Amazon.com video review:
The original 1943 film that inspired the sexier 1982 Natassja Kinski
remake
is an intriguing metaphor for sexual repression and anxiety. When a
Manhattan ship architect named Oliver Reed (Kent Smith) marries beautiful
but psychologically tortured fashion sketch artist Irena Dubrovna (Simone
Simon), he has little knowledge of her past other than that she is tortured
by myths from her European homeland. His bride fears she will transform
into a deadly panther if aroused or angry. Once their passionless marriage
deteriorates, and Oliver begins to ponder a romance with his coworker
Alice Moore (Jane Randolph), Irena's jealousy and anger begin a series of
transformations that threaten her therapist, her husband, and Alice.
Director Jacques Tourneur never shows Irena's metamorphosis, usually
implying the presence of her feline alter ego through creepy sound effects,
ominous shadows, and dramatic camera angles, all elements that effectively
generate suspense and fear. This black-and-white mood piece takes its time
building up its story, and while Irena's inner panther could easily be
interpreted as representing the wrath of a woman scorned, Cat
People goes deeper in probing her psychic scars. --Bryan Reesman
