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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Power of Suggestion, 12 Jan 2003
By A Customer
Producer Val Lewton was forced to work with a small budget during his time with RKO, but faced with financial contraints and lack of star power, he hooked up with director Jacques Tourneur (Out of the Past) to create several horror films that over 60 years later are still considered the finest ever made in the genre. "Cat People" is one of those films.Lewton and Tourneur did this by letting the imagination of the viewer make up the horror, as everything is in the unseen. It was a device they would use in several films and it always worked. Lewton and Tourneur new that what we could imagine in our minds through cinematic suggestion was far worse than anything they could graphically show on screen. Simone Simon, small and elegant, is perfect as the sweet Yugoslavian girl Irena Dubrovna, living in New York City and trying to fit in. Even after she meets and marries Oliver (Kent Smith) there is a shadow on her life which stands eerily between the happiness she desires and the curse she feels inside her, that of the "Cat People". Is her fear irrational or does such a thing exist? A scene in a restaurant when 'one of her own kind' recognizes the panther inside her is particularly unsettleing. Tom Conway is the doctor who tries to help and Jane Randolph has a nice part as Oliver's friend Alice. As Irene wrestles with her fear Oliver begins to confide in Alice and it becomes obvious to Irena that there could be more. But jealously may awaken the panther inside Irena and put all their lives in danger. A film that is full of atmosphere and dripping with doom, there are some genuinely scary moments here. A scene late at night as Irena walks alone down the street and a terrifying scene by a pool are both legendary. Simone Simon brought a fragile, and yes, cat like grace to the role, and gives a terrific performance. We feel her fear and feel sorry for her. Watch this one late at night, but don't watch it alone...!
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