create a new breed of people, Cat People. Irena Gallier (Nastassja Kinski) travels to New Orleans to meet her birth brother Paul Gallier (Malcolm McDowell) for the first time. Female (Ruby Dee) is his mysterious caretaker. A black leopard and mauls a hooker in a motel. Dr. Oliver Yates (John Heard), Alice Perrin (Annette O'Toole) and Joe Creigh (Ed Begley Jr.) captures the animal for the zoo. Irena is drawn to the leopard at the zoo and befriends Dr. Yates. This remakes a 40s horror that is honestly a bit boring and slow to me. What director Paul Schrader does is to elevate the eroticism and the visceral horror. Ed Begley Jr. getting his arm ripped off is classic. Kinski has great exoticism. Heard is a solid lead and O'Toole is a great girl-next-door. The swimming pool scene was a classic in the original and continues to be a great scene in this one.

CAT PEOPLE is a very well directed - by TAXI DRIVER scribe Paul Schrader, no less - and stylish reworking of the Val Lewton 1940s classic of the same name and actually superior to my mind. It stars an alluring Natassja Kinski and a typically weird Malcolm McDowell playing a brother and sister who are cursed to transform into big cats during sex. It's an outrageous premise for sure, but one that's handled with surprisingly sensitivity by Schrader who makes the story all his own. This is a film that looks and feels good, keeping the story moving along with unexpected twists, some shocking moments of horror, and a general erotic atmosphere. Kinski and McDowell excel as expected, while John Heard impresses in a non-comedic role. The use of special effects and real-life animals is neatly handled too. It's not quite as good as something iconic like An American Werewolf in London, but it gets close.

Like Joe D'Amato's "Buried Alive," this remake of "Cat People" is technically a love story with a tough horror exterior. Both aspects of these genres fit quite well to create an unconventional entertainment. The movie gets especially high mileage out of two inspired leads--Nastassia Kinski as the young, attractive virgin (she also looks like a more predatory version of Isabella Rossellini); and Malcolm McDowell, who still glows with all the playful malevolence he brought to "A Clockwork Orange," as her brother, who morphs into a panther when sexually aroused. In spite of an ill-defined supporting cast, Paul Schrader's assured direction, the bizarre script (by "Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things" star Alan Ormsby), those lush New Orleans locations, and the chemistry between Kinski and McDowell keep "Cat People" afloat. It's a sexually charged horror story told with a straight face, and it works. 7/10