Cat People
Dir: Paul Schrader
Star: Nastassja Kinski, Malcolm McDowell, John Heard, Annette O'Toole
The problem with remakes is that they inevitably invite comparisons with the original; this is especially a problem when you choose to re-do a film regarded as a genre classic, such as Val Lewton's Cat People. In such a case, your best bet is to give it a radical makeover, and this is what Schrader did, making explicit all the sexual tension which lurked beneath the surface of the original. A major weakness of the original was that censorship heavily restricted what could be shown. Forty years later, and Schrader is free to deliver a delirious assault on the senses; bondage, bestiality, incest and straightforward heterosexuality ensure that eroticism seeps from every frame, no doubt helped by the copious amount of drugs almost everyone on the set consumed during shooting.
Schrader is greatly helped by two inspired pieces of casting: Kinski and McDowell as the lycanthropes look feline beyond belief, with the former's innocence and the latter's decadence playing off each other to great effect. The effects stand up to the test of time well, with Ed Begley's arm removal still sending shivers up the spine. [And the sight of Kinski in thigh-length waders sends shivers
in a different direction, but that's another story] New Orleans is the
perfect setting for this steamy, dark tale, in which Giorgio Moroder's
score growls hungrily in the background - Kinski's night hunt is,
incidentally, a superb demonstration of the delight of surround sound. It's a movie which repays repeated viewing, one whose strength relies on atmosphere rather than logic, but if you're in the right mood - a hot summer night may be best - then it's impact is devastating.
A+
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