Cat People (1942) **** [CP Double Feature Pt. 1]

I last watched Jacques Tourneur's Cat People (1942) just shy of four years ago when the Criterion Collection Blu-ray was released. Rewatching the film now I've come to appreciate it even more. Val Lewton's first feature as producer is nothing short of impressive. Lewton had a prolific but unfortunately short run as producer over nine years (1942–1951), releasing fourteen mostly great pictures, mostly in the horror/thriller genre. 

Lewton would work with Tourneur two more times in 1943 for I Walked With A Zombie and The Leopard Man. Both were good movies, but neither could top the success and legacy of Cat People. All of the Lewton/Tourneur collaborations are very short features and even though CP is the longest of the three, at a mere 73 minutes, there is no denying the efficiency and economy of this wonderful work.

A big reason that the film is so excellent, of course, is Simone Simon's singular performance as Irena Dubrovna, a Serbian immigrant who fears that, per her homeland fables, she will turn into a cat person if she becomes intimate with a man. She ends up marrying Oliver Reed (a very stiff and unexciting Kent Smith) anyway and everything seems to be going hunky-dory with the couple for a while. But in time Oliver begins to show more interest in his coworker Alice (a spunky and likable Jane Randolph) (who happens to be in love with him), as he eventually grows tired of Irena's refusal to let him touch her. This leads to Irena stalking the two of them and further recessing into depression.

For the 1940s, CP has an undeniable darkness to it. Part of that is the subject matter, part of it is the sadness in Simone Simon's portrayal, and part of it is the striking noir-tinged cinematography by Nicholas Musuraca. His lighting is one of the film's highlights and a huge contribution to some chilling and unforgettable set pieces (a lamplit street and a public pool, in particular). Though it's tame by today's standards, Cat People is an influential film in the history of horror, an atmospheric B-movie and—thanks to a strong lead role and the work of a skilled crew—a memorable piece of cinema.

You can find my Jacques Tourneur Feature Films Ranked list here.