Cat People

Directed by Jacques Tourneur, Cat People follows Simone Simon’s Irena Dubrovna as she becomes convinced that she’s inherited the power to transform into a panther when she becomes angry or aroused – with this inevitably causing problems after her new husband (Kent Smith’s Oliver) begins spending too much time with a pretty coworker (Jane Randolph’s Alice). Filmmaker Tourneur, working from DeWitt Bodeen’s screenplay, delivers an exceedingly (and often excessively) deliberate drama that fares quite poorly in its opening stretch, with the arms-length atmosphere compounded and perpetuated by an ongoing emphasis on entirely less-than-engrossing episodes and sequences (and it doesn’t help, certainly, that various animals are mistreated to a frustratingly distracting extent). It’s clear, then, that Cat People benefits rather substantially from its justifiably iconic visuals and a smattering of admittedly captivating sequences, with, in terms of the latter, the stalking of Randolph’s character on an empty road and, especially, at a dimly-lit public swimming pool boasting a suspenseful and spellbinding feel that proves impossible to resist. The relatively exciting climax ensures that Cat People finishes a heck of a lot better than it starts, ultimately, which cements its place as a decent-enough endeavor that rarely works as well as one might’ve hoped.

**1/2 out of ****