movie review of Cat People (1942)- by The Masked Reviewer
In Cat People, a beautiful Serbian fashion designer Irena Dubrovna (Simone Simon) marries marine engineer Oliver Reed (Kent Smith). All is going well until the wedding night, Irena refuses to consummate her marriage to Oliver. The next day she admits a seemingly ridiculous fear of turning to a panther if she has intercourse with her husband. When Irena is sent to Dr. Louis Judd, her psychiatrist, a very interesting fact about her family is discovered. During this time Oliver has been spending more time with his secretly love struck co-worker Alice Moore (Jane Randolph).
Pros and Cons
From the lovely costumes to the script, Cat People is an excellent film. But most films have some missteps and Cat People is no different. Kent Smith and Jane Randolph brought as much personality as a mannequin to their performance–they are extremely wooden and unlikeable.
The characters stated that they had redeeming qualities–but never showed it. Simone Simon played her part beautifully, but with a French accent. (What do you expect she’s French?) Cat People needed better timing or editing: speeding thru important scenes and staying far too long on unimportant scenes. This film needed more attention to correcting the flaws in Cat People.
I give this film 4 out of 5 stars.
Enjoyable, and full of suspense I would watch Cat People again.
Movie quotes from Cat People
Woman at pet shop: You can fool everybody, but laudie dearie me, you can’t fool a cat. They seem to know who’s not right.
Irena Dubrovna: I like the dark. It’s friendly.
Irena Dubrovna: Oh, it’s alright. It’s just that cats don’t seem to like me.
Irena Dubrovna: What should I tell my husband? Naturally, he’s anxious to have some word.
Dr. Louis Judd: What does one tell a husband? One tells him nothing.
Oliver “Ollie” Reed’ Reed: You cold?
Alice Moore: A cat just walked over my grave.
Dr. Louis Judd: Why would she wish to harm you?
Alice Moore: Because I’m in love with her husband.
Irena Dubrovna: Will you have tea with me in my apartment?
Oliver “Ollie” Reed’ Reed: You make everything so simple!
The Commodore: Look at that woman over there.
Doc Carver: Looks just like a cat.
Irena Dubrovna: Oh, you can tell Alice anything, she’s such a good egg she can understand anything
Oliver “Ollie” Reed: There are some things a woman doesn’t want other women to understand.
Cast of characters
- Simone Simon (The Curse of the Cat People) … Irena Dubrovna Reed
- Kent Smith (The Fountainhead) … Oliver Reed
- Tom Conway (The Seventh Victim) … Dr. Louis Judd
- Jane Randolph (Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein) … Alice Moore
- Jack Holt (San Francisco) … The Commodore
Additional cast
- Henrietta Burnside … Sue Ellen (uncredited)
- Alec Craig (Orchestra Wives) … Zookeeper (uncredited)
- Eddie Dew … Street Policeman (uncredited)
- Elizabeth Dunne (Blondie Takes a Vacation) … Mrs. Plunkett (uncredited)
- Dynamite … The Panther (uncredited)
- Dot Farley … Mrs. Agnew (uncredited)
- Mary Halsey … Blondie (uncredited)
- Theresa Harris … Minnie (uncredited)
- Charles Jordan (The Ape Man) … Bus Driver (uncredited)
- Donald Kerr (The Devil Bat) … Taxi Driver (uncredited)
- Connie Leon … Neighbor Who Called Police (uncredited)
- Murdock MacQuarrie … Sheep Caretaker (uncredited)
- Alan Napier (Batman season 1; The Mole People) … Doc Carver (uncredited)
- John Piffle … Café Proprietor (uncredited)
- Betty Roadman … Mrs. Hansen (uncredited)
- Elizabeth Russell (The Corpse Vanishes) … The Cat Woman (uncredited)
- Stephen Soldi … Organ Grinder (uncredited)
