3/4  Cat People Quick Review
Except movie. Jacques Toeurneur was wonderful despite his budgetary limitations.

4/5 Well done remake of a horror classic!
  by John Lindsey (Socorro, New Mexico USA.)


beautiful virgin Irena (Natassia Kinski) has just arrived in New Orleans to see her brother Paul (Malcom Mcdowell) but she doesn't realize is that murders has been occuring over the past weeks due to a large cat on the loose. It seems she has fallen in love with a zookeeper named Oliver (John Heard) but it seems that she and her brother are actually part of a ancient race of cat people who resemble human beings but can only mate with other Cat-People otherwise when with normal human beings they transform into monstrous black Leopards with an urge to kill.

Steamy and bloody remake of the 1942 horror classic of the same name from director Paul Schrader. Although it's different from it's original source material as it uses a metaphor on sexual awakenings with a European horror feel to it and also about incestous desire. The film co-stars Ed Begley Jr and Annette O'Toole, it's an erotic and sometimes gory reimagining with a terrific score from Giorgio Moroder and a quality song from David Bowie. It's also produced by Jerry Bruckheimer before he made his company that he is now famous for, i must say this version does have plenty of nudity with graphic violence and nifty make-up effects by Tom Burman("Halloween 3" and "Invasion of the Body Snatchers 1978"), it's still a fun remake but inferior to the original.

This DVD contains a wonderful DVD transfer on the picture and quality sound with good extras like audio commentary, interviews, featurettes, still gallery, production notes and trailer.



3/5 It's Alright
  by Miranda Whitehead (Kentucky, USA)
I remember seeing this movie growing up--probably on the Sci-Fi Channel. It was an interesting movie. Word of warning(maybe spoiler): there's attempted incest. And it's not just for a little bit, or implied, or undertones; it's the main theme of the movie. That sometimes turns people off to a movie, and I can understand any who don't want to see this movie now because of it. Me, on the other hand, I find it intriguing. If any of you didn't know, this is a remake of a movie with the same title (I know because a friend of mine has a DVD with both the original and it's sequel). It's obviously an 80's movie, and if you can't tell by the synthesizer music, then you can tell by the camera angles and the clothing styles (and how young Malcolm McDowell is). I love Malcolm McDowell in this movie, even though he plays yet another creepy guy. It gets hard to watch at times--mostly because there are boring parts in the movie, not the blood/"gore". There's a good deal of nudity, and it's obvious in one scene that the main female isn't wearing a bra under a nude-colored sweater (you'll know it when you see it). It was the 80's, and it was rated R; they could get away with a lot. I still like it okay--there are some excellent special effects in it that pre-date CGI (and, according to a Featurette in the Special Features, incapable of being reproduced in CGI).

4/5 Cat People (1982)-Loved it!
  by Keith Mirenberg (www.spaceanimations.org)
Cat People (1982) was easily a four star film starring Nastassia Kinski. I first learned about this movie some years after it was released by reading an article in Cinefantastique magazine which praised the movie and its special effects. It had great atmosphere, a good cast, really great special effects and a musical score that worked at setting the mood. It was a remake that did credit to the original.


5/5 Erotically charged remake of the Val Lewton classic.
  by James Simpson (USA)
Very different remake from the original Val Lewton film of 1942 that stressed suggestion over graphic Horror. This remake is basically a re-imagining and with an infinitely higher libido. While not the Horror classic that the original was, this is still highly reccomended as one of the most intelligently handled of all of 80s Horror films.

The plot tells the story of a sexy young woman named Irena(Nastassja Kinski) who travels to the South to see her brother(Malcolm Mcdowell) and discover a secret about her family. It turns out that she is derived from a race of "Cat people", a group of shape-shifters who can only pro-create with there own kind, otherwise if they engage in sex with a human they change into a Black panther!
Problems ensue when Irena falls for a young Zookeeper(John Heard) and her brother makes advances on her....

The film is really a Thriller about sexual repression and it's consequences, a popular topic in the Classic Horror film. Kinski is perfect in the role, appearing both virginal and highly sexual. Her performance is first rate and is one of the sexiest in the Horror film. With her lithe body, green eyes and dark hair she makes quite an attractive image. This is made more evident by her many nude scenes in the movie,among the sexiest in film history. Kinski's nude stroll through the forest at night is both artistic and highly sexy to boot. And that infamous "Bondage" scene at the end of the film is one of the screen's classic sex scenes.

The rest of the cast are very adequate including under-used actor, John Heard as Kinski's love interest. Annette O Toole as the estranged girlfriend of Heard's character(who gets to do a topless swim echoing the 1942 "pool" scene from the original). And Mcdowell is both creepy and sympathetic in the role of Kinski's brother.

Schrader's direction is first rate and surreal with a nice emphasis on mood and atmosphere. This is highlighted by a great score by Giorrgio Moroder, whose theme is fittingly erotic and mysterious. The locations are wonderful and become there own character under the skilled eye of the director.

The film conforms to some typical 80s Horror film conventions with some effectively gory sequences supervised by make up artist, Tom Burman. These include several torn apart bodies. The image of Ed Begley Jr. getting his arm clawed off by a panther and the transformations of people into cats. This was a big thing in the early 80s, what with the success of films like "An American Werewolf in London(1981)" and "The Howling(1980)". Transformation effects got better and better, reaching a peak in two remakes with "The Thing(1982)" and "The Fly(1986)". This one's effects though are still first rate and disgusting. It certainly is shocking to see the perfectly formed Kinski transformed into a big ol' panther!

Certainly not a film for all tastes. This film should appeal to fans of erotically melded Horror and Thriller films and fans of the original curious to see it's remake. Of course, male film fans with a penchant for the female figure(um, isn't that most of us?) will want to own this to see the first rate nudity of Miss Kinski in her finest skin moment ever.(and possibly best performance of her career....possibly.)
(And more manly note about Kinski's figure: Get a load of this chick's backside. I mean alot of guys love to mention the ample backside of Ms. Kim Kardashian and her ilk, but man, get a load of Nastassja in this film! Whoa-man! Awesome! Now back to the review....)

The DVD features are plentiful including a mini-documentary on the film, behind the scenes footage, Theatrical Trailer and commentary by the director. The print is in great shape in a beautiful letterbox print, as well. It's great to see this film get such a first class treatment by Universal and fans will not be dissapointed.

P.S.
That David Bowie song, "Cat People' was alot better than expected. It actually works in the context of this film, beyond the obvious. Than again he was always good with mood and this was a natural.

5/5 The Prrrrrfect Pussycat...
  by Bindy Sue Frønkünschtein (under the rubble)
While not quite as subtle as the Val Lewton / Tourneur original, this re-make (re-imagining?) is powerful nonetheless. The incredibly hot Nastassia Kinski (To The Devil... A Daughter) blazes right along as the confused, young beauty who is clueless concerning her identity / destiny. Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange, The Barber, Evilenko) does his feline best as Kinski's dangerous brother. John Heard (CHUD) is the zookeeper, bewitched by Kinski's very presence. The supporting cast includes Annette O'Toole, Ed Begley jr., and the legendary Ruby Dee. Also, watch for a tiny role for John Laroquette, and a cameo appearance by Lynne Lowry (The Crazies, Shivers) as an ill-fated prostitute! Oh yeah, and Ms. Kinski spends an awful lot of her screen-time without the added burden of clothing. CAT PEOPLE is an 80s classic like THE HUNGER...